According to a report by rail safety investigator RAIB, London Underground staff lacked the necessary training to deal with an incident at Clapham Common in May of last year. Passengers on a northbound Northern Line train activated the emergency alarm after sensing the smell of smoke, prompting self-evacuation amid fears of a fire. Windows were smashed and doors forced open as a result. An estimated 500 people were on board the train at the time.
Transport for London (TfL) announced that it has already introduced changes to training, which will be fully operational in the next few weeks. A December TfL report on the incident stated that customers on the platform had “reacted with concern” and broke train windows and pulled open doors, which only made the issue worse. The RAIB report found that operational staff lacked the procedures and training required to counteract rapidly escalating passenger behaviour.
The investigation also revealed that the incident was not due to a fire, but that the smoke and smell of fire most likely originated from debris on a braking unit. Alarms at various stations were set off, which caused the evacuation message to begin playing. All passengers were evacuated in just 11 minutes from the onboard alarm being activated, five minutes before firefighters arrived.
Andrew Hall, chief inspector for rail accidents at RAIB said that “out-of-course events can rapidly escalate into emergencies if not responded to promptly and effectively”. He emphasized that the staff present did not fully comprehend the emerging safety risks with increasing passenger anxiety. Conversely, TfL urged its users that it is taking all precautions to ensure the safety of its passengers, and it has responded proactively to the concerns highlighted by RAIB
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