Harrogate railway station has been recognised as one of the safest in Yorkshire for women travelling alone in a new nationwide survey.
The study by women's charity Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland (SIGBI) assessed safety standards at railway stations across the UK, looking at factors including staffing, emergency help points, lighting, CCTV and safety information.
Harrogate was among the Yorkshire stations praised for providing many of the safety features campaigners say help women feel more secure when travelling.
However, the report also identified concerns at several other stations across the region.
Low Moor in Bradford, Sherburn-in-Elmet and South Milford were all recorded as permanently unstaffed, while Church Fenton and Ulleskelf were highlighted after emergency help points had been removed without replacement.
Across the UK, the survey found that only 10% of railway stations are staffed at all times, while 30% are permanently unstaffed. Fewer than half (44%) display clear information about who is responsible for passenger safety.
Gillie O'Rourke, President of SIGBI, said:
"These key measures, which can help women feel more secure, remain inconsistent, patchy and mixed at best.
"This leaves women increasingly vulnerable when travelling by train."
The charity has been campaigning for safer rail travel for women and girls for almost 30 years. Its latest research involved 388 surveys covering 373 stations and 985 platforms across Britain.
The report follows figures from the British Transport Police showing violence against women and girls on Britain's railways has risen by more than 50% since 2021.
SIGBI is now calling for minimum safety standards at every railway station, including reliable emergency help points, monitored CCTV, adequate lighting and clear information about who is responsible for passenger safety.
Lindsay Green, Programme Director at SIGBI, said:
"Our goal is to stand up for women and girls, advocating for equal rights, opportunities, and representation.
"The timing of the survey's relaunch happened to coincide with the British Transport Police's last report which stated that violence against women and girls on British railways had risen by more than 50% since 2021. Clearly, more needs to be done, and urgently.
"We're proud to be playing our part in helping to shape a safer environment for women when travelling."
Read SIGBI’s Railway Station Safety Survey Report here: https://sigbi.org/railwaysurvey/
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