Dumbarton train stations amongst list of 'no-go' lines

The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, said the route is plagued by anti-social behaviour, and three members of a newly formed Travel Safe Team – which promotes a safe railway environment on trains and at stations – have already been assaulted. One such worker was hospitalised following an incident on a nearby line.

The train drivers’ union, ASLEF, has backed the worker’s concerns, claiming additional staff on board would help address anti-social behaviour issues which impact staff and passengers. 

They also called for the introduction of a specific “Transport Anti-Social Behaviour” law to ensure repeat offenders are banned from the network. 

The route between Glasgow Queen Street and Balloch was highlighted by the driver as one of the worst in Scotland. The service runs through Dumbarton East, Dumbarton Central and Dalreoch. 

Fear for life

Speaking to the Reporter, the driver said there was one incident in particular that convinced him he had to take a stand for the sake of his own wellbeing.

He said: “The tipping point for me came when a Yoker [depot] driver was pelted with rubble on the way out of Balloch.

“After that, I just quoted the Employment Rights Act 1996, Section 44, which means you don’t have to do anything at work that you consider being dangerous that the employer hasn’t dealt with.

The line in question goes through Drumchapel, Drumry, Singer, Dalmuir, Kilpatrick and Bowling

“So, I refused then to do any back-shift to Balloch, and a colleague did as well, and one or two have done on isolated occasions.

“When things become life-threatening, as they did for that driver, that’s the point at which you’ve got to say ‘nah, no more’.”

In October 2021, ScotRail introduced a Travel Safe Team, which targeted several stations and routes, including trains between Dumbarton and Balloch from May this year. 

The team works closely with British Transport Police (BTP) and was designed to be a “reactive resource” with the ability to quickly focus on emerging hot spots. 

They engage and educate individuals and groups on the impact of unsafe behaviours when on or around the railway environment. 

But members of this support team have already been subjected to physical attacks, with one hospitalised in April after an incident between Paisley Gilmour Street and Hillington East stations.

Youth gangs

But the driver said the trouble on the line through Dumbarton is worse now than he has ever experienced in his 14 years as a driver.

He added: “The anti-social behaviour down on that stretch isn’t anything particularly new, but the increase and the scale of it is a new thing.

“And this really came about during the pandemic when trains were left at the mercy of young people with precious little else to do.”

The recent heatwave across the country saw people flock to utilise all that Loch Lomond and Balloch have to offer, but the driver explained this is something drivers are used to.

He added: “That’s an annual thing that we’re accustomed to anyway. The real core of the problem is the trouble from the actual area itself.

“It’s gangs of youths. We look at our rota sheet at the start of the week and you see you are on Saturday; your heart just sinks.”

The driver says that two gangs, one from Renton and one from Singer, sit on the train for hours, going back and forth, using the Wi-Fi and allegedly intimidating passengers and rail staff.

“What tends to happen now is that a lot of ticket examiners, almost all of them in fact, just will not go through the train at those points,” he added.

A recent freedom of information request by BBC Scotland revealed that reports of anti-social behaviour across Scotland’s train lines have been increasing since 2019.

Last year saw 3,877 incidents of anti-social behaviour recorded compared to 2,451 in 2020, and 2,404 in 2019.

Kevin Lindsay, ASLEF Scotland organiser, said there is a clear link between anti-social behaviour and a lack of visible staff. 

He said: “These figures are startling and show the growing danger that rail workers face every day while serving the public.

“There are real concerns that anti-social behaviour won’t just put passengers off using the railways, but that a member of the public or a rail worker is going to get seriously injured or worse.

Drivers are worried a member of staff is in danger of getting seriously hurt

“During the pandemic, anti-social behaviour got so bad that ASLEF members seriously considered stopping driving trains running past 7pm. 

“There is a clear connection between anti-social behaviour on the railway and a lack of visible staff.

“These figures are just the latest reminder of the importance of fully-staffed trains and stations if we are to reduce the levels of anti-social behaviour on Scotland’s railways. 

“It’s imperative that the transport minister gets plans in place immediately to tackle the staffing crisis while the Justice minister should create a specific Transport Anti-Social Behaviour offence to ensure repeat offenders are banned from the rail network, to help protect staff and other passengers.”

Parent care

A BTP spokesperson said targeted work by officers has resulted in a reduction in incidents this year so far, but they conceded “there is still work to do”, particularly during the summer months. 

They added: “As well as enhanced patrols at hotspot locations for anti-social behaviour, we have a strategy in place to ensure regular, unpredictable patrols at smaller district stations and onboard trains to deter offending. 

“We know that a lot of these reported incidents involve groups of young people, and we are actively engaging with schools and campus officers to identify perpetrators and deal with them accordingly.

“Crucially, officers are also urging parents to check in on their children’s whereabouts during the summer holidays and remind them of the dangers of the railway and the consequences of offending."