Across seven routes in Tayside, Stirling, and Edinburgh from January 2025 to May 2026 there have been a total of 6,824 incidents on ScotRail services
14:38, 17 May 2026Updated 14:42, 17 May 2026
ScotRail upgraded the Edinburgh route to their ‘red list.'(Image: Ken Jack/Getty Images)
ScotRail has upgraded an Edinburgh route to red on its traffic light system after a jump in trespassing, verbal abuse and antisocial behaviour. Edinburgh to Dunblane and Stirling to Arbroath have been named as two of the most problematic services in the country.
ScotRail place routes on a ‘red list’ if they are perceived to suffer from high levels of distrubances. Edinburgh to Dunblane seen the train operator receiving a high number of call outs between April 2025 and 2026, the Daily Record reports.
For the Stirling to Arbroath route, which has stops at Perth, Dundee, and Monifieth, the calls out were mainly for incidents involving trespassing, youth loitering, intoxication and “event-related disorder”.
Meanwhile, according to The Sun, journeys between Edinburgh, Stirling, and Dunblane had incidents of verbal abuse, antisocial and drunken behaviour, as well a general disorder.
Additionally, an FOI report obtained by The Courier has revealed that another two routes have been put on the train operators ‘amber list’. Both of the lines are in Fife and recorded high levels of vandalism and assaults on staff.
ScotRail’s traffic light system was introduced as part of a new data-led approach that works to put resources and staff on services that need them most.
So far, the firm has said this system has helped reduce youth-related incidents and other antisocial behaviours in specifically targeted areas. Over this Easter period in comparison to last year, there was a 33 per cent drop in bad behaviour.
However, it has also been reported that across seven routes in Tayside, Stirling, and Edinburgh from January 2025 to May 2026 there have been a total of 6,824 incidents on ScotRail services.
ScotRail has also seen a soaring amount of complaints on a few Edinburgh services over the years. The Scottish capital-to-Glasgow services saw incidents rise from 9 in 2023 to 37 in 2024.
Meanwhile, the Edinburgh to Dunbar service increased from eight in 2022 to 20 in 2024, with the Edinburugh to North Berwick line seeing cases jump from 86 to 200.
Phil Campbell, ScotRail’s customer operations director, said: “ScotRail is absolutely committed to making Scotland’s railway as safe as it can be for our staff and our customers.
“There has been considerable investment across the ScotRail network to help achieve this, including the expansion of our travel safe team, who do an excellent job in promoting a safe railway environment.
“We’ll continue our close working relationship with British Transport Police, which includes involvement in multi-agency initiatives, to engage with and educate people on unsafe behaviours on the rail network, and we will continue to focus resources where they are needed to help keep Scotland’s railway safe and welcoming for everyone.”