UK: ‘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’, London TravelWatch said in a statement about ongoing issues at the West Coast Main Line’s London terminus.
On October 1 the passenger watchdog said ‘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.’
LTW said ‘it seems little has changed’ since the Office of Rail & Road issued an improvement notice to Network Rail almost a year ago, and it was ‘very concerned’ that the situation could worsen if there is any increase in train service frequencies, including the launch of new operators.
In May, the House of Commons Transport Select Committee asked Network Rail for details of the actions it had taken to improve the management of passenger flows, and LTW has called for these to be published and reviewed ‘as a matter of urgency’.
The ORR told Rail Business UK ‘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.’
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, 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.’
