Victoria Line Incident Could Have Been Fatal Says RMT
Tube union RMT has demanded an end to the “reckless” policy of expecting drivers to override a door failsafe system after a potentially fatal incident in which a passenger jumped from a moving train and another was caught in its open doors.
The incident, at Oxford Circus station, happened after the ‘sensitive edge’ door-safety system – which immobilises a train if anything is caught in its doors – was over-ridden on a Victoria Line train during the evening peak on July 11.
RMT has told LUL that it is in dispute with the company after it refused to suspend the practice, despite warnings that it was putting the demand to minimise delays ahead of passenger safety.
RMT General secretary Bob Crow said:
“This incident shows what happens when management puts pressure on people to override a device designed to keep passengers safe.
It is our members who have to deal with the consequences, and w e have tried to get LUL to see sense, but if they continue to put cash ahead of passenger safety we will have no choice but to ballot for whatever action is necessary to put a stop to this reckless policy.”
RMT London regional organiser Steve Hedley said:
“Our members are adamant that they should not be asked to override the sensitive-edge system, and for good reason. We have been asking LUL to end this practice since it was introduced, but after this incident they know they are playing Russian roulette with passengers’ lives, on the Met and District lines as well as on the Victoria, and it has to stop.”
RAIB:
At 17:29 hrs on 11 July, a northbound Victoria Line train departed from Warren Street station with the train doors open on the platform side. The driver was alerted by shouts from passengers and stopped the train with the leading car part way into the tunnel, by which time the doors had closed. There were no injuries.
The train consisted of new stock recently introduced into service on the Victoria Line. Unlike the previous trains on the line, the doors of the new trains are fitted with a ‘sensitive edge’ to detect small objects such as clothing or bag straps that may become trapped when the doors close. If this occurs, the driver receives an immediate emergency brake application and a sensitive edge warning light. The driver should then reopen and close the train doors so that the trapped object can be released. If this fails to occur, the driver can override the sensitive edge activation, after checking that nothing is trapped on the outside of the train, and depart from the station.
The RAIB’s preliminary examination has found that sensitive edge activation occurred at the previous station, Oxford Circus, which the driver departed from by overriding the sensitive edge activation. The activation did not clear when the train arrived at Warren Street station because the platform was on the other side of the train, so the doors used at Oxford Circus were not opened. In order to depart from Warren Street station, the driver isolated safety systems which allowed the train to move with the doors open. Once the train reached 8 km/h (5 mph) the doors closed automatically, as designed.
The investigation will include an examination of the sequence of events leading up to the incident, the driver’s training and competence, and the implementation of sensitive edge doors on the new Victoria Line trains (including the associated control system).
The RAIB’s investigation is independent of any investigations by the safety authority (the Office of Rail Regulation).
The RAIB will publish a report, including any recommendations to improve safety, at the conclusion of its investigation. This report will be available on the RAIB website.
Source: RMT news release / RAIB
