Passengers trapped in a 'runaway' Tube train which ran through four stations without stopping during rush-hour
Northern Line train passed four stations before it stopped
Driver said new automated system had 'overridden' his commands
Train left Old Street station and did not stop until Elephant and Castle
By RAY MASSEY
PUBLISHED: 23:13, 14 March 2014 | UPDATED: 23:38, 14 March 2014
Horrified rush-hour passengers were trapped in a runaway Tube train which ran through four stations without stopping on Friday.
The Tube driver told passengers on the Southbound Northern Line train that he had lost control of the train because a new automated system had overridden his commands.
It sparked safety fears with rail unions demanding urgent answers to what exactly happened and why.
The Northern Line train took off from Old Street Station on Friday afternoon and ran amok after the new automated system 'overrode' driver's commands
London Underground later apologised for the incident which it initially blamed on a technical fault with the signalling system which they later believe may have been down to human error.
It said the problem occurred because a dont stop instruction given to one stricken but empty train being taken out of service was inadvertently carried across to a second fully functioning train just behind - which was supposed to stop for passengers.
The saga comes just a year after London Underground and its contractors were fined £300,000 for an earlier runaway train incident which the judge said had put lives at risk of a potential terrible tragedy.
Eyewitness said Fridays drama happened at the height of rush-hour around 5pm after passengers were told to evacuate a defective train at Old Street Underground station before it was taken out of service.
They then boarded another Tube train right behind to take them on to their destinations.
The second train duly set off and should have stopped first at Moorgate, but instead carried on through the station, then past Bank, London Bridge and Borough before finally coming to a stop at Elephant and Castle.
Hannah Downing, 25, from Chislehurst in Kent, described how drama unfolded at Old Street Station when the train in front of hers broke down. Passengers from that stricken train transferred to hers and both continued on their way.
She said: It was weird. The automated womans voice on our train said we would not be stopping at the next station. Then the driver came on and told us he did not know what was happening nor why we werent stopping.
Then we went past three more stations and it was the same story.
We eventually did come to a stop at Elephant and Castle but the doors wouldnt open.
The driver came on the intercom to apologise.
He told passengers they had got a new automated system and it had not let him stop. It had overridden his commands and not letting him stop the train at the stations.
He said they had been having issues with the new automated system.
London Underground confirmed there had been a technical fault with the signalling system which they believe may have amounted to human error and apologised for the mistake.
Signallers had programmed the first defective train to continue without stopping to Kennington. However, they had then failed to rescind that instruction for the second train. So it too continued without stopping. It stressed no-one had been hurt.
Pat Hansbury, general manager of the Northern line, London Underground, said: I apologise to customers who were inconvenienced when they were unable to alight at their usual stops for a short time on a southbound Northern line train this afternoon.
When an earlier defective train was taken out of service at Old Street station it was set to run directly to Kennington without stopping at the stations in between.
Due to this instruction this meant that the replacement train, which took on passengers at Old Street, also passed through four stations without stopping.
He said: The safety system built into the signalling controls meant that the train was at all times kept at a controlled distance from the train ahead pausing when the train in front stopped at each station then proceeding when it was safe to do so, this is a key feature of the signalling system.
The train travelled at a controlled speed throughout the journey without any risk to passengers safety at all times, however we are investigating why the instruction remained in place for the replacement train.
The RMT rail union said a key concern would be exactly how close the train would have been to any train in front :At that time of day at peak rush hour theres a train every three or four minutes on that line. We need to find out exactly what happened.
In February last year London Underground and its contractors were fined £300,000 for endangering passengers and staff after a runaway train caused chaos on the Northern line.
A 39-tonnes maintenance wagon hurtled through seven stations in August 2010 before it could be stopped.
A passenger train in front of it was told to keep going and not stop, while commuters were told to run to the front carriages, the Old Bailey heard.
London Underground, Tube Lines Ltd and Schweerbau GMBH pleaded guilty to endangering passengers and staff under Health and Safety law. They were each fined £100,000.
Tube Lines and LU are part of Transport for London while the German company manufactured the wagon and its tow-bar.
Judge Richard Hone said: "There was the potential of terrible tragedy.
He said the runaway train was out of control for four miles during 16 minutes. To those involved it must have seemed an extremely frightening eternity, he added.
The court was told that a fault had now been remedied and the incident was extremely unlikely to occur again.
The RMT transport union described it at the time as a shocking incident which could very easily have resulted in a major tragedy and loss of life.
