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RMT's Underground Warning Confirmed by Latest Figures

RMT's Underground Warning Confirmed by Latest Figures

The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union’s warning over the increasing dangers on London Underground platforms has been confirmed by the latest figures.

A freedom of information request sent to Transport for London has resulted in a reply from the body  that shows the number of passengers who have fallen between platforms and trains has increased by more than three times over the last 10 years.

The RMT has blamed the removal of safety-critical station staff and dangerous overcrowding for the rising number of incidents.

The statistics show that in the last year some 307 incidents have been recorded by TFL which is up from less than a hundred less than 10 years ago.

After last week’s incident which saw a person become trapped between the platform and a train on the Jubilee line at Canning Town, the RMT launched an investigation into the growing dangers on Underground platforms.

The RMT union says it is still waiting for a response from their request.

Meanwhile, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch has warned of an increasing risk of danger on the platform/train interface after a person was dragged onto the track at Clapham South after getting her coat trapped in the train door.

The latest statistics also show that 288 people fell onto the platform or into the carriage in the last year, which is a three fold increase on the first data recorded on the issue in 2003.

Mick Cash, General Secretary at RMT, said that the shocking new statistics have thrust into the public eye the issue of rising platform and train dangers on both mainline and tube services.

He said that the data cannot be ignored and that unless something is done then fatal incidents may occur.

Mr Cash also warned that the background of chronic overcrowding, along with the removal of 800 station staff, has resulted in a dangerous cocktail throughout the London tube network.

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