A NORTH-EAST rail company has given its conductors mobile phones in a bid to improve customer services and in case of emergencies.

Arriva Trains Northern piloted a phones scheme last year and it has now been extended to all of its conductors.

Conductors can alert the police if emergency help is needed and use the phones to access information from the central control room about times of connecting services, as well as answer passengers' questions.

They also give the conductors instant connection in case of a medical emergency or an accident, and allow them to be informed of problems on the lines, delays, and anything else which customers need to know about.

The introduction of the phones coincides with a rise in assaults on the region's railways.

So-called incidents of "passenger rage" involving attacks on train staff have rocketed as frustration has increased over disruption and delays.

Arriva Trains Northern said it takes a "zero-tolerance" approach to violence and admits the mobile phones can be of use in such instances.

A spokesman for the company said: "The phones are proving their worth and the scheme is a success."

The region's other major train operator, GNER, said its customer service managers on board its trains were already equipped with mobile phones.

Train drivers also have radio phones in their cab in case of emergency on the line.

A spokesman for the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) said a small number of train companies had equipped staff with mobile phones. But the association said it was encouraging greater use of the phones as a practical and useful aid.