Rail Delivery Group (RDG) has announced the launch of a rail industry wide Violence and Intimidation Against Women and Girls (VIAWG) Strategy.
The VIAWG Strategy was developed in partnership with British Transport Police, Network Rail, the Department for Transport, Transport for London, Transport for Wales, Transport Scotland and Transport Focus. It sets out a shared commitment to reducing violence, intimidation and harassment experienced by women and girls when travelling or working across the UK’s rail network.
The message is clear: Violence and intimidation against women and girls have no place on our railways. More specifically, the aim is to strengthen enforcement, improve prevention, and invest in better protection for rail passengers and staff.
The new strategy resonates with Women in Transport’s ongoing work around women’s safety, with our Research roadmap including an industry whitepaper on this critical subject.
According to RDG, “This is a whole systems approach to create safer journeys and stronger communities. Across our industry, we’re united in tackling this issue and improving the everyday experience of our customers and colleagues.”
Some key points highlighted in the VIAWG Strategy:
The UK Government’s 2025 Personal Safety on Transport Survey found a pronounced gender disparity: 24% of men feel very safe on public transport compared to just 14% of women, with young women feeling especially unsafe.
RDG research in 2025 showed that 87% of people believe that more needs to be done to prevent and address incidents of sexual harassment and violence against women, and that the rail industry has an important role to play in this important societal issue.
Cambridge University research shows that body-worn video (BWV) reduces assault risk by 47%. The VIAWG Strategy seeks to equip 100% of customer-facing rail staff with BWV by the end of 2027.
The rail industry and British Transport Police will support the creation of a passenger app to provide discreet, trusted, and accessible reporting channels across the rail network to enable timely intervention.
You can learn more about the VIAWG Strategy, and download it in full, at www.raildeliverygroup.com/viawg