DRUNKEN violence on Britain’s railways over the festive period has more than doubled in the past two years, prompting union calls for stations to be urgently restaffed.

There were 189 more cases of violent crime between November 24 2017 and January 2 2018 compared with the same period two years earlier, according to British Transport Police (BTP) data.

Violence is heavily directed at station staff as well as passengers and often results in substantive injuries and arrests.

The statistics, released today, also show that 21 people have died in alcohol-related incidents on station platforms, or by falling onto train tracks.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “These shocking figures show that violence is soaring out of control on Britain’s dangerous railways as we head towards the festive period.

“Those rail companies looking to axe station and train staff should take a look at these statistics, hang their heads in shame and reverse their plans immediately.

“The move to create a faceless, de-staffed railway in the name of profit has created a toxic environment where our members too often end up as the punch bags when drunken thugs run rampage.

“We need a publicly owned railway where security and safe staffing levels come before the profits of the greedy train operators.”

Network Rail published the figures to mark the launch of a campaign with charity Drinkaware urging people to take care of their friends and colleagues when travelling on the railway this Christmas.