A group of vulnerable three young girls, all aged 16 and under, and who had been reported missing, have been returned to their homes thanks to a Northern train conductor’s training and his intervention.

The conductor, who works for Northern, wishes to remain anonymous but is encouraging colleagues and customers to follow his example if they spot something that doesn’t feel ‘quite right’. After initially approaching the girls for suspected fare evasion, who had been hiding in toilets on a service from Hull to Halifax, he found they were playing truant from school and had been reported missing earlier in the day.

Following a brief interaction, the conductor’s instincts told him this wasn’t a simple case of travelling without a ticket, so contacted British Transport Police (BTP) to intercept the train at Leeds.

On hearing how the situation developed, the conductor said: “Having the opportunity to spend three to four minutes questioning the girls proved pivotal. The more questions I asked, the more implausible their answers became. I followed my instinct and text BTP on the 61016 number.”

“BTP responded very quickly and having discussed the situation, they agreed this needed further investigation. I’m pleased the girls are now home safe.”

Last year, Northern, in conjunction with the charity ‘Railway Children‘, started training its 7,000-strong workforce on how to spot vulnerable people on the railway and have the confidence to intervene. Railway Children’s work aims to identify individuals at risk and help with early forms of intervention. The conductor said it was the Railway Children’s training that gave him the confidence to act on his instincts.

Anyone can contact British Transport Police by sending a text message to 61016 or call 0800 40 50 40.

Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, said: “This could have developed into an unimaginable situation had our conductor not had the confidence to intervene and I applaud him for his actions.

“I’d like to echo his advice and encourage anyone to act if you spot something ‘not quite right’ on the railway. This case is an important reminder to look out for one another.”

Chief Inspector Graham Bridges said: “Safeguarding vulnerable people is an incredibly important part of our work as guardians of the railway.

“We constantly work with – and train – our rail industry partners to recognise the signs of vulnerability and exploitation and urge the public to know and report them too.

“Just as our officers know to look beyond the obvious, this is a perfect example of someone doing just that and we commend the conductor’s actions.”