Transport for London (TfL) has apologised to a woman who was dragged along a platform after getting her hand stuck in train doors.
The passenger had attempted to board the train – a London Overground service – at Wood Street Station in Walthamstow, northeast London, on 14 January when the incident occurred.
Despite being uninjured, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB), which is investigating what happened, said the woman was forced to run alongside the train for around 20 metres before the driver saw her on the train’s external CCTV and brought the eight-carriage train to a halt.
The London Overground line between Liverpool Street – where the train was headed – and Chingford is operated for TfL by Arriva Rail London. The trains are run entirely by the driver with no conductor present.
The commuter 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, the paper added.
The RAIB said it would be publishing a safety digest “at a later date”, which will explain how the incident was able to happen and what can be done to prevent it from occurring again.
A statement from the group said: “At around 8.20am 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.”
It added: “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.”
TfL has since apologised, with Rory O’Neill, the general manager for London Overground, saying the department was “sorry that our customer experienced this incident” and acknowledged it “must have been extremely upsetting”.
He continued: “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 under way to help prevent this happening again.”
Arriva Rail London is working with the RAIB to conduct its probe.
