Tyne & Wear Metro: Plans to deal with ill passengers on trains?

I apologise if this appears crass or insensitive. Lately I’ve been delayed significantly by a medical incident on the metro. My better half is a doc and the amount of times she’s stepped in on her commute home probably qualifies her to a salary...I digress.

Nexus don’t really seem to have a plan for a medical incident on the Metro. The Tube efficiently and within reason remove a passenger onto the platform (of course if only medically safe) but the Nexus policy seems to be leave them there, It seems to cause mass network chaos due to delays, even impacting Northern rail

Is the nexus policy of holding the train due to a lack of available staff at unmanned stations or just a policy in general. Genuinely intrigued

There is a plan which has been developed recently using a sort of LUL model. The idea is that the train and ambulance will meet at an optimum point. For example today an incident at Central meant the train was taken with the passenger to Pelaw, although I believe out of service.

In reality, if you’re waiting for an ambulance for someone, you can’t just kick an ill person off and leave them alone at say Pelaw with no staff present due to duty of care. The train therefore stays with the passenger.

Much depends on who is in control and the driver. Some controllers would want the train moved regardless of what is happening. As a former driver, I stopped the service several times due to:

a)Being the only member of staff present
b)Knowing that the station would be unmanned
c)I wasn't medically trained (Nexus don't even fund 1st aid training for front line staff)
d)Potential for comeback if the incident deteriorated - too many legal uncertainties.

I suppose the issue in getting someone off the train which is what is advised by ambulance services and other medical associations is that most Metro stations are unstaffed, and thus assisting someone off the train isn’t exactly going to be easy unless they are fortunate enough to be on a train with some revenue staff on board who can disembark, or at a staffed station.

The LUL model is to move to an optimal location, and Nexus will do similar. But wherever the ambulance meets the train there will be a delay. LUL have delays too for the same reason, unless the ill passenger is able to move off the train.

Metro stations are unstaffed, of course, which narrows the options somewhat.

I've noticed around here in the West Midlands that the Metro (trams) will either use Grand Central or the Wolverhampton terminus to deal with medical emergencies. I've also seen them use the extra platform at Wednesbury Parkway to bring a tram into which is right next to the Park and Ride so the ambulance can get almost right up to the tram. They're quite good at keeping a service running around medical emergencies. Of course, they do have extra members on board as well.

I can see Tyne and Wear Metro having a few challenges with getting paramedics to meet a train. They have several underground stations, shared tracks with Network Rail, one member of staff per train etc.

Arctic Troll said:

The LUL model is to move to an optimal location, and Nexus will do similar. But wherever the ambulance meets the train there will be a delay. LUL have delays too for the same reason, unless the ill passenger is able to move off the train.

Click to expand...

The only medical reason for not moving someone is a spinal injury or the fact they are in the active stage of a seizure, so the decision is usually taken to move the person, accordingly usually delays are only a few minutes. It is only if the person cannot be moved, either for the above reasons or obstruction by customers, then a decision will be taken to move the train.

Service suspended between Shiremoor and Monkseaton due to a passenger waiting for an ambulance. Absolute chaos and overcrowding through central belt and it’s a Sunday!

they really need a decent plan to limit disruption because this seems to be happening almost weekly.