BRITAIN’S biggest railway workers’ union is calling for action to tackle escalating violence on busy train routes.

The RMT said today that there had been a “serious escalation” in violent and antisocial behaviour on Southern and Gatwick Express services, operated by Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR).

Staff are facing daily incidents of assault, threats, spitting, verbal abuse and intimidation, the union says.

The RMT is calling for measures including extra staff and security personnel at key locations and a visible enforcement presence to deter violent behaviour.

GTR said it takes the personal safety and security of everyone on its network seriously, and physical or verbal abuse of any kind against staff is “absolutely unacceptable.”

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey said: “The level of violence on GTR’s Southern and Gatwick Express services and stations has reached a crisis point and is totally unacceptable.

“Our members are being assaulted, threatened and abused at work and the company is not doing enough to stop it.

“GTR must take urgent action now to protect staff and passengers or we will have to consider all our options, including industrial action.

“We will not tolerate a situation where workers are left exposed and unsupported while this behaviour goes unchecked.”

The RMT is running a campaign calling for stronger protections for transport workers and a zero-tolerance approach to violence and abuse on the rail network.

Govia Thameslink Railway’s safety, health and security director Sam Facey said: “We remain fully committed to tackling this issue by working closely with the unions and building on what we’ve done so far.

“This includes making more than 1,500 body-worn cameras available, which, studies show, reduce assaults by 47 per cent and also gather vital evidence to prosecute.”