Passengers break out of stuck train in Cambridgeshire
 

Passengers have forced open the doors of a train after it broke down near a Cambridgeshire village station.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...shire-11655182

As the passengers were not in any danger, could they be done for trespass and criminal damage? There was no need for them to leave the train!

Best wishes,

John H-T.

Depends on how long they were stuck in the train?

They should not have left the train unless instructed to do so by the driver or BTP. They are in violation of the terms on the ticket and broke railway by-laws. I hope they all end up in court and get fined - there are too many hot heads about when stuff like that happens and they insist on taking the law into their own hands. If they had got mown down by a train who would be responsible then - the driver of the train? Next week that would have been dark by that time and lineside is definitely a dangerous place to be.

It wouldn't have been the driver of the train's responsibility, it would have been their own, if someone was injured, as long as the TOC can establish they did everything reasonably practicable to stop people leaving the train then it's their own liability.

My understanding is that it is the guard who is responsible for the safety of passengers. It is their job to decide when to evacuate the train and conduct passengers to a place of safety. Obviously if the train caught fire it becomes a case of self preservation!

Best wishes,

John H-T.

Those that did not "break out" were locked in the train for several hours.:eek:

(according to local TV news)

In which case you can understand why they wanted out, especially since the modern trains have no opening windows, ergo it gets rather stuffy inside very quickly. Plus the toilets are all 'Leckie', so no power=no working toilets.
Why do we, in the UK in this day and age think this is a suitable way to treat passengers?

Maybe health & safety should consider public sensitivities when trains get stuck for long periods especially in tunnels or even inclement weather like snow drifts or floods. There should be some means for stranded passengers to get some relief for thirst, hunger and toilet requirements supplied as necessary under emergency legislation. There are plenty of helicopters available which can deliver to the wilds of our countryside and there is no reason that special carts like Wycombe trollies cant be adapted as portaloos for use in tunnels. Maybe the passengers charter should be amended with these sort of instances in mind as they seem to happen with alarming regularity.

Trains have toilets and water on them?

These services do Not have Guards on them anymore. In fact they haven't done for years, due to being DOO and far longer than I can remember, having once worked on them as an RPI, until 'Persuaded' to retire from the job.

Where was the guard in all this? Surely he has a responsibility to his passengers?

Best wishes,

John H-T.

Does this mean that there is no railway official on the train apart from the Driver?

Best wishes,

John H-T.

Sounds very much like that is so !

Me thinks I would have been one of the "escapees" if I had the misfortune to be there.;)

If the passengers felt that they were in danger at any time they should have notified train crew. I do doubt that if in immediate danger or in a state of exreme emergency then passengers do not have to wait for permission; ie a serious accident.
Still I have been on many delayed trains I have never felt the urge to jump off it. Granted I have offered to drive the thing myself if a certain amount of time has passed.

Intoxication could be at fault here.

That is 100% correct John H-T. I was one against DOO, but then I was just a minority at the time. I honestly Loved being the Guard on trains. On the odd occasion, you Might get a Revenue Protection Officer/Ticket Inspector on board, but this is extremely rare these days.

Living close to the line from Kings Lynn and hearing quite a bit about this event on local radio, it has been said that it was an 8-car Class 365 EMU and failed some 500 yards from the nearest station being Foxton, one station from Cambridge. This train apparently stood there for over 3 hours, before another was sent out to rescue the stranded passengers. What the reason for failure was, I know not, but have heard it was to do with the OHL, which is the main reason the passengers should NEVER have got off, knowing the high voltage along the line.

Hope this is of help.

Thanks for that Bramleyman. I am appalled that there is no one on these trains to look after passengers. As this incident shows it is a cut too far!

Best wishes,

John H-T.

I would hope that if the OHL came down that it would trip out on something before there was any chance of passengers getting near a loose live wire??

I may be wrong, but after experiencing the OHL coming down in Kings Lynn Station whilst actually cleaning a train years ago, I believe the OHL Does trip out, but all the same, I did inform Romford by phone within minutes, and then made arrangements for Buses to be laid on until it could be repaired.