Another Accident at Turnham Green

No fatality but station's tag as 'most dangerous' in the network confirmed

It has witnessed more deaths in recent years than any other station; fortunately this time the incident did not end in a fatality.

A man appeared to have climbed down onto the westbound Piccadilly line tracks; the train driver managed to brake but the man was trapped under the train. Services were severely disrupted after rescue crews cut off the power to the tracks to effect a rescue. An air ambulance landed on Acton Green as a precautionary measure but the man was taken to Charing Cross Hospital by road with serious leg injuries.

The last fatality which occurred on 4th August 2003 led to the station being closed for a while and caused widespread disruption to the Piccadilly and District line services.

In another incident, which took place on 27th June last year, 47 year old Iqbal Malik a broadcast engineer from Heston was hit by a Piccadilly line train. Police treated the case as a suicide though his family disputed this assumption.

A young woman was also killed at the station at Christmas three years ago when she got down onto the platform to retrieve her mobile phone.

Piccadilly line trains are allowed to pass through Turnham Green station at 35mph. They are supposed to sound their horn as they approach although this is not always done. Concerns have been expressed for some time about the narrow island platform configuration of the station combined with the fast traveling trains.

Ken Livingstone had previously committed to review the situation at Turnham Green as soon as he took control of the Tube. More recently Bob Kiley, the Transport Commissioner, visited Chiswick and also suggested that a review was possible.

March 15, 2004