A new alert about “dangerous” overcrowding at Euston station has been issued by the capital’s passenger watchdog.
London TravelWatch called for a review “as a matter of urgency” after passengers were locked out of the station during the rush hour last Thursday evening in a desperate bid to limit the number waiting on the concourse.
TravelWatch also warned that plans for new train services, including a new route between London and Stirling, “will only worsen” the problems at Euston.
And it said it was “incredible” that the rail regulator, the Office of Rail and Road, was not continuing to press Network Rail, which owns Euston, to improve the situation after issuing it with an improvement notice a year ago.
Network Rail last week urged passengers to avoid Euston over Christmas, when it will face extra pressure during the festive period due to shutdowns at Paddington, Liverpool Street and affecting Thameslink and East Midlands Railway services at St Pancras.
In a statement on Tuesday, London TravelWatch said: “Even on good days, the passenger experience at London Euston fails to match its importance as the capital’s main rail gateway to four of the UK’s largest cities.
“But it is when train services are disrupted that the station really struggles to cope, with high levels of overcrowding putting passengers in danger.”
Despite raising concerns in meetings with Network Rail, passengers are “still having to rush to platforms due to last minute announcements, staff appear overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of people involved and the recently-installed information screens seem to have done little if anything to make things better for passengers when services are disrupted”, it said.
The London TravelWatch statement added: “It is almost a year since the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) issued an improvement notice to Network Rail regarding the station, but it seems little has changed.
“We are also very concerned that the situation will only worsen if new operators are successful in their recent applications to run additional services from the station, or if any of the current operators that run out of Euston increase their service frequency.”
It called for details of Network Rail’s promised improvements in managing passenger flows at Euston – which convinced the ORR to close its “improvement notice” – to be made public “and reviewed as a matter of urgency in the light of the latest events at the station”.
@NetworkRailEUS I'm sorry but this is just a terrible crash statistic waiting to happen. #Euston pic.twitter.com/exfBaiaAG4
— Ben Madeley (@Ben_Madeley) September 26, 2024
Euston is the 10th busiest railway station in the UK, with more than 31 million “entries or exits” last year.
Between 30 to 40 trains an hour arrive or depart at Euston – often causing stampedes from the concourse when platform announcements are made only minutes before trains are due to depart.
Posters have been erected in the station, and slogans have been painted on the floor, pleading with passengers: “Please do not RUN.”
On Thursday, an ORR spokesperson said: “Our improvement notice last year required Network Rail to improve their risk assessments and processes in relation to crowding at Euston.
"Notwithstanding, the passenger experience at Euston remains uncomfortable at times for users and we are aware of the recent media coverage on this.
"We have been continuing to talk with Network Rail about further improvements it can make to help manage crowds, particularly during disruption.”
The Standard has obtained a copy of a letter sent to the Commons transport select committee by Network rail chief executive Andrew Haines, in relation to MPs’ concerns about Euston.
In the two-page letter, which is dated May 15th, Mr Haines admits: “ There’s more we must do to improve passenger experience at Euston and to make sure the right control measures are in place to maintain safety.”
He added: “We completed a risk assessment between September and December 2023, which showed there is localised congestion at Euston at busier times, including the corridor leading to platforms 1-3 and the ramps to platforms 4-11.
“In reviewing these incidents, we will be installing more customer information screens at Euston station this September, to help provide a greater access to information for passengers as well as support wayfinding across the station concourse.”
What @networkrail promised MPs on @TransportCttee it would do to tackle overcrowding at Euston https://t.co/EaCIginicH pic.twitter.com/ynEYDaEcml
— Ross Lydall (@RossLydall) October 1, 2024
Mr Haines said the ORR had closed its improvement notice because it recognised that “suitable and sufficient risk assessments” were in place.
He said the improvements included:
• “Improved coordination of passenger boarding, based from the control room, to minimise crowding and contraflows – for example, making sure a ramp from a platform is clear before announcing the next service from the same platform.
• “More cross-industry cooperation during disruption, including co-locating with train operators and other partners, to better manage operational response and to keep people safe and informed.
• “Introducing Tensator post-and-rope barriers on ramps leading to platforms to manage the flow of people to these busy areas.
• “More effective staff presence at platforms to stop passengers going to the wrong platform and impeding flow when they’re redirected.
• “Installation of safety signage asking people not to run on the concourse and introduce further risk – this was a key ask of the ORR, which we delivered.”
A Network Rail spokesperson said: “Euston was designed for a different era and we acknowledge that it is in need of major investment and modernisation. However, safety is at the heart of our operation and something we would never compromise on in any of our stations.
“For the majority of the time the station works well, however during times of disruption, there simply isn’t enough room for passengers and we know this can make for an uncomfortable and unpleasant environment.
“We have worked hard to put in place a number of measures to help the flow of passengers including removing retail units from the concourse, improving the layout of departure screens and earlier boarding of trains where possible.
“We will continue to work with our train operating colleagues to make further improvements as well as developing plans for the long-term future of the station.”
Grand Union Trains, an “open access” operator that has been recently acquired by First Group, has been given permission to operate four return services a day between Euston and Stirling.
Alstom has separate plans to launch a Wrexham to Euston service.
In addition, Great Western Railway plans to run long-distance trains from Devon, Cornwall and South Wales in and out of Euston next month and for three days over Christmas – and in future years – when Paddington station is closed to enable track upgrades at Old Oak Common HS2 station.
