2 London Underground commuters dragged along platforms after coats got stuck in closing doors

Two separate incidents on the Tube saw passengers being dragged along platforms after the train doors closed on their coats.

In both instances, the trains' door system didn't detect their coats. In the first incident, on February 18 last year at Archway, the Northern line train driver noticed the person being dragged along, and hit the breaks.

They were getting off the train when it closed on their coat, and their friend was holding onto them as they were pulled by the train for 2 metres.

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While their friend was unhurt, the person who was trapped sustained serious injuries.

In the second, on April 20 that same year and again on the Northern line, this time at Chalk Farm, their coat was freed after they were dragged for 20 metres. They were also getting off the train, but the doors closed when they were still standing close.

They had injuries to their left elbow and their knees, as well as the accident inflicting psychological distress.

Nick Dent, London Underground’s director of customer operations, said: “The safety of our customers and staff is at the heart of everything we do and we were extremely concerned that two customers were injured at Archway and Chalk Farm last year.

“London Underground is consistently recognised as one of the safest metro systems in the world, carrying millions of customers every year. However, we are not complacent and we welcome the recommendations from the RAIB’s report and we are in the process of implementing them.”

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has made recommendations to the Underground since. These are detailed, in the RAIB's words, below:

• 'The first learning point concerns the importance of documenting action plans in accordance with company procedures and recording when safety briefings have been undertaken'

• 'The second learning point concerns the importance of promptly reporting notifiable accidents to RAIB'

• 'The third concerns the importance of trainers and managers ensuring the risks of relying on the pilot light when deciding whether it is safe to start the train from platforms are completely understood by train operators'

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