A passenger was dragged 12 metres along a platform at Ealing Broadway station after an Elizabeth line train driver closed the doors while people were still boarding and alighting, trapping the passenger’s hand as they tried to get on, a rail safety investigation has found.
The incident happened shortly after midnight on 24 November 2024 as a westbound Elizabeth line train prepared to depart from platform 3.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has made five recommendations aimed at improving safety on the Elizabeth line, including reviewing how the risk of passengers being trapped and dragged is managed, improving the platform views available to drivers through CCTV, and evaluating technology that could further reduce the risk of passengers becoming caught in train doors.
According to the RAIB report, the passenger attempted to board as the train’s doors were closing. Their hand became trapped and the train departed with it still caught in the doors.
The passenger was dragged along the platform for about 12 metres before another passenger and a member of platform staff managed to pull them free.
RAIB said it is likely the passenger sustained a minor injury, but investigators have been unable to contact them since the incident to confirm this.
The report found 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 shutting. The train’s door system did not detect the presence of the passenger’s hand and the driver was unaware it was trapped before the train departed.
Investigators also found that safety measures used by the Elizabeth line’s operator at the time, MTR Elizabeth line, to manage the risk of passengers being trapped and dragged at Ealing Broadway were not effective.
A possible underlying factor identified by RAIB was that Network Rail had not carried out a thorough risk assessment when a waiting room building on the platform was replaced and relocated.
Bassam Mahfouz, London Assembly member for Ealing and Hillingdon, told EALING.NEWS: “Both the Mayor and I have been clear about the urgent need for change at this platform and how the status quo is completely unacceptable.
“Whilst interim measures have since been put in place by the rail operator to reduce risk of accidents like this, I have also been working closely with Network Rail on a proper fix.
“Having already delivered on improved accessibility across the borough, I am committed to seeing this through and delivering on closing this dangerous gap for the safety of everyone.”
The investigation also highlighted problems with safety-critical communication between railway staff following the incident, as well as poor connectivity affecting a handheld public address device used on the platform.
