Person killed by Tube was blocked from safe spot

A passenger who fell onto a London Underground track was unable to avoid being hit and killed by a train due to communication cables preventing them moving to a place of safety, an investigation has found.

CCTV showed the passenger was aware a train was approaching at Ickenham station, west London, before they were struck at about 22:30 GMT on 28 March 2025.

Neither station staff nor the driver had seen the passenger, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) report said. The train's brakes automatically applied as it pulled away due to its safety system coming into contact with the passenger, who was then discovered.

Transport for London (TfL) said it "fully supported" the investigation.

The passenger, whom the RAIB described as vulnerable, lay undiscovered for two minutes on the track after losing their balance.

Before being struck, they tried to move from the track bed to the under-platform recess but this was blocked by communication cables.

The platform lighting created a sharp contrast with the darker track bed and the passenger was dressed in dark clothing, making them harder to detect, investigators found.

Last year, an inquest ruled that a man who had been run over by seven Tube trains at Stratford station died accidentally.

The coroner later said that two years on from his death "there is no clear evidence to demonstrate that risks of fatal harm have been mitigated".

On this occasion, the RAIB made three recommendations to TfL:

• Review and update safety standards for under‑platform recesses so they can reliably provide a safe space
• Complete platform‑specific risk assessments
• Identify and evaluate safety measures to reduce platform‑fall risks

London Underground policy states that drug and alcohol testing of staff should occur "as soon as possible after a dangerous incident" but the testers arrived at 01:05, one minute before the train operator's finish time.

The investigators wrote: "By the time the testers arrived, the train operator's manager had already arranged for a taxi to take the train operator home, at the end of their shift, in the interests of their welfare.

"While there is no evidence that the train operator was impaired by drugs or alcohol, RAIB observes that London Underground did not follow its own processes for testing staff following a serious accident."

Nick Dent, TfL's director of customer operations said his thoughts were "with the family and friends of the person who sadly died" and it had conducted its own internal investigation.

He said: "We are considering the recommendations from the RAIB and will be taking forward action to address them, along with the recommendations from our own internal review.

"Safety remains our top priority and we are acting to ensure that our customers are safe when travelling on our network."

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