Rail regulator requires crowd management improvements at Euston Station

Network Rail has been issued with an improvement notice by the Office of Rail and Road for London’s Euston Station, where the company has failed to put in effective measures to prevent risks to passengers and others during instances of surges and overcrowding. 

ORR made a site visit to Euston in September 2023 after analysing CCTV footage of three incidents of concern in the summer, which showed crowding reaching unacceptable levels and a lack of crowd control in place. While there were reports of minor injuries, the incidents were assessed to have had the potential for more serious consequences.

During this site visit, the ORR team found there was no recorded, risk-assessed plan for two of the pinch points inside the station, where crowding is most concentrated. The control measures that were in place to manage crowds were inadequate in some areas and the signage and layout to help with the control of passenger flows was also not of an acceptable standard.

Network Rail has accepted the findings and is working with train operators and ORR to develop and implement effective mitigations and controls for crowd management at London Euston Station. 

Simon Bennett, Network Rail’s West Coast South route head of stations & passenger experience, said: “Managing a popular and busy station like Euston is a daily challenge, a challenge that our dedicated cross-industry team rise to each day, always putting passengers’ well-being and safety at the forefront of their minds.

“Our team, along with the ORR, want to do more, which is why we have cleared the concourse of shops to make more room for our passengers. We’ve fitted new state of the art information boards, both inside and outside the station. We’re also now trialling earlier boarding of services with our train operating colleagues to help reduce crowding at peak times.

“The ORR has asked us to look at some other specific areas and our team, along with our train operating colleagues, are already on the case making further improvements.”

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