She said some birds do not die instantly when shot and instead get startled in the dark and collide with things, but Pellen said that was “not true at all”.
“You just have to shoot them in the head,” he said.
He added that “good pest controllers always, always kill them in a humane manner”.
A Network Rail spokesperson said it was “no secret” that many railway stations provided “attractive homes” to the birds.
They said a variety of deterrents, including spikes and vapour-releasing gel pods to discourage roosting, were used as a first port of call.
“A decision to cull pigeons is only taken as a last resort, where all other options have been exhausted,” they added.
As of December, Northern had stopped carrying out culls at stations, and has more recently stopped at its depots too.
South Western Railway said it had not ordered any shootings since March 2026, and egg removal was carried out instead if possible.
All state-owned operators in the UK were sent the request for information in April except Govia Thameslink Railway, which had not yet gone into public ownership.
London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway services were also only renationalised in February 2026.
Transport for Wales said it did not hold data for cullings, other than 41 pigeons were shot at its stations in the final months of 2025.
Transpennine Express and Southeastern have not responded to the request.
