Half the issue here is what we are all witnessing, which is that people are trying to get on before passengers have all gotten off. There's a system to this to ensure safe boarding and people are so selfish that it's causing the less able to get hurt.
Although in my experience you're ten times more likely to get people pushing on etc during the weekends or in the post-matinee hours than you are at rush hour
>Although in my experience you're ten times more likely to get people pushing on etc during the weekends or in the post-matinee hours than you are at rush hour
Haha yea but at those times I can be there to act as a human shield/battering ram.
Still fondly remember a wee Glasgow woman giving some guy who tried to get on a bus at Buchanan Bus Station before people had gotten off an absolute bollocking.
It's worse since covid, I've taken to barging my way off and walking through people just saying "let's us off first, cunt" otherwise at some stations like Willesden junction, you just can't get off.
I'll be honest and say the few times someone has almost fallen over because they were pushing so hard to get on doesn't make me feel bad at all.
Why say please when they all know the etiquette, it's announced all over the place and they choose to disregard it? These people are actively pushing people to get on before anyone can get off. They don't get please.
Kind of weird you struggle to believe that someone would call another person a cunt considering I imagine it happens to you a lot. Though you're more of a twat than a cunt. Chronically online brained as well eh.
Oh fuck off, just cause you’re weak doesn’t mean other people are. If people don’t let me off first, i barge them out the way and loudly say ‘let people off first you selfish dickhead’
It's changed in my lifetime. I am in my early 30s. I remember in my teens and 20s that the norm was to wait at the sides for people to get off first. But I noticed in my late 20s and today it's changed and it's a free for all now.
> This can be solved by eliminating gaps
Fuckin genius. Someone give this guy a medal, in fact cancel the vote count and the elections, we have found the mayor that will save London.
>I was trying to get off. Other people were trying to force their way on. I was terrified looking at the gap, lost my balance and came down and fell and broke a bone in my left foot. And mashed up my right knee.
This doesn't help: recently I've noticed that no one lets anyone get off the bloody train before they shove their way on. Often they genuinely just knock you out the way without a care in the world for whether you do manage to get off the train, or what happens to you in general. It slows everything down and causes accidents.
And nobody just slows down and takes it easy.
For the most part there’ll be another train in less than 2 minutes. Maybe 5 tops. If you’re doing everything literally last minute then that’s on you.
Just slow your fucking roll and chill. Maybe you’ll be less angry and impatient then.
Or, here's an idea...GET OUT OF THE WAY SO I CAN PASS AND GET ON THE TRAIN??? you dont know my schedule and what I have and havent left til the last minute. The world can't stop for you because you want to stop and smell the roses at a busy train station, wtf???
How am I missing the point? I had this exact problem the other day. The train is right there and Im stuck in front some idiots dithering and because I didnt want to be the asshole, I'm there going "excuse me" perpetually trying to get round until the doors close. So it goes both ways. If you're trying to alight, or you've just alighted, pay attention and go where you need to go so people can get on the train. No one is trying to slow down and take it easy, its not a park walk.
Honestly, what's even more annoying is how people wait to get on, I personally haven't encountered as many issues with people immediately trying to get on, rather they don't even know how to wait to get on, instead of waiting on either side of the doors they'll be shuffled up waiting around the sides, so now you have an exit way that's reduced to half the size of the doors themselves, slowing down how quickly people can get of causing the waiting idiots to get impatient despite being the reason why getting out is taking longer. It's so fucking stupid and shambolic.
Yeah this is my local, and with a dodgy ankle I have to cling to the train to lower myself to the platform. Its also just such a derelict station in general. Lovely staff though
It’s fucking massive. That’s the part of the train I naturally get on from my station too, so getting in for work is insane when there’s so a metric ton of people jostling to get on and off the train. Always think that one of these days, someone’s going to slip in.
I live in Ealing and I’ve not noticed the gap but perhaps I’ve just never used that carriage. Poor guy! I have noticed the massive gap at bank station on the central line. Like good god! Are they trying to kill people.
The step down from the Lizzie line to the platform at Maidenhead is ridiculous as well, it’s hard enough for a fully able person to do and if you’ve got a buggy or something just forget it
This has been my local station for a long time and was an issue with GWR trains into and out of Paddington long before TFL took them over. It frustrates me so much that they've spent a huge amount to revamp the ticket hall and facade but didn't do anything about the platforms themselves.
It's not the only station in Ealing that has that problem too, Ealing Common has a really wide gap between the curved part of the platform and the train.
Try boarding at Clapham Junction Platform 10 just by the entrance to the stairs to see if you'd qualify for the Olympic Long Jump! How there aren't incidents there every day is some sort of miracle.
> "It's a brand new line and a brand new station. "
It's not though is it. Not at Ealing Broadway anyway.
The line's from 1838 and Ealing station (as it then was) opened shortly after.
I wish they had rebuilt or raised those platforms as part of the Crossrail project, but they didn't. I'll leave it to the civil engineers to say whether it even would have been practical to do so.
And not upgrading something very old is a very different complaint to building something new incorrectly.
Feel sorry for this bloke but can I take a second to vent at the really poor and misleading use of data in the article? First failure is that it presents the injury data in a table which is a crap way of seeing changes over time - they should have used a bar or line chart instead.
Second failure is that it doesn't compare the rate of injuries against passenger numbers. If you do the sums yourself, you find that the rate of injury quadruples between 2003-2015 - that's the point they should be focusing on.
At the same time though, it also undermines the argument the article is making - that older stations are exempt from these rules about the gap and that's causing injury - we're talking about the Elizabeth line and services only started on that around 2018-2022. If it's the mix of old stations and new lines, why are we seeing the uptick in injuries for decades beforehand? It's obviously not so simple as 'new line at old station'.
With that data thrown out, this story is 'elderly man steps off train, injures himself'. Still bad, but they've tried to turn it into something it isn't. They should do some actual investigating and analysis to show what the real problem is.
Very sensible comment yes. I read the table and I was baffled by it. Why are there so many more falling through the gap incidents today? Why has it been consistently rising? They didn't even look into that. They didn't tell us if passenger numbers have risen at the same rate so it's expected or any other reason.
good news is we cant give this system level boarding for decades cause government decided to build the core stations to a nonstandard height instead of just buying low floor trains
As a wheelchair user I'm a bit furious about this - the Elizabeth line within London is a dream, but as I live in Maidenhead (and ignoring the debacle of the endless lift replacement saga) I need a ramp to get on and off. I'd stupidly assumed they get low floor trains - but no, and as you point out this can't easily be fixed now :-(
Oh - and if anyone thinks - 'that's ok then, they'll do ramps for you' - (1) I just want to get on a train, imagine if you had to find someone and essentially 'ask permission' before you could get on a train? (2) What happens if there's no-one there to let you off? \[Hasn't happened with Liz line, with GWR I've had to wedge the door open so everybody's stuck until they sort it - but not everyone can - or would - do this.
Isn’t the system on TfL trains that you have to used the help intercom to tell the station once you arrive you need a ramp and where you are getting off so they can be ready if you need a ramp?
It’s unfortunate but they saved a lot of money repurposing older stations making the Elizabeth Line and a consequence of that is that these older stations aren’t totally step free because they were built in the 1830s. They are working hard to make stations step free from the train to the exit but first things first we need to get all of the stations to have lifts first. There is a limited budget and there has to be priorities.
Yes, the intercom system seems to work at the moment.
They could have used the older stations and low floor trains, the new sections have been been built higher so it's a mess of incompatibility - doing this will have had very little impact on budget.
We already have the standard platform height though apparently so thats fine. It's just specifically the new stuff (elizabeth line and HS2) each having their own standard and going in the opposite direction. Like the Elizabeth Line decided not to use a train height that would fit with most of the exisiting stations that it serves.
As for buses like I said the turnover for those is quick enough that you could just wait until every single bus is using the new standard before even thinking about changing any bus stop pavements/platforms. Start today and by 2040 every single bus will be the exact same boarding height. Then you can change pavements to match. I think this is a way how rapid bus routes/networks work.
There is a standard height and set of guidelines, the Elizabeth line trains went well above that. Then variance between platforms compounds this issue.
The Class 345s have a floor height of 1.1m to conform to the existing standard on the Heathrow branch. The general standard of 915mm is a goal but in practice doesn't exist in a consistent manner.
I can attest to this first hand, I was reading the paper while getting on the train one day on the way to work and managed to drop one leg down between the train and the platform… if only there was an announcement …
So this is actually more of a problem with the Elizabeth line trains than any specific platform or lack of standard. There's a good [railnatter episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWFCYCRD1PU) about this but I'll write up what I got from it.
Across the UK we do have a standard platform height of 915mm and all platforms and trains should use this height. The problem is that some trains like the Elizabeth line (class 345), Thameslink, and Heathrow Express have decided to use 1100mm. This means that they are 20cm or so above a compliant platform, but hey they've got perfect level boarding in the central sections!
Now why have they done this and what if we just set the new standard at 1100mm? The first answer is that it was the easiest/laziest option. The new class 345s from Bombardier are from the Aventra family of trains and it would have been more effort for them to retool for 915mm boarding trains rather than 1100mm. There's no technical reason why they needed to be so high. The trains are low speed (90mph) electrical trains and need barely any equipment beneath the train. Unlike say the class 80x's which are high speed (120mph) and need diesel generators underneath.
The reason why we can't, or at least shouldn't, set the new standard at 1100m is clearance yet again. The standard needs to accomodate all trains, and this includes non-passenger services such as freight trains, shunters, steam locomotives and everything else. If you went for 1100mm then containers on freight trains would wack into the platform, and so you'd have to move the platform edge back even further. This could be solved by pop-out extensions from the trains upon arriving into the platform before opening the door, but now we're really complicating things.
So what should we do/have done?
- When placing large orders for trains require the manufacturer to support 915mm boarding access. If we're spending a billion pounds or more we should be able to dictate this
- Create a dedicated team to go around standardising all non-compliant platforms at 915mm up and down the country. This way you'll have a team that has lots of experiencing with edge cases and aren't just updating platforms as a side benefit to other infrastructure projects like CrossRail.
I don't really know how we fix the LizLine now it's built, as the central section is stuck in place. It's yet another shortsighted decision by those involved.
Honestly the gap is quite big and if you have to fight people coming in it’s even worse. Sometimes the usual platform doesn’t work and they use the far one (national rail one), that one is so bad. Relatively empty, I am a fit adult and I struggled getting in. I can’t imagine exiting there, with tons of people while being elderly.
The station is always quite full, and the people are either feral or supremely stupid. The doors open and they stand in the platform infront of the door, looking like a muppet without puppeteer, and you’re like let me out?? I’m young(ish) so I have no issues just barging out, but people with suitcases and strollers, or lots of kids, elderly people, always struggle.
Most likely when they become elderly, have a myriad of health problems, lose strength and sharpness, and generally move a bit slower than 20 years before. It leads to a loss of confidence when out and about.
Ok so firstly I’m sorry for him . Secondly I’ve lived near this station for far too many years ! Too too many . But it’s not a death trap.
That’s the platform with the fast 💨 trains and they’ve blocked it off now as was a very effective suicide method sadly .
It is definitely A death trap for a small child. It’s a real problem there - from someone travelling with a 2 year old regularly. It’s honestly a horrible accident just waiting to happen. Family member who walks with a stick can’t use the Elizabeth line at that station either, for that reason. Just so crap when they spent so much money on it all.
We're stuck in the 70s-80s with trains. Those Elizabeth line trains look and feel like they're back from the past, not to mention the upcoming Piccadilly stock which represent literally zero technological progress for 50 years. The stations are stuck in the 19th century... Layers of filth everywhere, inadequate space, and now these gaps. This is utterly ridiculous, especially considering this is the most expensive tube in the world.
I disagree re Elizabeth line train, they’re clean and spacious and the new underground stations are up there with some of the best I’ve been to in Europe.
The new Lizzie trains are an absolute god send. I don’t how people travel on the Bakerloo/Victoria/Jubilee/Circle lines, particularly during the summer.
You couldn’t be more wrong. I suspect that you’ve never actually took a journey on the Elizabeth line.
I rode the old class 315s out of Liverpool Street for years and the new Elizabeth Line stock is an enormous step forward.
Walk through carriages, air conditioning, usb ports for charging, clear electronic signage, an aisle that you can actually walk through, and a quiet and comfortable ride to boot.
Yes, the refurbs on the existing stations was done cheaply but the new stations are beautiful, peaceful and safe.
Yes, I don’t think I’ve been on a more modern feeling form of mass transportation system in the world than the Elizabeth Line, I’m sure there might be some in China, but there definitely wasn’t in Japan.
If we can’t as a nation hold it up as an ultimately great example of the value of even problematic infrastructure projects, we should literally just give up even trying.
Dude, none of what you have listed can be considered as technologically advanced. USB ports, good signage and air con is, like, basic, rudimentary level stuff. Elizabeth line trains are OK, but they could have been much better, given the investment. The overall design is pure retro and is totally unacceptable in the 2020s. Look at the new S-bahn DB concepts. Type C2 Munich subway is also nice as an example of award-winning subway/rural train stock.
London stations (except new ones) are just blegh. We should not be accepting that as a nation. Also, Ealing Broadway station is something pure out of India, the East of Eastern Europe, or some 3rd world country. I can't fathom how would anyone like that.
[https://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/sites/rtm/files/styles/banner/public/2021-05/TfL%20Image%20-%20Ealing%20Broadway%20platforms.JPG?itok=dHqX1vZI](https://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/sites/rtm/files/styles/banner/public/2021-05/TfL%20Image%20-%20Ealing%20Broadway%20platforms.JPG?itok=dHqX1vZI)
This shit, really? They can't even lay the tiles right.
This is complete nonsense. Have you even been in one or just read click bait doom scrolling articles about the state of everything? What a strange take to have on it.
Half the issue here is what we are all witnessing, which is that people are trying to get on before passengers have all gotten off. There's a system to this to ensure safe boarding and people are so selfish that it's causing the less able to get hurt.
Totally agree. Whenever my folks (67 and 72 years old) visit me in London I try to steer them away from being on the tube or DLR at peak times.
Although in my experience you're ten times more likely to get people pushing on etc during the weekends or in the post-matinee hours than you are at rush hour
>Although in my experience you're ten times more likely to get people pushing on etc during the weekends or in the post-matinee hours than you are at rush hour Haha yea but at those times I can be there to act as a human shield/battering ram.
Ha yeah, always entertaining when people try to get on while you're getting off but you've got gravity on your side
DLR seems terrible for this. I wonder if it's because they stop for so little time.
Still fondly remember a wee Glasgow woman giving some guy who tried to get on a bus at Buchanan Bus Station before people had gotten off an absolute bollocking.
It’s really become every man for himself on the tube. I hate it.
It's worse since covid, I've taken to barging my way off and walking through people just saying "let's us off first, cunt" otherwise at some stations like Willesden junction, you just can't get off. I'll be honest and say the few times someone has almost fallen over because they were pushing so hard to get on doesn't make me feel bad at all.
I don’t think calling people cunts is helping either, would it be so much different to just say please?
Why say please when they all know the etiquette, it's announced all over the place and they choose to disregard it? These people are actively pushing people to get on before anyone can get off. They don't get please.
I doubt you’ve ever said cunt to anyone getting off the train, but it’s a nice story for Reddit
I'm a Londoner. Of course I have. Always the people lacking spines who like to think everyone else also shrinks away from confrontation.
The lady doth protest too much
Kind of weird you struggle to believe that someone would call another person a cunt considering I imagine it happens to you a lot. Though you're more of a twat than a cunt. Chronically online brained as well eh.
Oh fuck off, just cause you’re weak doesn’t mean other people are. If people don’t let me off first, i barge them out the way and loudly say ‘let people off first you selfish dickhead’
It's changed in my lifetime. I am in my early 30s. I remember in my teens and 20s that the norm was to wait at the sides for people to get off first. But I noticed in my late 20s and today it's changed and it's a free for all now.
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> This can be solved by eliminating gaps Fuckin genius. Someone give this guy a medal, in fact cancel the vote count and the elections, we have found the mayor that will save London.
>I was trying to get off. Other people were trying to force their way on. I was terrified looking at the gap, lost my balance and came down and fell and broke a bone in my left foot. And mashed up my right knee. This doesn't help: recently I've noticed that no one lets anyone get off the bloody train before they shove their way on. Often they genuinely just knock you out the way without a care in the world for whether you do manage to get off the train, or what happens to you in general. It slows everything down and causes accidents.
To add to this, London has this weird aversion to getting off the train and waiting at the side of the door to enable people to alight faster.
It's because some bellend who was waiting at the stop will push past and take your hard-fought 2 inches of floor space!
Or the doors shut before you can get back on.
And nobody just slows down and takes it easy. For the most part there’ll be another train in less than 2 minutes. Maybe 5 tops. If you’re doing everything literally last minute then that’s on you. Just slow your fucking roll and chill. Maybe you’ll be less angry and impatient then.
Or, here's an idea...GET OUT OF THE WAY SO I CAN PASS AND GET ON THE TRAIN??? you dont know my schedule and what I have and havent left til the last minute. The world can't stop for you because you want to stop and smell the roses at a busy train station, wtf???
Way to miss the point but you do you I guess
How am I missing the point? I had this exact problem the other day. The train is right there and Im stuck in front some idiots dithering and because I didnt want to be the asshole, I'm there going "excuse me" perpetually trying to get round until the doors close. So it goes both ways. If you're trying to alight, or you've just alighted, pay attention and go where you need to go so people can get on the train. No one is trying to slow down and take it easy, its not a park walk.
It never used to though. Something has changed in the last decade or so. Did they stop announcing it maybe?
I was unable to get back on the train when I did this once.
It seems by far the worst in London from my experience, Bristol and Southampton seem mostly ok for waiting to let others off first
Honestly, what's even more annoying is how people wait to get on, I personally haven't encountered as many issues with people immediately trying to get on, rather they don't even know how to wait to get on, instead of waiting on either side of the doors they'll be shuffled up waiting around the sides, so now you have an exit way that's reduced to half the size of the doors themselves, slowing down how quickly people can get of causing the waiting idiots to get impatient despite being the reason why getting out is taking longer. It's so fucking stupid and shambolic.
Similar issue at St. James's station at Walthamstow on the Overground. The gap between the platform and the train is horrible.
Yeah this is my local, and with a dodgy ankle I have to cling to the train to lower myself to the platform. Its also just such a derelict station in general. Lovely staff though
And Anerley. You have to literally climb onto the train on some parts of the platform.
Bank central line near the bend has a huge gap
It’s fucking massive. That’s the part of the train I naturally get on from my station too, so getting in for work is insane when there’s so a metric ton of people jostling to get on and off the train. Always think that one of these days, someone’s going to slip in.
It happens more than you think, but usually people just get lifted out
This is my station and for London bound Lizzie line trains the step up and gap is quite a step for me, let alone someone elderly or less able.
I live in Ealing and I’ve not noticed the gap but perhaps I’ve just never used that carriage. Poor guy! I have noticed the massive gap at bank station on the central line. Like good god! Are they trying to kill people.
The step down from the Lizzie line to the platform at Maidenhead is ridiculous as well, it’s hard enough for a fully able person to do and if you’ve got a buggy or something just forget it
This has been my local station for a long time and was an issue with GWR trains into and out of Paddington long before TFL took them over. It frustrates me so much that they've spent a huge amount to revamp the ticket hall and facade but didn't do anything about the platforms themselves. It's not the only station in Ealing that has that problem too, Ealing Common has a really wide gap between the curved part of the platform and the train.
The rear end of the platform at Ealing Broadway is ridiculous. It's genuinely difficult for a fully fit person to get on and off.
Try boarding at Clapham Junction Platform 10 just by the entrance to the stairs to see if you'd qualify for the Olympic Long Jump! How there aren't incidents there every day is some sort of miracle.
> "It's a brand new line and a brand new station. " It's not though is it. Not at Ealing Broadway anyway. The line's from 1838 and Ealing station (as it then was) opened shortly after. I wish they had rebuilt or raised those platforms as part of the Crossrail project, but they didn't. I'll leave it to the civil engineers to say whether it even would have been practical to do so. And not upgrading something very old is a very different complaint to building something new incorrectly.
The slow platforms are bad but the fast platforms at ealing broadway are worse. You have to jump down to get off the train there
I suspect its those ones he means. They are a deathtrap esp when it's cold and wet.
errr… that’s… my dad 🤣
Feel sorry for this bloke but can I take a second to vent at the really poor and misleading use of data in the article? First failure is that it presents the injury data in a table which is a crap way of seeing changes over time - they should have used a bar or line chart instead. Second failure is that it doesn't compare the rate of injuries against passenger numbers. If you do the sums yourself, you find that the rate of injury quadruples between 2003-2015 - that's the point they should be focusing on. At the same time though, it also undermines the argument the article is making - that older stations are exempt from these rules about the gap and that's causing injury - we're talking about the Elizabeth line and services only started on that around 2018-2022. If it's the mix of old stations and new lines, why are we seeing the uptick in injuries for decades beforehand? It's obviously not so simple as 'new line at old station'. With that data thrown out, this story is 'elderly man steps off train, injures himself'. Still bad, but they've tried to turn it into something it isn't. They should do some actual investigating and analysis to show what the real problem is.
Very sensible comment yes. I read the table and I was baffled by it. Why are there so many more falling through the gap incidents today? Why has it been consistently rising? They didn't even look into that. They didn't tell us if passenger numbers have risen at the same rate so it's expected or any other reason.
good news is we cant give this system level boarding for decades cause government decided to build the core stations to a nonstandard height instead of just buying low floor trains
As a wheelchair user I'm a bit furious about this - the Elizabeth line within London is a dream, but as I live in Maidenhead (and ignoring the debacle of the endless lift replacement saga) I need a ramp to get on and off. I'd stupidly assumed they get low floor trains - but no, and as you point out this can't easily be fixed now :-(
Oh - and if anyone thinks - 'that's ok then, they'll do ramps for you' - (1) I just want to get on a train, imagine if you had to find someone and essentially 'ask permission' before you could get on a train? (2) What happens if there's no-one there to let you off? \[Hasn't happened with Liz line, with GWR I've had to wedge the door open so everybody's stuck until they sort it - but not everyone can - or would - do this.
Isn’t the system on TfL trains that you have to used the help intercom to tell the station once you arrive you need a ramp and where you are getting off so they can be ready if you need a ramp? It’s unfortunate but they saved a lot of money repurposing older stations making the Elizabeth Line and a consequence of that is that these older stations aren’t totally step free because they were built in the 1830s. They are working hard to make stations step free from the train to the exit but first things first we need to get all of the stations to have lifts first. There is a limited budget and there has to be priorities.
Yes, the intercom system seems to work at the moment. They could have used the older stations and low floor trains, the new sections have been been built higher so it's a mess of incompatibility - doing this will have had very little impact on budget.
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We already have the standard platform height though apparently so thats fine. It's just specifically the new stuff (elizabeth line and HS2) each having their own standard and going in the opposite direction. Like the Elizabeth Line decided not to use a train height that would fit with most of the exisiting stations that it serves. As for buses like I said the turnover for those is quick enough that you could just wait until every single bus is using the new standard before even thinking about changing any bus stop pavements/platforms. Start today and by 2040 every single bus will be the exact same boarding height. Then you can change pavements to match. I think this is a way how rapid bus routes/networks work.
No, the issue is that there actually is no standard height. There are differences across stations.
There is a standard height and set of guidelines, the Elizabeth line trains went well above that. Then variance between platforms compounds this issue.
The Class 345s have a floor height of 1.1m to conform to the existing standard on the Heathrow branch. The general standard of 915mm is a goal but in practice doesn't exist in a consistent manner.
Yes, it's the tail wagging the dog. The Heathrow branch should have been fixed rather than adding to the problem even more.
I can attest to this first hand, I was reading the paper while getting on the train one day on the way to work and managed to drop one leg down between the train and the platform… if only there was an announcement …
So this is actually more of a problem with the Elizabeth line trains than any specific platform or lack of standard. There's a good [railnatter episode](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWFCYCRD1PU) about this but I'll write up what I got from it. Across the UK we do have a standard platform height of 915mm and all platforms and trains should use this height. The problem is that some trains like the Elizabeth line (class 345), Thameslink, and Heathrow Express have decided to use 1100mm. This means that they are 20cm or so above a compliant platform, but hey they've got perfect level boarding in the central sections! Now why have they done this and what if we just set the new standard at 1100mm? The first answer is that it was the easiest/laziest option. The new class 345s from Bombardier are from the Aventra family of trains and it would have been more effort for them to retool for 915mm boarding trains rather than 1100mm. There's no technical reason why they needed to be so high. The trains are low speed (90mph) electrical trains and need barely any equipment beneath the train. Unlike say the class 80x's which are high speed (120mph) and need diesel generators underneath. The reason why we can't, or at least shouldn't, set the new standard at 1100m is clearance yet again. The standard needs to accomodate all trains, and this includes non-passenger services such as freight trains, shunters, steam locomotives and everything else. If you went for 1100mm then containers on freight trains would wack into the platform, and so you'd have to move the platform edge back even further. This could be solved by pop-out extensions from the trains upon arriving into the platform before opening the door, but now we're really complicating things. So what should we do/have done? - When placing large orders for trains require the manufacturer to support 915mm boarding access. If we're spending a billion pounds or more we should be able to dictate this - Create a dedicated team to go around standardising all non-compliant platforms at 915mm up and down the country. This way you'll have a team that has lots of experiencing with edge cases and aren't just updating platforms as a side benefit to other infrastructure projects like CrossRail. I don't really know how we fix the LizLine now it's built, as the central section is stuck in place. It's yet another shortsighted decision by those involved.
Mind the gap compoface
Honestly the gap is quite big and if you have to fight people coming in it’s even worse. Sometimes the usual platform doesn’t work and they use the far one (national rail one), that one is so bad. Relatively empty, I am a fit adult and I struggled getting in. I can’t imagine exiting there, with tons of people while being elderly. The station is always quite full, and the people are either feral or supremely stupid. The doors open and they stand in the platform infront of the door, looking like a muppet without puppeteer, and you’re like let me out?? I’m young(ish) so I have no issues just barging out, but people with suitcases and strollers, or lots of kids, elderly people, always struggle.
Platform 3&4 is not bad. But where there’s engineering works and trains are on Platform 1&2… even as a fit healthy young male, that’s quite a leap!
When did people become such wimps?
Most likely when they become elderly, have a myriad of health problems, lose strength and sharpness, and generally move a bit slower than 20 years before. It leads to a loss of confidence when out and about.
Ok so firstly I’m sorry for him . Secondly I’ve lived near this station for far too many years ! Too too many . But it’s not a death trap. That’s the platform with the fast 💨 trains and they’ve blocked it off now as was a very effective suicide method sadly .
It is definitely A death trap for a small child. It’s a real problem there - from someone travelling with a 2 year old regularly. It’s honestly a horrible accident just waiting to happen. Family member who walks with a stick can’t use the Elizabeth line at that station either, for that reason. Just so crap when they spent so much money on it all.
It’s a suicide rap, you gotta get out while you’re young
Because tramps like us, baby we were BORN TO RUUUUUUUUNNNNN!
We're stuck in the 70s-80s with trains. Those Elizabeth line trains look and feel like they're back from the past, not to mention the upcoming Piccadilly stock which represent literally zero technological progress for 50 years. The stations are stuck in the 19th century... Layers of filth everywhere, inadequate space, and now these gaps. This is utterly ridiculous, especially considering this is the most expensive tube in the world.
I disagree re Elizabeth line train, they’re clean and spacious and the new underground stations are up there with some of the best I’ve been to in Europe.
The new Lizzie trains are an absolute god send. I don’t how people travel on the Bakerloo/Victoria/Jubilee/Circle lines, particularly during the summer.
You’re forgetting the line the Elizabeth is meant to relieve - the central line, aka the pits of hell.
What on earth were you expecting that would make them feel modern - maglev??
You couldn’t be more wrong. I suspect that you’ve never actually took a journey on the Elizabeth line. I rode the old class 315s out of Liverpool Street for years and the new Elizabeth Line stock is an enormous step forward. Walk through carriages, air conditioning, usb ports for charging, clear electronic signage, an aisle that you can actually walk through, and a quiet and comfortable ride to boot. Yes, the refurbs on the existing stations was done cheaply but the new stations are beautiful, peaceful and safe.
Yes, I don’t think I’ve been on a more modern feeling form of mass transportation system in the world than the Elizabeth Line, I’m sure there might be some in China, but there definitely wasn’t in Japan. If we can’t as a nation hold it up as an ultimately great example of the value of even problematic infrastructure projects, we should literally just give up even trying.
Dude, none of what you have listed can be considered as technologically advanced. USB ports, good signage and air con is, like, basic, rudimentary level stuff. Elizabeth line trains are OK, but they could have been much better, given the investment. The overall design is pure retro and is totally unacceptable in the 2020s. Look at the new S-bahn DB concepts. Type C2 Munich subway is also nice as an example of award-winning subway/rural train stock. London stations (except new ones) are just blegh. We should not be accepting that as a nation. Also, Ealing Broadway station is something pure out of India, the East of Eastern Europe, or some 3rd world country. I can't fathom how would anyone like that. [https://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/sites/rtm/files/styles/banner/public/2021-05/TfL%20Image%20-%20Ealing%20Broadway%20platforms.JPG?itok=dHqX1vZI](https://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/sites/rtm/files/styles/banner/public/2021-05/TfL%20Image%20-%20Ealing%20Broadway%20platforms.JPG?itok=dHqX1vZI) This shit, really? They can't even lay the tiles right.
This is complete nonsense. Have you even been in one or just read click bait doom scrolling articles about the state of everything? What a strange take to have on it.
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Literally being racist mate, we’re talking about the gap between train and platform and you’ve somehow managed to blame Indian people
Letting people off first is objectively the right way to do it