A SKIPTON train conductor has spoken of the abuse he faces from passengers and how being threatened has taken its toll.

Andrew Wade, 59, has worked for train operator Northern for 12 years and is a conductor based at Skipton.

He said: “People who refuse to pay often become verbally abusive when they see you approach in a uniform. They will do anything to try and get out of paying,” he said.

“Whenever someone is letting off steam, I try and defuse the situation by sitting down with them and talking to them as an equal. But there are some situations where that isn’t possible.

“I have never been physically assaulted, but there have been three occasions when I have lost sleep after being threatened. It does take its toll.

“I always try to process what happened and think about whether I could have handled it differently and if I could prevent it from happening again in the future."

Mr Wade is one of four rail workers who have shared their experiences as part of Northern' s appeal to the public to treat everyone working on the railway with respect as it cracks down on verbal and physical abuse.

The train operator has highlighted a number of incidents conductors have faced while they work to ensure everyone reaches their destination safely and that they all have a valid ticket for travel.

While the overwhelming majority of people are polite and respectful, it says a very small minority has resorted to shouting, spitting and attacking members of staff in recent years.

Four of the train operator’s conductors have shared their experiences in the hope it will make people think about their behaviour towards them and their colleagues.

Northern said it will not tolerate verbal and physical abuse towards staff and will take action against anyone who threatens their employees’ safety.

In December, Northern revealed the number of dangerous attacks on its trains had fallen by almost 90 per cent over the previous 12 months, with the number of recorded incidents dropping from 69 to just eight.

The train operator says the chance of perpetrators being caught on camera is now much higher after it added a further 600 new CCTV cameras to the more than 1,000 that monitor its station estate.

It came after the operator installed 7,000 HD CCTV cameras on board its fleet of trains and invested £1.7m in the roll-out of more than 1,000 extra body-worn camera kits, taking the total number now in operation to 1,300.

British Transport Police has access to all the footage and can use it in criminal prosecutions.

Dozens of undercover and plain-clothed police officers and Northern's travel safety officers also regularly patrol services across the North of England.

Kerry Peters, regional director for Northern, said: “We welcome millions of customers on-board our trains every year and the overwhelming majority are polite, considerate and respectful of others.

"Unfortunately, given the numbers involved, our conductors do also encounter people who are somewhat less respectful of them and the safety critical role they have on-board – and that is unacceptable.”

Mr Wade added: “Its reassuring to know that the trains are covered by CCTV and the body-worn cameras, which are very good and available for everyone to wear. I do think they act as a deterrent to anyone who is being anti-social.”

People who witnesses physical or verbal attacks are encouraged to report them to British Transport Police by texting 61016 or by calling 0800 40 50 40.

British Transport Police’s ‘Railway Guardian’ app is available to download from Google Play and the Apple App Store.

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.