File picture of a London Overground train
(Picture: PA Wire/PA Images)A woman commuter was “dragged” along a platform after getting her hand stuck in a London Overground train.
The terrifying incident happened at Wood Street station in Walthamstow a fortnight ago as the woman attempted to board a Liverpool Street-bound train.
An investigation was launched by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch. It said the passenger was forced to run alongside the train with her hand trapped when it began to pull out of the station.
But she escaped injury when the driver spotted her in the train’s external CCTV cameras and was able to bring the eight-carriage train to a halt.
Sources said the incident highlighted the problem of some passengers wrongly believing that train doors will automatically reopen if an attempt is made to stop them closing.
A statement from the RAIB said: “At around 08:22 hrs on 14 January 2022 a passenger attempted to board a train which was about to leave Wood Street station.
“As they did so the train’s doors closed, leaving the passenger standing outside the train, on the platform, with their hand trapped in the rear doors of the fourth car.
“The train subsequently departed from the platform with the passenger’s hand still trapped in these doors. This forced the passenger to run alongside the train, which stopped after it had travelled for around 20 metres along the platform.
“The train’s doors were then released, allowing the passenger to free their hand. It was reported that the passenger did not sustain any injuries because of the incident.”
It is understood that the woman had initially planned to board the rear of the train but decided at the last minute to run up the platform to find a seat nearer the front of the train.
She tried to stop a set of doors closing but got the fingers of one hand stuck.
She then had to move at a “fast walking pace” as the train pulled out, before being able to free her hand prior to the driver spotting the problem and bringing the train to a halt. Despite the RAIB stating that she was “dragged”, this is felt by other sources to be a slight exaggeration.
Rail sources said the incident was similar to one at Hayes and Harlington station in 2015, when a woman suffered head, hand and back injuries falling onto the platform.
In that incident, the woman had “deliberately” placed her hand in the door in an attempt to reopen the door on the Oxford to Paddington Great Western Trains service, the RAIB found.
The London Overground line between Liverpool Street and Chingford is operated for Transport for London by Arriva Rail London. The trains are run entirely by the driver with no conductor present.
The RAIB said it will publish a safety digest to share any important issues rather than proceeding to a full investigation.
Rory O’Neill, TfL’s General Manager for London Overground, said: “We’re sorry that our customer experienced this incident, which must have been extremely upsetting for them.
“While thankfully there were no physical injuries in this rare incident, we’re committed to running the safest network possible and a thorough investigation is underway to help prevent this happening again.”
Arriva Rail London, which operates the London Overground on TfL’s behalf, is undertaking a full investigation and fully co-operating with the RAIB.
