Rail industry plans for dealing with stranded trains require greater focus on the safety and welfare of passengers involved, according to a report for the Office of Rail and Road and Transport Focus.
The study examined four incidents when passengers were stuck, including the high-profile failure on 7 December 2023 outside Paddington on the Great Western Main Line. Thousands of passengers were affected, and after several hours, some climbed down to the track to make their own way out.
The report found the lack of toilets on Elizabeth Line trains was “a contributing factor in passenger distress.”
Damage to overhead power lines brought four Elizabeth Line trains, two Heathrow Express services and one Great Western Railway train to a halt at Ladbroke Grove.
The report by consultancy Steer concluded: “GWR and Heathrow Express passengers had toilets and charging facilities on board that, at first, passengers could access during the incident.
“The Elizabeth Line is not equipped with such facilities, which later appeared to be a contributing factor to the passenger self-evacuation.”
After interviewing passengers, the report found that while Heathrow Express and GWR passengers were frustrated, the atmosphere in the carriages “remained friendly” and people “stayed patient and listened to announcements.”
But it found: “It was the opposite situation on the Elizabeth Line, with no access to air conditioning, toilets or charging facilities, and reduced lighting.
“Some stranded passengers started misbehaving and violently trying to force the doors open.
“One passenger noted there were announcements saying, ‘Can people stop kicking the doors – I know you’re frustrated but please stop doing that.’ This further exacerbated the already stressful and unpleasant atmosphere on the train.”
ORR and Transport Focus found that between 30 October 2023 and 8 January 2024 there were 75 incidents on Britain’s railways, leading to 178 trains becoming stranded. These led to passengers being evacuated from 20 trains.
They concluded that current guidance for stranded trains may not always be “well executed” or ensure an “acceptable passenger experience.”
Stephanie Tobyn, ORR’s director of strategy, policy and reform, said: “Being stranded on a train for a lengthy period of time is thankfully rare, but when it does happen, rail operators and Network Rail need to work together quickly to assess the situation from a passenger perspective and create a workable plan to safely manage the situation.
“Rail operators and Network Rail need to improve training and preparedness.”
Transport Focus director Natasha Grice said: “Passengers can reasonably expect that the rail industry responds faster and more effectively to stranded trains situations.
“The railway’s responsibility to passengers doesn’t end when they eventually get off a stranded train. The industry must up its game to ensure passengers are properly looked after even once they are rescued, including onward travel and, where needed, hotels.”
Howard Smith, director of the Elizabeth Line for Transport for London, responded that many of the recommendations in the report had already been implemented.
He said: “The Elizabeth Line is a high-frequency metro-style service and as such, toilets are not provided on the train as adding toilets would be extremely complex, costly and would displace approximately 600 passengers per hour.”
The four incidents studied were:
7 December 2023: Ladbroke Grove, London, Great Western Main Line
7 December 2023: Beattock Summit, South Lanarkshire, West Coast Main Line
9 December 2023: Corby Glen, Lincolnshire, East Coast Main Line
21 December 2023: Bourne End Junction near Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, West Coast Main Line
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