Bassam Mahfouz, London Assembly Member for Ealing & Hillingdon, has once again called on Transport for London (TfL) to take urgent action to address the dangerous gap between trains and the platform edge at Ealing Broadway station.
Speaking at a City Hall meeting earlier this month (3 July 2025), Mr Mahfouz pressed TfL Commissioner Andy Lord on the issue, demanding progress on long-promised improvements to accessibility at the busy Elizabeth line stop.
In response, Mr Lord said TfL was continuing to work with Network Rail on engineering solutions to reduce the platform gap and committed to providing Mr Mahfouz with a written update. He added that while mitigation measures and a greater staff presence had led to a reduction in accessibility-related incidents, a long-term fix remained under review.
A report from Network Rail outlining potential works had originally been expected in March 2025, but Mr Mahfouz expressed frustration at the delays and lack of clear timelines.
He said: “We’ve seen too many people injured at Ealing Broadway and there is a pressing need for urgent action, one that I hear from disabled users, families and the elderly regularly. The measures taken so far by TfL and partners close that gap have been welcome, but we need a solution and we need one urgently.
“Network Rail, who have responsibility for fixing the issue, have promised a report with a set of proposals earlier this year but progress has been slow and it’s not good enough.
“I will continue to push for a deliverable fix to this issue until we make this station truly accessible for everyone.”
Since opening in 2022, the Elizabeth Line has seen a number of passengers injured at Ealing Broadway due to a large step between platform and train which currently has a 30cm gap. Current recommended safety guidelines say all new platforms should not have a horizontal gap larger than 27.5cm or a vertical gap of more than 23cm but these regulations only apply to new stations which doesn’t include Ealing Broadway.
Earlier this year (January 2025), the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) appealed for witnesses after a passenger’s hand became trapped in the closing doors of an Elizabeth line train at Ealing Broadway Station in November 2024.
