An Accident Waiting to Happen?

An Accident Waiting to Happen PDF An Accident Waiting to Happen RTF

On 25 January 2003 a London Underground Central Line train derailed as it came into Chancery Lane station. Around 500 passengers were on the train and thirty-two passengers received injuries. Four days later the London Assembly asked the Transport Committee to investigate the derailment.

The Committee’s report highlights a number of concerns over the circumstances leading up to the derailment, safety practices on the Underground and the failure to deal adequately with previous known problems with the Central Line trains.

• The report raises concerns that more than four months into the official investigation London Underground has not yet identified the underlying cause of the derailment.
• This makes it difficult to reconcile the inability to identify the cause of the problem with London Underground’s statement that they are absolutely confident it is safe to run trains on the Central Line.
• Overall, failure to identify the root causes of the problem after previous incidents on the Central Line, and concerns over maintenance practice, has led the Committee to believe that Chancery Lane was an accident waiting to happen.