THE sound of classical music inspired by Beethoven and Mozart has helped reduce anti-social behaviour at Shipley Station.
Such is the success of the scheme by Northern Rail that classical sounds in the style of composers such as Handel, Beethoven, Mozart and Tchaikovsky will continue to be piped into train stations as part of ongoing measures to deter anti-social behaviour.
Earlier this year, Northern announced it was set to expand a similar pilot at nine stations, including Keighley and Ilkley, to 23 stations in total.
Shipley was not initially included in the scheme, but has since been added in.
A recent visit to Northern Rail by local MP Philip Davies highlighted the success of the Shipley scheme.
The MP was told recent problems with anti-social behaviour at Shipley Station had reduced which Northern believe is due to the recent introduction of classical music at the station.
It was during a visit to Leeds Station, which saw him spend time in the driver’s cab on a return journey from Leeds to Bradford Forster Square.
Mr Davies also took the opportunity to discuss recent timetable changes to the Wharfedale Line which has seen a reduction from two trains an hour to one at off-peak times.
MP Philip Davies in the cab of a train to Bradford (Image: Philip Davies)
Mr Davies said: “Many people have contacted me about the reduction in service and I am being told by Northern it is due to low passenger footfall.
“I made the point that it is a chicken and egg situation and the fewer services we see, the less likely people are to use the train and so it becomes self-fulfilling”.
Mr Davies said: “I was very grateful to be given a behind-the-scenes look at how the train network is managed through Leeds Station – where there are almost 1,200 trains a day – and to discuss with the experts in the company about how train performance is managed and how timetables are arrived at.
“I was extremely impressed with the Northern Rail staff – many of whom have decades of experience on the railways and to see their passion for the industry.
“It was a fantastic experience to sit in the driver’s cab for a journey to see their job at first hand.”
The classical music is only being played at certain times of the day, which will vary from station to station to have the best impact on behaviour.
When the expansion was announced, Mark Powles, customer and commercial director, at Northern, said: “The classical music trials proved very interesting – and the results speak for themselves.”