Bishop Auckland train boss slams rising abuse on staff

Bishop Trains chief Luke Allan Holmes said there has been a spike in incidents of abuse and intimidation towards staff at Bishop Auckland Railway Station.

The chief executive of Holdham Group – the parent company of Bishop Trains – said he has personally witnessed a “significant deterioration” since taking over in October 2025 following former founder David Millon’s death. . 

Mr Holmes admitted that he has had to personally intervene in numerous incidents – one of which led to him being attacked after telling a customer they could not travel. 

“There is a small, but growing, number of people who believe it is acceptable to swear at, threaten, intimidate and abuse frontline staff. It isn’t”, Mr Holmes said. 

Bishop Auckland Railway Station (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

“No member of staff should come to work expecting to be sworn at, threatened or intimidated simply for doing their job.

“Since becoming Chief Executive of Bishop Trains, I have personally intervened in countless incidents involving aggressive behaviour, fights and attempts to assault members of staff.

“I have stood between angry customers and my team. I have dealt with threatening behaviour. I have had to ask individuals to leave our premises because of their conduct.”

‘Our staff do not control the weather’

Mr Holmes added that nobody should be assaulted for protecting their staff and that no staff member “should have to endure harassment, intimidation or abuse in their workplace.”

He said that while passengers are understandably frustrated when disruption occurs, station staff are often not responsible for the issues that have caused them.

“Our staff do not control the weather”, he said.

“They do not control signalling failures. They do not control train faults. And they unfortunately can’t prevent fatalities. 

“More often than not, they are dealing with exactly the same information as the customer standing in front of them.”

“What they do every single day is turn up to help people. 

Luke Allan Holmes (Image: Holdham Rail Solutions Group)

“They help elderly passengers, support disabled customers, assist families travelling with children, provide travel advice and do their absolute best to keep people moving when disruption occurs.

“To then be met with abuse for circumstances entirely outside of their control is simply unacceptable.”

Thankfully, it is not all customers who are abusive – but he said that Bishop Trains will continue to take a zero-tolerance approach. 

“The overwhelming majority of our customers are fantastic”, he said 

“Every day, our staff are treated with kindness, patience and respect by the people we serve, and we are incredibly grateful for that.

“We will always support our employees. 

“Anyone who threatens, intimidates, harasses or assaults a member of our team can expect to be removed from our premises and reported to the British Transport Police, and/or other authorities where appropriate.

“Our message is very simple. Treat our staff with the same respect you would expect your own family members to receive in their workplace.

“Bishop Auckland is a proud railway town with a strong sense of community. 

“The vast majority of people who come through our doors are courteous and respectful, and we thank them for that. 

“We simply ask that everybody helps us ensure Bishop Auckland Railway Station remains a safe and welcoming environment for passengers and staff alike.”