Is the extremely busy London Euston station unsafe for passengers? | British News

Safety campaigners have raised concerns that London Euston – one of Britain’s busiest train stations – is a danger to passengers.

The last-minute announcement led passengers to rush to the platform at a time of overcrowding that put passengers in danger, according to London TravelWatch.

The assessment that came from the end of the warning from the Office for Rail and Road issued to Network Rail in October last year, which observed three incidents of concern. The regulator cited an unacceptable number of people and a lack of crowd control, which led to injuries.

Campaigners have told Metro that more needs to be done – and warned that Euston is still at risk if action is not taken soon.

What’s wrong with Euston?

Footage from the busy station regularly shows passengers crammed into the concourse and outside, with people running to the platform when the announcement is made.

In the event that a train is delayed or cancelled, passengers for some trains often rush to get a seat on a later service.

After receiving improvement notices from the Office of Rail and Road last year, Network Rail admitted the ‘old’ station had seen some ‘inconvenient and unpleasant conditions for passengers’ and that ‘a major reconstruction of the station was needed’ – but it wasn’t. don’t use the word ‘unsafe.’

It proposed targeting ‘pinch points’ and creating more concourse space alongside driving infrastructure reliability and train services ‘to reduce disruptive events’ at the station.

Network Rail said it had complied with the notice in December and the matter appears to have been resolved.

What happens when a railroad engineer talks?

In April 2024, Gareth Dennis, an engineer working for Network Rail supplier Systra, gave an interview to the Independent saying Euston was ‘unsafe.’

He said Euston was ‘not only uncomfortable, not only unpleasant, it was unsafe.’

Following the publication of the article, Lord Hendy wrote to Mr Dennis’ boss at Systra UK, Nick Salt.

In the letter, which was first published by Politico, Lord Hendy explained that Mr Dennis’ claim that Euston was ‘unsafe’ was a ‘serious allegation’ and ‘a serious one for a safety critical business’. Lord Hendy added: ‘And, of course, finding a potential supplier who criticizes a client may reflect on your likelihood of doing business with us or our supply chain.’

Although the issue is already in the public domain thanks to the regulator, Mr Dennis Systra’s employer is under pressure from Lord Hendy.

In a subsequent internal email shared by Mr Dennis after the letter, Lord Hendy asked the Network Rail team ‘how do we deal with them?’

The engineer, who has a young child, was eventually fired from his ‘dream job’ after Lord Hendy’s intervention, leaving him depressed and anxious.

Two weeks ago, Lord Hendy apologized to Mr Dennis for the language he used, saying: ‘There was a sentence at the end (of the letter) that was less in tone than I should have expected, and I apologize. .’

He said no contractor ‘has or will be penalized for employees who have safety concerns,’ adding that labor issues are up to employers.

Mr. Dennis said he believed Lord Hendy only apologized to calm the supply chain instead of being genuinely sorry, adding ‘only a full and frank apology can reverse some of that damage.’

Metro understands that Lord Hendy wants to retire at the end of the year.

Mr. Dennis explained that if each train ‘brings thousands of people, you have many trains that are stacked, delayed, canceled – this is a lot of people, thousands of people gathered in a concourse that was not built to handle that number. people.’

He said the disabled community had described Euston as ‘unsafe,’ adding that it could not be ‘ignored and dismissed.’

“It says something about the culture of rail and train leaders who need other safety events that have nothing to do with accessibility for us to now talk about accessibility, and that’s very frustrating,” he said.

Systra told Metro it could not comment on individual staffing issues other than to confirm that ‘a full investigation is underway.’

But the public exposure of what happened to Mr. Dennis appears to have set the wheels in motion. In October – almost a year after the regulator’s notice – Network Rail announced a five-point plan to improve conditions at Euston.

At the end of October, the previous dormitory was introduced as part of the improvement plan.

Other changes could be in the pipeline, including a ‘new station concourse fit for the future,’ Network Rail has revealed.

Network Rail continues to avoid using the word ‘unsafe’ in relation to Euston. However, it has been said to add ‘passenger experience’ and ‘Euston rush’ to describe what is happening at the station.

He said the current Euston rush was ‘sticking out’ after the previous flight – almost a year after he said he had complied with the ORR’s improvement notices indicating overcrowding.

What is Euston like at rush hour?

Passengers and customer watchdog London TravelWatch previously said the station was ‘failing’ despite a good day.

Emma Dobson, a wheelchair user from Birmingham, said the Euston experience was particularly ‘dangerous’ for disabled people.

The 28-year-old analyst and blogger, who travels through Euston every month, told Metro: ‘It won’t be long before someone is going to be killed. And I think that’s me.

‘If I’m in a crowd or someone with a disability, it’s easier to go down and be invisible. I’m not the only disabled person who thinks.’

He said it felt ‘weird’ that Euston was getting attention only ‘after able-bodied people had raised it,’ adding that disabled people had highlighted the issue.

Emma said she was also concerned that a walker could injure themselves in a wheelchair or trip over, adding that she was ‘very aware’ that Euston was not ‘perfect.’

‘How long do we have to wait until something happens? I don’t think it’s too long,’ he continued.

But Mr Dennis said he welcomed the action taken by Transport Secretary Louise Haigh ‘in the short term’, adding there must be ‘evidence that the needs of disabled passengers in particular have been taken into account in the changes,’ he highlighted. The Euston expansion plan for HS2, which is expected to be completed between 2029 and 2033.

He continued: ‘There is no long-term plan from the government to expand and address capacity pressures at existing stations, upstream and downstream.

‘There are still no plans for high-speed stations and integration into the overall site.

‘For station operators, this clarity is key to understanding any interim measures. The community deserves that clarity too, so that they can see a positive vision of travel from Euston in the future.’

A spokesperson for Network Rail told Metro: ‘Euston was designed for a different era and we recognize that it needs investment and modernisation. However, safety is at the heart of our operation and something we will not compromise on at any of our stations.

“For the majority of the time the station works, but when there is a disruption, there is not enough space for passengers and we know this can create an uncomfortable and unpleasant environment. In recent years, we have invested significantly in making Euston better – works that include building a mezzanine to enable concourse-based retail to be moved ‘above’ to create more concourse space, renovating the piazza outside the station, removing another retail store (Boots) to alleviate congestion points, and revamping and reconfiguring provisions passenger information.

“These improvements continue with the recently announced five-point plan which will further alleviate pinch points, introduce boarding services earlier and re-use large bulkhead advertising spaces. We are also continuing our work with the Euston Partnership (DfT, TfL, HS2, GLA, NR and Lendlease) to develop plans for the station’s long-term future.’

A spokesman for the Department for Transport said the Transport Secretary had ‘made it clear that the two Euston stations are no longer sufficient for passengers.’

Network Rail and the train companies have been tasked with working with rail regulators and ‘delivering a clear plan to tackle the problems facing passengers, while working on long-term solutions,’ the DfT said, adding that the five-point plan, including the former hostel, had ‘brought immediate improvements. at Euston.’

Metro approached Lord Hendy for comment.

Last week, Lord Hendy admitted that Euston station’s marble columns ‘would fall over’ without the ribbon around them.

He told the House of Lords that the station was ‘not in a fit state.’

Contact the news team by emailing webnews@metro.co.uk.

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