Euston Station: Passengers are being put in danger, says watchdog

Passengers travelling through Euston railway station are being put “in danger” by “high levels of overcrowding”, a transport watchdog has warned.

London TravelWatch said that “last-minute announcements” were causing passengers to “rush to platforms”.

One commuter told the BBC that the north-west London station was “straight up dangerous” and said she had been in “terrifying” crushes caused by crowds rushing for trains.

Network Rail, which owns the station, said it was designed for a “different era” and acknowledged it needed “major investment and modernisation”.

Francesca Peschier said she travels via Euston Station a “minimum of three times a month” because of her job.

She told the BBC: “It’s one of the worst designs architecturally for user experience.”

Ms Peschier said: “I just think it’s dangerous. We’ve had crush tragedies like Brixton Academy, someone is going to get crushed.

“They announce it (the train platform) two minutes before (departure). Good luck to you if you’ve got kids or disabled, you ain’t getting on that train,” she added.

The commuter said she was “angry” about the safety issues at Euston Station and said: “This isn’t a one off thing, it happens fairly regularly.”

London TravelWatch said: “Even on good days, the passenger experience at London Euston fails to match its importance as the capital’s main rail gateway to four of the UK’s largest cities.

“But it is when train services are disrupted that the station really struggles to cope, with high levels of overcrowding putting passengers in danger.”

It added that staff “appear overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of people”.

The watchdog also said: “It is almost a year since the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) issued an improvement notice to Network Rail regarding the station, but it seems little has changed.”

Off Peak Performance – Johnny I’Anson travels on the first off-peak evening train from London to Manchester.

Network Rail said there were plans to redevelop Euston, including a larger concourse, but these were subject to more government funding.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “Euston was designed for a different era and we acknowledge that it is in need of major investment and modernisation.

“However, safety is at the heart of our operation and something we would never compromise on in any of our stations.”

It added: “For the majority of the time the station works, however during times of disruption, there simply isn’t enough room for passengers and we know this can make for an uncomfortable and unpleasant environment.”

An ORR spokesperson said: “The passenger experience at Euston remains uncomfortable at times for users and we are aware of the recent media coverage on this.

“We have been continuing to talk with Network Rail about further improvements it can make to help manage crowds, particularly during disruption.”