Attacks on staff caused almost 450 injuries at Manchester Piccadilly train station

Network Rail, which manages the station, was subjected to over 700 personal injury claims from 2019-2024

People suffered noteworthy injuries almost 450 times at Manchester Piccadilly between 2019 and the end of last year, according to Network Rail data.

Despite accident reports dropping to just 51 last year, matching the pandemic-affected years of 2020 and 2021, the station is still seeing around 75 people suffering harm every year.

Personal injury claim specialists Accident At Work Claim UK has learned that Network Rail was targeted with legal action more than 700 times in the past six years.

One injury every five days at Piccadilly

442 injuries were recorded in total across six years, with passengers impacted 235 times. Visiting members of the public were hurt on 25 occasions and 182 staff members came to harm between January 2019 and December 2024.

63 people, or 14% of the total number who suffered harm in Manchester Piccadilly accidents, were taken directly to hospital.

While most injuries were superficial, 98 people had to be treated for open wounds while 41 others had sprains or strains that weren’t considered trivial.

Another 15 people were rushed to hospital after suffering a fracture or dislocation in a train station accident.

Platforms were the most common source of injuries, with 149 people coming to harm. Another 103 reported breaks, aches and pains while using Manchester Piccadilly’s escalators and travelators.

A further 54 came to harm at the ticket barriers, a third of whom were hurt due to actions of at least one person either had an invalid ticket or none at all.

Staff bear the brunt of passenger behaviour

A number of the ticket issue-related injuries involved staff. In 48 different cases, assault, abuse or ‘anti-social behaviour’ was stated the cause of harm, with all but two of the people reporting injuries coming from the station’s workforce.

Station staff also recorded four crushing injuries and six burns in accidents, while three staff members experienced a fracture or dislocation while working.

Behavioural issues were a constant issue for Manchester Piccadilly, according to the reports. 57 different reports mentioned that at least one person involved in an incident was “intoxicated by alcohol or drugs”.

Another 33 accidents were caused by people “rushing” in the station.

40 people suffered harm after “failing to stabilise [their] body during travel”, with almost all the incidents occurring on the escalators.

Wet, slippery or uneven surfaces bore the blame in 24 cases, but 21 injured people reportedly suffered the results of “tripping over [their] own feet or missing [their] footing” and another 20 learned the hard way from being “distracted or not paying attention”.

Network Rail records thousands of injuries

Thousands of travellers have fallen foul of the country’s biggest stations, with Network Rail noting 11,351 non-fatal injuries.

Six of the seven stations with the most injuries are London-based, according to Network Rail’s records.

1,581 people suffered harm at London St. Pancras International, with a further 1,026 incidents noted at London Paddington.

London Bridge, with 753 accidents, was narrowly ahead of Birmingham New Street (750) for injuries.

Piccadilly sits 13th in the overall list, well behind the likes of Leeds City (657) and Edinburgh Waverley (522 injuries), but ahead of London King’s Cross (409) and Liverpool Lime Street (393).

Incidents across Network Rail’s stations led to 722 personal injury claims being launched against them between 2019 and 2024, at a rate of ten every month.

Accident At Work Claim UK are workplace accident claim experts who offer a 24/7 advice service for people injured in public places