Child in buggy gets blown onto tube track

[Johnuk123]

http://www.itv.com/news/london/2014...-to-tube-tracks-seconds-before-train-arrives/

A child in a buggy was blown on to the tracks at a London Underground station - just seconds before a train arrived.

Not only a very lucky child but a mother as well.

 

[455driver]

So we can assume the mother didnt put the brake on or have hold of the buggy.:roll:

 

[eMeS]

OK - a silly and dangerous thing to do, but is there anything like a "Communication Cord" on a tube station platform? And if there is, what would that do?

 

[Kite159]

Looks that way from one of the pictures

Probably forgot to put the brake on and it rolled forward

 

[Mojo]

OK - a silly and dangerous thing to do, but is there anything like a "Communication Cord" on a tube station platform? And if there is, what would that do?

There are buttons marked 'emergency' and 'information' which connect to the Station Supervisor's office (or station control room where provided). Victoria & Central lines have emergency stop plungers that are signed for the public.

 

[Abpj17]

You need to watch the video.

It was the father that carried the buggy downstairs. It was left unguarded because it looks like he went back up to fetch a second buggy.

It's not clear whether a brake was on or not, but it's not obvious it would have changed the outcome.

The buggy was sucked from the bottom of the stairs in the corridor between the platforms, all the way onto the track. it's not clear at all that it rolled (it rotated a little as well).

 

[IanD]

Unbelievable the bloke on the platform does nothing to help.

 

[DJL]

Scary stuff

Unbelievable the bloke on the platform does nothing to help.

He was looking the other way with headphones on...

 

[theageofthetra]

It is beyond me why prams (and in particular those large 3 wheeled jogging ones) aren't made to have an always on brake. You then depress an handle or lever to move it like on an airport baggage trolley. I've seen (a fortunately empty) one blown off a sea wall, travel halfway down a braking train plus of course that cctv of the one in Melbourne last year. Far more insightful of the stupidity of this pair is the woman giving priority to retreiving a bag from under the negative rail as the lights from an incomming train can be seen.

 

[IanD]

Scary stuff

Originally Posted by IanD
Unbelievable the bloke on the platform does nothing to help.

He was looking the other way with headphones on...

At the start yes, but then turned round and watched them with his arms folded.

 

[PaulHarding150]

Either way it's happened now and no one's dead and hopfully they're all unhurt, just shaken.

Question. Do any tube stations have a barrier in front of the exit/entrance similar to the basic type barrier you might get near a kids playground, to stop kids runing out onto the road? I don't mean anything hugly obstructive?

Somthing like this (next to the lampost)

 

[ValleyLines142]

Yes. Many tube stations do have this feature. Sadly, not in this incident, as we've all seen!

Just VERY lucky that there weren't any major instances. Of course, something needs to be done however to prevent occurrences like this happening again!

 

[jon0844]

I always apply the brakes, but then I only have one child and one buggy - so having to leave it isn't really a scenario I'd ever be part of. In fact, I am possibly the only person that also wears the wrist strap - which even my wife doesn't. (You could argue that in some situations, this is more dangerous.. rather like a rucksack without the emergency release velcro).

I doubt the brakes were put on. Even though they're only on the rear wheels, they're pretty solid. I am sure the air pressure blast was strong, but doubt it would shift the buggy much (more likely tip it over).

However, I totally agree that buggies should have a permanent brake unless released manually design - although I suspect that could make pushing one for a long time a bit uncomfortable and people would simply not buy them.

Maybe another option would be to do with the wrist strap. Take it off, and it sets the brakes, but of course that almost certainly means some sort of powered solution.

Did the platform have emergency buttons on the wall to cut the power (or whatever they actually do)?

While I don't want to shift blame on London Underground for this, the use of barriers would be a worthwhile investment. Already used at many stations, they have another benefit in stopping people from blocking the passageways. A barrier, even if not designed for this incident, would have worked.

I wonder if there will be a subsequent legal challenge from the family on the basis that the lack of a barrier made LU negligent?!

 

[IanD]

Either way it's happened now and no one's dead and hopfully they're all unhurt, just shaken.

Question. Do any tube stations have a barrier in front of the exit/entrance similar to the basic type barrier you might get near a kids playground, to stop kids runing out onto the road? I don't mean anything hugly obstructive?

Somthing like this (next to the lampost)

A lot of platforms where the stairs lead directly to the platform without any intervening corners have barriers like those.

 

[PaulHarding150]

Thanks. I was sure I'd seen some, but I couldn't find any images by googling them.

 

[Johnuk123]

I wonder if there will be a subsequent legal challenge from the family on the basis that the lack of a barrier made LU negligent?!

If there is then they should be told where to go.

Every road in that case should have a barrier between it and the footpath, every river too.

Sometimes people need to look at there own failings which was what happened here.

 

[swt_passenger]

While I don't want to shift blame on London Underground for this, the use of barriers would be a worthwhile investment. Already used at many stations, they have another benefit in stopping people from blocking the passageways. A barrier, even if not designed for this incident, would have worked.

I think the likelihood is that there is a significant problem with those barriers being fitted everywhere as there will be many stations where the passageway(s) line up with a set of train doors.

 

[jon0844]

Just because people choose to take action (and I bet there will be solicitors camping outside their house trying to offer them 'help') doesn't mean they'll get anywhere. And I certainly hope they don't too.

 

[Simon11]

I wonder if we will see a new campaign by LU, asking parents to not face buggies towards the track and instead towards the end of the platform. It seem common sense that most parents are unaware of.

 

[Darandio]

I wonder if we will see a new campaign by LU, asking parents to not face buggies towards the track and instead towards the end of the platform. It seem common sense that most parents are unaware of.

You did see the video didn't you? The buggy wasn't facing the track at all.

 

[Abpj17]

It is beyond me why prams (and in particular those large 3 wheeled jogging ones) aren't made to have an always on brake. You then depress an handle or lever to move it like on an airport baggage trolley. I've seen (a fortunately empty) one blown off a sea wall, travel halfway down a braking train plus of course that cctv of the one in Melbourne last year. Far more insightful of the stupidity of this pair is the woman giving priority to retreiving a bag from under the negative rail as the lights from an incomming train can be seen.

As an experienced buggy pusher (two sets of twins), then I'd suggest the risks of RSI. You can spend weeks of your life pushing a buggy; that's not true for a baggage trolley.

When you're travelling - given the amount of huffing buggies up and down stairs given the lack of lifts, you often go for light weight, easy to fold buggies. They are less likely to have a decent braking system.

Northern Line at Camden has barriers that probably would have stop this. Given the odd circulation of the air, it's possible it would have just taken a few seconds longer rather than prevented though. The safest are ofc the Jubilee line where the line is sealed off from the platform, but not really practical on the curved platforms.

 

[tsr]

That platform does not have emergency plungers, as far as I know, which in any case would more than likely just prevent any trains from being signalled into the platform.

On another point of the discussion, I have pushed luggage trolleys frequently and repetitively as part of prior employment and can confirm that a lighter mechanism, which would probably be suited to a smaller vehicle such as a buggy, would feel like a rather different experience but would probably be easy enough to get used to for at least shorter journeys.

 

[tripleseis]

Media outlets saying it fell seconds before a train arrived but it looks like to me the train had just departed the station before the buggy got sucked onto the tracks (caused by the departing train). Of course there was probably another train only a minute or so behind so still nerve racking and dangerous. Glad no one was hurt (I guess they were probably tourists if the police can't trace them).

 

[Mojo]

Media outlets saying it fell seconds before a train arrived but it looks like to me the train had just departed the station before the buggy got sucked onto the tracks (caused by the departing train).

The lady was still on the track shortly before the train arrived. If you look at the video on the BBC News website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-28741287) you can see the headlights of the approaching train reflecting off the rails from 52 Sec, as the woman is still on the track.

 

[PermitToTravel]

There are buttons marked 'emergency' and 'information' which connect to the Station Supervisor's office (or station control room where provided). Victoria & Central lines have emergency stop plungers that are signed for the public.

On lines other than the Victoria or Central, can trains even be stopped from the Station Supervisor's office (or station control room where provided)?

 

[Mojo]

On lines other than the Victoria or Central, can trains even be stopped from the Station Supervisor's office (or station control room where provided)?

Jubilee lines have plungers in the control rooms too, and also many stations have plungers to discharge traction current in control rooms. I'm not sure if Goodge Street is such a station, but I wouldn't have thought so. In such circumstances the best thing to do is call the old man on the emergency number and he will contact the Train Operator by radio.

 

[Lockwood]

Funnily enough, a tangentally related RAIB report came out today

Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has released its report into accidents involving a wheelchair rolling onto the track at Southend Central, 28 August 2013; and a pushchair rolling onto the track at Whyteleafe, 18 September 2013. RAIB has made four recommendations and also identified one learning point

http://www.raib.gov.uk/publications/investigation_reports/reports_2014/report172014.cfm

 

[Nym]

Jubilee lines have plungers in the control rooms too, and also many stations have plungers to discharge traction current in control rooms. I'm not sure if Goodge Street is such a station, but I wouldn't have thought so. In such circumstances the best thing to do is call the old man on the emergency number and he will contact the Train Operator by radio.

Northern Line stations that are now fitted with TBTC Signalling (All of them now) will should have E-Stop plungers at spaced intervals down the platform signed for public use.

 

[Mojo]

Northern Line stations that are now fitted with TBTC Signalling (All of them now) will should have E-Stop plungers at spaced intervals down the platform signed for public use.

They don't; and the Jubilee line has red buttons on the platforms but they are not available for use.

 

[Mutant Lemming]

Something that couldn't have happened on the Jubilee line at London Bridge for instance due to the Platform Edge Doors. A feature which appeared on the Leningrad Metro back in 1961 - only took 40 years for the idea to start catching on here.