Minding The Gap: ‘It’s A Scandal, It’s A Death Trap’
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
The announcement “mind the gap” is almost as much a part of travelling in London as the Tube sign or a red bus. But when is the gap between the train and the platform too far and too dangerous?
These are the first two paragraphs.
Eric Leach thinks he has the answer to that, and it is 30cm, or 12 inches. He knows this because while lying on the platform in agony having fallen over while getting off a train, he had time to look at the vertical drop between the train and the platform.
In February, at Ealing Broadway station in west London, he stepped off an Elizabeth line train onto the platform. Such was the force from the drop, that he broke a bone in his foot. He collapsed on the platform.
I went to Ealing Broadway station and took these pictures.
The gap is quite large, but not larger than many of the suburban trains in London.
These pictures are from Greater Anglia and Merseyrail.
Note the gap-fillers below the door.
Conclusion
The Elizabeth Line can do better.
The Anonymous Widower 
Don’t disagree and i believe the railway spends far too much eliminating far lower risks elsewhere but there are far far worse places than this. ie the platforms where tube stocks calls at full height platforms where you don’t get any announcements. These aren’t easy fixes either when you have multiple stock types using the same platforms as they all have slightly different kinematic envelopes. That said they they did use a novel solution for East Croydon platform 2 c7 years ago where they overlaid a composite material on top of the existing platform to avoid having to totally rebuild it and it significantly reduced the gap. The surface isn’t very glamorous and ive not seen it used anywhere else other than for a temporary surfaces.
Mind you anywhere outside of big cities in Europe and your faced with a much more challenging access and egress from older coaching stock!
Comment by nickrl | May 7, 2024 |
The worst dual-stock line in London and possibly the Southern UK. is the Bakerloo Line/Watford DC Line system between London and Watford.
I believe if the two lines used the same New Tube for London stock, with a bit of clever design, the two lines could be made step-free.
I wrote about it in the following post.
https://anonw.com/2023/03/06/would-it-be-possible-for-the-bakerloo-and-watford-dc-lines-to-use-the-same-trains-6th-march-2023-update/
I also believe that by using the Irish and Black Tunneling Method, as was used on the Northern Line at Bank station recently, a single track tunnel could be built under the West Coast Main Line to connect the Abbey Line to the Watford DC Line.
This would allow direct services from Elephant & Castle, Euston, Oxford Circus and Waterloo to St. Albans Abbey.
Comment by AnonW | May 7, 2024 |
Remember that Merseyside specified gap filling solutions as part of the specification leading to the class 777.
Reason – passenger injured in gap between train and platform with serious repercussions,
Think it was at Hamilton Square.
Comment by chilterntrev | May 7, 2024 |
I remember the incident.
Comment by AnonW | May 8, 2024 |