The boss of the Elizabeth line has called for greater protection for rail workers in the wake of a fatal attack on one of his staff at an east London station.
Mike Bagshaw, managing director of MTR Elizabeth line, backed a petition asking the Government to review - and potentially strengthen - measures to protect railway workers from violent crime in the wake of the killing of Jorge Ortega last December.
Mr Ortega, a 61-year-old grandfather who worked as a customer experience assistant for MTR, was the victim of an unprovoked attack on December 4. He was taken to hospital with serious head injuries but died two days later.
Mr Bagshaw, in a social media post, wrote: “The escalation in abuse of frontline staff is a worrying trend and more needs to be done to protect railway workers against violent crime.
“We have all seen the challenges our colleagues face and by supporting this petition we can make a real difference.”
The petition was launched by MTR Elizabeth line deputy director Clare McClane to address the “desperate need for a safer working environment”.
More than 8,000 people have already signed the petition. If it reaches 10,000 then the Government will be required to respond.
If it reaches 100,000 signatures then the petition could be debated in Parliament.
According to the petition, attacks on rail staff have been on the rise, with 3,330 recorded assaults across the UK in the last year - double the 1,681 attacks three years ago.
MTR operates the “Lizzie line” – the busiest rail line in the UK - under contract to Transport for London. It is due to be replaced in May by a new consortium.
The move comes as TfL board members have expressed concern at some of the sentences received by people convicted of attacking Tube staff.
In one case, an attacker who punched a TfL employee repeatedly in the head at Bank station last July, and who only stopped after a passenger intervened, was told to pay £300 compensation after pleading guilty to common assault.
About 100 physical assaults a month are reported by TfL staff working across the capital’s transport network.
TfL introduced body-worn cameras for frontline staff in January 2024 and believes the devices have helped to prevent some attacks and made it easier to bring prosecutions.
Across the wider TfL network, almost 1,000 work-related incidents of violence and aggression were reported between October and December last year – two-thirds of them on the Tube.
“Ticket disputes” or fare dodging trigger almost 40 per cent of incidents, while one in eight incidents “involved some element of hate” – the vast majority race-related.
Ayodele Jamgbadi, 28 of Kingston Road, Ilford has been charged with Mr Ortega’s murder and affray. He is due to stand trial on July 21, according to British Transport Police.
TfL said Mr Ortega had been a “dedicated member of railway staff for over 24 years” and a “devoted family man, kind, clever, considerate and an inspiring role model to many”.
A recent memorial service was attended by Mr Lord and Claire Mann, TfL’s chief operating officer.
TfL commissioner Andy Lord said last month that the “absolutely horrific killing” of Mr Ortega continued to have a “profound impact” across TfL.
He said: “We need to have zero tolerance of this. We are working with the BTP [British Transport Police] and the Met police… to make sure we prosecute anyone who does anything that threatens or abuses or physically harms our colleagues.”
