“The Labour government has pledged the biggest wave of insourcing in a generation, and the creation of Great British Railways is the perfect opportunity to turn that promise into reality”
Eddie Dempsey, RMT General Secretary
By the RMT Union
Nearly 70 per cent of rail passengers believe Great British Railways should deliver services such as cleaning, catering, and security in-house with directly employed staff rather than outsourcing them to private contractors, according to new independent polling commissioned by RMT.
The polling also found overwhelming support for increasing frontline staffing on stations and trains to improve passenger safety, security and accessibility as Great British Railways (GBR) is established.
The findings come as official figures show a 15.4 per cent increase in violent offences on Britain’s railways compared with the previous year and a 17 per cent rise in passenger assist requests, driven largely by disabled and older passengers, with demand now at record levels.
Against this backdrop, passengers are strongly backing greater staffing across the railway. Nearly two-thirds said more staff at stations would improve their sense of personal safety, while 70 per cent said increased staffing on trains would do the same.
The polling also found that 85 per cent of passengers believe a guaranteed staff presence at stations and on trains would make rail travel more accessible for people requiring assistance.
79 per cent of those polled said insourced railway workers should be trained to support passenger safety and accessibility. Unlike directly employed staff, the vast majority of outsourced rail workers receive little or no training in passenger support.
The findings strengthen the case for the government to use the creation of Great British Railways to reverse outsourcing and expand the number of frontline staff available to support passengers.
The union estimates that bringing workers currently employed by private contractors at Department for Transport train operators and Network Rail managed stations back in-house would increase GBR’s frontline workforce by around 8,000 staff, boosting staffing levels by roughly one-third.
RMT argues that insourcing would not only improve services for passengers but also provide workers with greater job security, better employment conditions and new opportunities for training and career progression.
The polling data comes ahead of the Second Reading of the Railways Bill on Tuesday (2.30pm onwards) which will establish Great British Railways as the new publicly owned body overseeing Britain’s railways. It also includes measures to strengthen passenger representation, require a long-term strategy for the rail network, and set targets to increase rail freight.
RMT General Secretary Eddie Dempsey said: “Passengers want more staff on the railway, better support for the disabled and elderly and they want services brought back in-house under public ownership.
“At a time when violence on the railway is rising and demand for passenger assistance is at record levels, we demand a properly staffed railway with workers directly employed by Great British Railways and focused on delivering the best possible service to passengers.
“For decades, outsourcing has fragmented the railway, created inefficiencies and diverted resources into private profit.
“Bringing these workers back in-house would immediately strengthen the frontline workforce, improve safety and accessibility and create better jobs with opportunities for training and progression.
“The Labour government has pledged the biggest wave of insourcing in a generation, and the creation of Great British Railways is the perfect opportunity to turn that promise into reality and build a safer, more accessible and more integrated railway for passengers and workers alike.”
- This article was originally published by the RMT on 6 July 2026.
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I totally endorse the above and have experienced years both as a junior clerk (3 years, ’70-73) and user. Office practice was primitive; Anne made the beverages and other kitchen roles and the rest spent their days handwriting their obligations without word processors and the PC while reading the press which heavily criticised British Rail and launched the unchallenged axiom “That BR, as a nationalised company will benefit customers and staff alike when it returns to private form and the trains will run on time”