London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Aug 05, 2026

London Underground: Man died after falling into gap, RAIB finds

London Underground: Man died after falling into gap, RAIB finds

A man who fell into the gap between the train and platform while getting off a London Underground service was not seen by two drivers, a report has found.

He was crushed by the Tube train he had been on and then hit by another one. He died at the scene.

The curve of the track meant the passenger was difficult to detect on the drivers' CCTV, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) found.

It happened on the Bakerloo line at Waterloo station in May 2020.

The RAIB has made several safety recommendations to London Underground.

The accident, which happened mid-morning during the first coronavirus lockdown, took place when there were no staff or other passengers to help. When the man was unable to free himself the train left with him still in the gap, crushing him as it moved off.

He had been trapped for more than a minute before the train departed. Only his head and arm had been above platform level, and so the passenger was difficult to detect using monitors.

He then lay motionless for a further minute and a half before being hit by the second train as it entered the station, the report said.

The driver of that train was unaware of the passenger because their attention was focused on the platform and the train's stopping point, the report said.

Curved platforms can make it difficult for drivers to see passengers getting on or off trains

The RAIB found that London Underground's risk assessments did not identify extra risks caused by curved platforms at certain stops.

The investigation found that the model used by London Underground to assess safety issues relating to what the RAIB calls the "platform-train interface" did not take into account non-fatal injuries. Therefore, the model understated the risk to passengers in such scenarios and presented an "incomplete picture" of it.

The three recommendations made by the branch:

*  To recognise and assess location-specific risks so they can be properly managed
*  To evaluate existing safety measures at stations, and provide periodic risk assessment for individual locations
*  To effectively deliver the above actions

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Energy Security Faces Pressure From Middle East Conflict and Red Sea Disruptions
UK Government Expands Employment Discrimination Review Amid Labour Market Changes
UK Campaigners Call for Ban on Toxic Flea Treatments Linked to Water Pollution
MI6 Ranked Europe’s Leading Foreign Intelligence Service in Independent Review
Houthi Missile Attack on Saudi Oil Tanker Raises Further Red Sea Shipping Concerns
Palantir Faces UK Tax Criticism After Paying Two Million Pounds in Corporation Tax
Advanced AI Models Show Unexpected Behaviour During UK Cybersecurity Testing
Bank of England Introduces Tougher Artificial Intelligence Testing Rules for Financial Firms
Next Raises Annual Profit Forecast to One Point Two Four Billion Pounds After Strong Summer Sales
New UK Visa Rules Tighten Skilled Worker, Student and Family Migration Routes
UK Government Proposes New Equal Pay Enforcement Powers for Employers
UK High Court Blocks Home Office Deportation Policy for Alleged Trafficking Victims
UK Health Secretary Yvette Cooper Announces Major Reform of NHS Maternity Services
BP Reports Four-Year High Quarterly Profit of Five Point Seven Billion Dollars Amid Energy Market Turmoil
Bank of England Holds Interest Rate at Three Point Seven Five Percent as UK Growth Remains Weak
Spain and Morocco Trade Blame After 72,000 Migrants Enter Ceuta
Met Police Investigated Journalist Who Questioned Cambridge Professor
Badenoch Defends Tory Candidate Jailed for Antisemitic Abuse of Luciana Berger
NHS Spends £240m a Year Storing Paper Records Despite Digital Push
Apple Seeks Court Order to Stop OpenAI Using Alleged Trade Secrets
Breaking With the Past: One of the World’s Smallest Countries Changes Its Name
AI Is Remaking the US Economy, From GDP Growth to iPhone Prices
Comcast: Tied to a Chair and Hit in the Face With Cake: The Regular Humiliation Ritual at the US Corporate Giant
Aston Martin Faces Legal Threat Over £550m Rescue Deal
Conservative Party and Reform UK Face Growing Scrutiny Over Political Transparency
GMB and Public Sector Unions Prepare for Wider Debate Over Government Priorities
UK Government Faces Pressure to Address National Water Infrastructure Failures
NHS Radiographers Report Rising Racist Abuse From Patients
Breast Cancer Experts Call for Overhaul of NHS Diagnostic Approach
UK Government Reviews Prison Policy After Debate Over Capacity and Public Safety
Nigel Farage Faces Questions Over Leadership Discussions and Five Million Pound Donation
Conservative Party Faces Candidate Controversy Over Former Antisemitic Activist
UK Energy Industry Pushes for Greater Role for Domestic Oil and Gas Production
Gatwick Expansion Debate Continues as Airport Prepares for Second Runway Construction
Reform UK Wants the Royal Navy to Return Channel Boats to France
Government Faces Pressure Over Charity Funding Linked to Illegal Israeli Settlements
UK Fire Chiefs Demand Ban on Disposable Barbecues During Severe Drought
Medical Review Warns Current Breast Cancer Guidelines Miss Many Young Women
NHS Mental Health Trust Announces Twenty-Five Million Pound Service Cuts
MI6 Rated Europe’s Most Capable Foreign Intelligence Service in International Review
UK Watchdog Finds Serious Failures in Electronic Offender Monitoring System
BP Chief Warns UK Must Protect Domestic Oil and Gas Capacity
Water Supply Crisis Threatens England’s Housing Expansion Plans
UK Government Rewrites Procurement Rules to Prioritise Jobs Over Environmental Targets
English Channel Rescue Operation Saves One Hundred Seventy-Three Migrants After Boat Capsizes
Gatwick Airport Wins Legal Approval for Second Runway Expansion
UK Government Tightens Early Prison Release Scheme After Public Backlash Over Offender Freedoms
US and Japan Step In to Support the Yen in Rare Joint Intervention
The AI Pricing Problem: Companies Cannot Predict Their Own Bills
Europe’s Heat and Drought Are Now Disrupting Power, Shipping and Tourism
×