- Author, Tom Edwards
- Role, Transport Correspondent, London
- Twitter,
- Reporting from Ealing Broadway, West London
Another passenger has contacted BBC London after being seriously injured while using the Elizabeth line on Ealing Broadway in west London.
Rolf Kern, 82, was taken to hospital after suffering a serious cut to his shin while boarding an Elizabeth Line train. He says the vertical gap between the platform and the train is too large and caused his injury. He says he is now considering legal action.
It comes weeks after another passenger broke his foot on the same platform.
WARNING: This article contains an image of an injury that some may find disturbing.
Mr Kern says the gap is too big: “Normally I take the left or right side and use the handrail. But this time I happened to be sitting in the middle and missed the step and fell flat on the ground. I I immediately realized that I had hurt myself very badly.”
“The wound was very bad. There was a five centimeter hole below the knee and the skin was completely loose. It is very serious.”
Mr Kern says the height of the step is unacceptable: “The very fact that the step is 30 to 40 cm high, which I find unacceptable for a modern, new line in which the government has invested so much money.”
In February, Eric Leach, also at Ealing Broadway station, stepped from an Elizabeth line train onto the platform. The force of the fall was so great that he broke a bone in his foot. He collapsed on the platform.
Mr Leach, who also suffered bruising to his right knee, said the hole was unacceptable: “It’s a 30cm hole. Mothers with buggies, people with heavy luggage, the elderly, it is of course not acceptable.
He told BBC London: “It’s a scandal, someone will be seriously injured or die. It’s a death trap.”
“I tried to get off. Other people tried to push their way in. I was terrified looking at the hole, lost my balance and came down and fell and broke a bone in my left foot. And shattered my right knee.
“I was on the floor for about 20 minutes. I was taken home in a taxi and a few days later I realized I was bad so I went to Ealing Hospital.”
Mr Leach’s story was seen globally with 7.9 million views across BBC London, Instagram, Facebook and X social media channels.
Rules don’t apply
The Elizabeth Line opened in May 2022 at a cost of £19 billion.
The platforms on Ealing Broadway are owned by Network Rail and are not new. Before the introduction of Elizabeth services they were used by GWR trains from London Paddington.
Safety guidelines say new platforms should not have a horizontal opening greater than 27.5 cm (10.8 inches) or a vertical opening greater than 23 cm (9 inches).
However, Rail Safety and Standards Board rules only apply to new stations, so Ealing Broadway as an older platform is not covered by the regulations. The rules don’t apply.
A spokesperson for Transport for London (TfL) said: “We are sorry that some customers have suffered injuries at Ealing Broadway station and we wish them a full and speedy recovery.
“Safety is our number one priority and whilst the height difference between the train and the platform at all Elizabeth Line platforms meets the required safety standards, we recognize that at some older stations, such as Ealing Broadway, it may be greater.
“We provide manual boarding ramps for anyone who needs them and staff are available for anyone who needs assistance at any of our stations.
“We also make on-train announcements to remind passengers to note the gap when leaving the train. We continue to work with our operator, MTR-Elizabeth Line, and our infrastructure provider, Network Rail, to ensure that all our stations remain safe and accessible for all our customers.”
Mr Kern is now trying to find fellow passengers who witnessed what happened while he considers legal action. His leg is healing.
TfL says Elizabeth line operator MTREL is in contact with Mr Kern and says it is actively investigating the incident.