RAIB releases report into uncontrolled evacuation at Clapham Common

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has released its report into the uncontrolled evacuation that occurred at Clapham Common London Underground station in May 2023.

The incident occurred after a London Underground train that was departing the station was brought to a halt by a passenger emergency alarm being activated after smoke and the smell of burning had entered one of the carriages.

Two of the carriages were inside the tunnel when the train came to a halt with a further our adjacent to the platform.

However, the train doors remained closed, prompting nearly a 100 of the train’s passengers to self-evacuate onto the platform through the interconnecting doors between the train’s cars and the train’s windows.

In total, the train doors were closed for nearly five minutes before station staff began opening them.

Although, no major injuries were reported, RAIB found the risk to passengers was significant, especially since Clapham Common station has a narrow island platform, increasing the risk of passengers being exposed to conductor rails and approaching trains from the southbound line.

RAIB also highlighted a concern that operational staff were not provided with procedures or training needed to effectively identify incidents where passengers’ behaviour can rapidly escalate.

Learnings from a similar incident at Holland Park station had not been applied either.

Three recommendations have been made for London Underground by the RAIB including ensuring clear guidance is given to staff through procedural training which equips them to deal with out-of-course events.

It has also recommended that learnings from previous incidents to be logged effectively and not lost as well as London Underground review its risk assessment processes to include specific locations and out-of-course events.

Andrew Hall, chief Inspector of Rail Accidents said: “Out-of-course events can rapidly escalate into emergencies if not responded to promptly and effectively.

“During this incident staff didn’t fully appreciate the emerging safety risk when passengers’ behaviour began to escalate as they became increasingly anxious.

"When passengers did not receive suitable information about the nature of the incident and the actions they should take, nor see action they would have expected to be taken, they turned to desperate measures to self-evacuate.”