Summary
At around 0009 on Sunday 24 November 2024, a passenger at Ealing Broadway station was dragged along the platform by a westbound Elizabeth line train.
The train’s doors had closed on the passenger’s hand as they attempted to board. The train then departed with the passenger’s hand still trapped in the doors. This resulted in them being dragged on foot for about 12 metres along the platform, before being pulled free by another passenger and a member of platform staff. It is probable that the passenger sustained a minor injury in the accident, but RAIB has been unable to contact them following the accident to confirm this.
The accident occurred because the driver closed the doors while passengers were still leaving and boarding the train, and because the passenger attempted to board while the doors were closing. The train’s door system did not detect the presence of the passenger’s hand, and the train driver was not aware that the passenger’s hand was trapped before initiating the train’s departure.
An underlying factor was that measures used by MTR Elizabeth line to control the risks of passengers being trapped and dragged at Ealing Broadway station were not effective. Additionally, a possible underlying factor was that Network Rail did not conduct a thorough risk assessment for the replacement and relocation of a waiting room building.
Although not directly contributing to the accident, RAIB observed that safety-critical communications between the member of platform staff involved, the train driver, the signaller and the duty control manager did not result in a shared understanding of what had taken place. The effectiveness of the public address system available to staff on platform 3 was also reduced by poor connectivity of the handheld device. In addition, RAIB identified missed opportunities for MTR Elizabeth line to ensure their internal investigation recommendations were being assigned, managed and tracked through to completion. Finally, the standards for the testing and commissioning of driver only operation (DOO) CCTV do not mandate the requirement to introduce a realistic platform environment during testing.
Recommendations
As a result of this accident, RAIB has made five recommendations. The first to the new operator of the Elizabeth line, GTS Rail Operations, is to improve how the risks of trap and drag events are understood and controlled. The second is for Transport for London to look to enhance the views of the platform-train interface captured on DOO CCTV and presented to train drivers. The third recommendation asks Transport for London to evaluate technological options which may further reduce the risk of a passenger becoming trapped and subsequently dragged by a departing train on the Elizabeth line. The fourth recommendation asks the Rail Safety and Standards Board to ensure the rail industry standard for DOO CCTV incorporates latest practice. The final recommendation is for Network Rail to ensure any changes made to infrastructure on Elizabeth line station platforms have been evaluated and managed appropriately to ensure they do not impact the safety of railway operations and passenger safety.
RAIB has also identified two learning points. The first concerns the importance of effective safety‑critical communications. The second concerns the importance of the final safety check for drivers and ensuring sufficient time is allocated to checking that the platform‑train interface is safe.
Notes to editors
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The sole purpose of RAIB investigations is to prevent future accidents and incidents and improve railway safety. RAIB does not establish blame, liability or carry out prosecutions.
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RAIB operates, as far as possible, in an open and transparent manner. While our investigations are completely independent of the railway industry, we do maintain close liaison with railway companies and if we discover matters that may affect the safety of the railway, we make sure that information about them is circulated to the right people as soon as possible, and certainly long before publication of our final report.
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