London Midland is going back to the future to reduce anti-social behaviour on its trains. From Monday, 7 August, the company is enforcing railway bylaws on its trains to tackle issues ranging from smoking to feet and seats and playing loud music. Future offences could lead to a court prosecution.
London Midland’s head of Revenue Protection and Security, Darren Hanley, explains “This is all about improving our passengers’ journeys. The railway bylaws have always existed but for many years they have fallen out of focus by most train companies. There is a strong link between low levels of antisocial behaviour and ticketless travel. Our passengers have the right to travel and feel safe with us. By enforcing the railway bylaws we can stop problems before they escalate into something worse.”
London Midland has been running a two month education programme on the line between Birmingham and Redditch before moving to enforcing the bylaws. During the education programme more than 500 cases were identified that could have resulted in prosecution. The train operator has plans to roll out the programme to other lines in the months ahead based on passenger and staff feedback.
