Sexual harassment and assault continue to trouble passengers on the TfL Network, with newly released British Transport Police (BTP) figures showing 792 reported offences in 2025.
The Northern Line recorded the highest number of incidents with 122 reports, followed by the Victoria Line with 105 and the Central Line with 94.
Together, these three lines account for just over 40% of all cases recorded last year.
For those who have spent years documenting harassment on London’s transport network, these numbers come as no surprise.
Farah Benis, founder of Catcalls of London, said the testimonies her organisation receive reflect an experience that is far more widespread than the official figures alone suggest.
She said: “I hear from women almost every week who’ve experienced harassment or assault on public transportation.
“The volume of stories and videos I receive shows how widespread the issue is, but it also highlights how many women still feel uncomfortable reporting incidents formally.”
Benis has documented harassment across the capital’s transport network for years and her organisation has collected more than 27,000 testimonies.
As reported by The Independent, her advocacy began after she was harassed as a teenager on a London bus, only to be told by the driver to ‘sit down and be quiet’.
The new data highlights several long-term trends, as figures released by BTP show that between 2016 and September 2025, the Central Line recorded 1,814 sexual offences — the highest total of any Tube line by a significant margin.
The Victoria Line, which had the second-highest number of offences over the same period, recorded 429 fewer cases.
That disparity has made the Central Line a particular focus of TfL’s safety efforts, with the TfL’s Central Line Improvement Plan aiming to improve the provision of on-train CCTV.
Speaking in 2019, when the plans were first announced, Sadiq Khan said: “Crime on the Central line is not new.
“As part of TfL’s £380 million Central line improvement programme, we have firm plans in place to install CCTV on all Central line trains.”
The upgrade was initially due for completion in 2023, but delays mean the rollout is now expected to finish in 2029.
The postponement has raised concerns among commuters and campaigners, who argue that CCTV is an essential deterrent in helping victims feel believed when they do report incidents.
Other lines also experienced significant increases in reports.
The Circle and Hammersmith & City line recorded a year-on-year rise of more than 26%, and the Elizabeth Line and TfL Rail saw the sharpest longer-term climb, with incidents increasing by over 77% when comparing 2022–23 with 2024–25.
Although the overall number of sexual offences on the network has remained relatively stable in recent years, TfL and BTP both say the figures remain far too high.
Siwan Hayward, TfL’s Director of Security, Policing and Enforcement, said the organisation is committed to ensuring that anyone using the network feels safe and supported.
She said: “Everyone deserves to feel safe when travelling across the network, and to have the confidence that any incident they report will be taken seriously and acted upon.
“We have been working with the British Transport Police over many years to raise awareness of this issue, to help customers feel more empowered to report this behaviour.
“While we anticipated and welcome increased reporting, any instance of sexual harassment or assault is utterly unacceptable, and we are working hard to stamp it out across our network.”
TfL has also stepped up its behavioural-change initiatives.
Its latest bystander-intervention campaign, Act Like a Friend, aims to show passengers how small, subtle actions can help someone who appears uncomfortable or at risk.
A TfL spokesperson said the idea behind the campaign is to give passengers the confidence to intervene safely and without confrontation, explaining that many people who witness harassment want to help but are unsure how to do so.
The campaign encourages actions such as starting a casual conversation with the person being targeted or checking in discreetly to ask if they are alright.
Benis, who has worked closely with the stakeholder team at TfL, said she recognise the organisation’s efforts to respond to concerns raised by passengers and campaigners.
She said: “The stakeholder team at TfL are brilliant. They respond quickly when concerns are raised and genuinely push to improve safety.”
However, she also believes cultural change must go hand in hand with operational improvements.
Benis said: “ Improving Safety on Public Transport isn’t just about infrastructure, it’s about culture.
“Until we address the normalisation of harassment and the behaviours of those who feel entitled to target women in public spaces, the system alone can only go so far.”
With nearly 800 incidents reported so far this year, the issue remains a major concern for Londoners.
TfL’s renewed focus on public involvement marks its latest attempt to shift both behaviour and expectations on the network.
Featured image credit: by Pau Casals, free to use under the Unsplash Licence
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