Passengers bail from train near Wimbledon 2/10

[randompixel]

https://twitter.com/sharl4nd/status/914761369429344256


If that is true, yes it was still extremely stupid but in the current climate especially after the District Line the other week, do you blame people for being jumpy?

 

[Beebman]

http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/south-western-railway-disruption-passengers-13703147

"The guard reported that there was a person in the front carriage talking about doomsday - woman misheard, panic spread in the carriage causing the doors to be forced open and passengers left the train.

"The guard investigated - people got back on and we're on our way,"

 

[pompeyfan]

You probably need to ask NR that.

Some of the mistakes made by their sub-contractors are quite eye-opening.

I have some sympathy with the poor commuters. If your train were repeatedly delayed, making you late for work on a regular basis and risking disciplinary actions, you would probably be quite frustrated, and upon hearing another "track circuit failure" which could potentially strand you for another 30 minutes on the train, you would probably be quite tempted to get on your way via whatever means possible.

This was always coming giving the absolutely abysmal performances of late on the route.

It is stupid to detrain themselves, risking injury to themselves and others around them, but nowhere near as stupid as some of the monumental mistakes by NR's sub-contractors of late.

You might have missed the cause of this mornings issue?

It’s reported a religious extremist caused panic in one of the carriages and passengers being an uncontrolled evacuation.

 

[bb21]

You might have missed the cause of this mornings issue?

It’s reported a religious extremist caused panic in one of the carriages and passengers being an uncontrolled evacuation.

Was it? No idea about that. Where did you get that from?

 

[pompeyfan]

Was it? No idea about that. Where did you get that from?

http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/south-western-railway-disruption-passengers-13703147

The attachment has also been circulated via Twitter.

 

[bb21]

Jesus Christ!!!

 

[pompeyfan]

Jesus Christ!!!

That is one of the things the perpetrator mentioned, yes.

 

[HarleyDavidson]

Probably Allah, Satan and gawd knows how many other religious entities were mentioned, people really do need to get a grip.

We have a fair number of staff who are of numerous religious faiths who carry a prayer mat and do their prayers during their breaks, I inadvertently found one at our depot, I initially thought he'd collapsed, until I realised he was doing his daily prayers.

When he'd finished I apologised for disturbing him during his moment of contemplation and prayers, he was very good about it and said that I wasn't the first to worry.

But just because he was a Muslim and doing his prayers vocally didn't cause me to go into blind panic mode and get the depot cleared. People just need to get a grip on themselves and by doing this sort of thing, it's just playing into the hands of terrorists and the extremists who must have laughed like anything about it.

 

[HowardGWR]

But just because he was a Muslim and doing his prayers vocally didn't cause me to go into blind panic mode and get the depot cleared. People just need to get a grip on themselves and by doing this sort of thing, it's just playing into the hands of terrorists and the extremists who must have laughed like anything about it.

It will be interesting to know whether those who panicked were WASP 'stiff upper lips' types or otherwise. Apparently the guard calmed him down and of course Mick Cash has jumped on that bandwagon quicker than a tweeting US president.

 

[Kite159]

It will be interesting to know whether those who panicked were WASP 'stiff upper lips' types or otherwise. Apparently the guard calmed him down and of course Mick Cash has jumped on that bandwagon quicker than a tweeting US president.

Lucky the train involved wasn't a 455+456+456 combo as the guard would might have been caught in one of the 456s with no (easy) way of accessing the 455

 

[3141]

. People just need to get a grip on themselves and by doing this sort of thing, it's just playing into the hands of terrorists and the extremists who must have laughed like anything about it.

Exactly. Amazing that just because someone made some remarks about certain subjects other people decided to leave the train. You can imagine some extrovert who's had too much to drink one evening trying it on to see what effect he can produce.

 

[HarleyDavidson]

I can't help wondering what they'll make out of someone on the train reading a bible on the way to work for a bit of moral support?

I have a couple of colleagues who a deeply religious and read it on the way to work.

Does that mean that they're likely to go stark raving mad and decide to go on a suicide run of course not. It's what they find gives them support, I mean it's "not my cup of tea" but if reading the bible helps you in that way that you find beneficial, fine by me.

 

[PudseyBearHST]

You might have missed the cause of this mornings issue?

It’s reported a religious extremist caused panic in one of the carriages and passengers being an uncontrolled evacuation.

Yup just see this on the evening standard:

"Bible reading' man sparks panic and evacuation of rush hour train at Wimbledon"

 

[2HAP]

Apparently passengers abandoned train near Wimbledon this morning due to a fellow passenger loudly reading from the bible.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-41466140

Passengers forced open the doors on a busy rush-hour train and climbed on to tracks after becoming "panicked" in the carriage.
It happened outside Wimbledon station in south-west London at 08:30 BST as a man apparently began reading lines aloud from the Bible.
Commuters became scared when the man began quoting phrases such as, "death is not the end"

 

[Bromley boy]

I’m not condoning inappropriate egressing for a second but if people genuinely believed they were on crowded train with a religious extremist who might be about to detonate a suicide bomb, then that’s one of the very few situations where egressing is probably acceptable (even if that belief is later shown to be unfounded)! Especially given recent events in London and elsewhere around the world.

I suspect you would need to have been there first hand to appreciate the nature of the perceived threat, and no doubt a heard mentality set in once the doors had been opened.

 

[HarleyDavidson]

Why not wait until the platform, which was less than a minute away. Still as I said all this is doing is playing straight into the hands of terrorists and extremists who will undoubtedly be rubbing their hands with glee with the amount of paranoia that they've instilled into the public.

If we're getting this paranoid, perhaps we should have body scanners and luggage searches for everyone before they're allowed to enter a station.

 

[Bromley boy]

Why not wait until the platform, which was less than a minute away. Still as I said all this is doing is playing straight into the hands of terrorists and extremists who will undoubtedly be rubbing their hands with glee with the amount of paranoia that they've instilled into the public.

If we're getting this paranoid, perhaps we should have body scanners and luggage searches for everyone before they're allowed to enter a station.

If people really believe there is an imminent threat to their lives there is little that can be done. I suspect all of us would do anything within our power to get ourselves out of that situation immediately including egressing, I know I would.

It turns out this guy was (presumably) a harmless nutter but anyone behaving like this is putting themselves at a substantial risk of being shot by armed police in the current climate. I imagine it's probably difficult to show any crime has been committed despite the obvious risk to life and limb he has created by causing a panic.

One perhaps positive side of the paranoia of late is that people are noticeably more proactive about reporting unattended bags and are perhaps more careful to not leave them unattended in the first place.

 

[TEW]

Why not wait until the platform, which was less than a minute away. Still as I said all this is doing is playing straight into the hands of terrorists and extremists who will undoubtedly be rubbing their hands with glee with the amount of paranoia that they've instilled into the public.

If we're getting this paranoid, perhaps we should have body scanners and luggage searches for everyone before they're allowed to enter a station.

The train was stopped at a red signal at the time by reports. The passengers wouldn't have known when it was going to move off, and if it had been a real threat, a minute may have been too long.

 

[theageofthetra]

Yup just see this on the evening standard:

"Bible reading' man sparks panic and evacuation of rush hour train at Wimbledon"

Anyone seen a picture of this loon?

 

[Matt Taylor]

If we're getting this paranoid, perhaps we should have body scanners and luggage searches for everyone before they're allowed to enter a station.

Perhaps a brain scanner to see if they have any common sense would be a better option?


As far as I know this happened just outside Wimbledon with lines closed for a few minutes but that was enough to create mayhem. Plenty of Btp on the up slow platform at Wimbledon when I went past at 0915.

 

[Bromley boy]

Exactly. Amazing that just because someone made some remarks about certain subjects other people decided to leave the train. You can imagine some extrovert who's had too much to drink one evening trying it on to see what effect he can produce.

Then the person provoking the reaction should be held accountable for their actions.

If you go to an airport and make a "joke" about having a bomb in your bag or drugs on your person you'd fully expect to end up with your nose pressed to the ground, being carted off in handcuffs and rightly so. Saying you did it for a joke isn't a defence.

 

[theageofthetra]

Apparently passengers abandoned train near Wimbledon this morning due to a fellow passenger loudly reading from the bible.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-41466140

Packed train and not one picture of this unwanted preacher?

 

[HarleyDavidson]

Well over 4500 mins worth of delays are attributed to this so far.

 

[EM2]

Probably Allah, Satan and gawd knows how many other religious entities were mentioned, people really do need to get a grip.

Every time I go to Wembley Stadium, there is a fella loudly proclaiming all sorts of doom and devastation if we don't take the Lord into our hearts.
And yet there's never been a mass panic and people running away.

 

[Darandio]

We used to have one here in the town centre, obviously a lot less people than at Wembley and all he got was a few funny looks. It just seemed to encourage him more though.

Never seen him for a couple of years now, I wonder of Ainsworth has seen him.

 

[theageofthetra]

Every time I go to Wembley Stadium, there is a fella loudly proclaiming all sorts of doom and devastation if we don't take the Lord into our hearts.
And yet there's never been a mass panic and people running away.

I know the bloke- he's always there!

 

[HarleyDavidson]

There's a bloke in Taunton who everytime I go there seems to be preaching this that & the other. Although I believe that Taunton Deane Council amongst others have now got an injunction against him.

It does tend to get on your nerves a bit. :roll:

 

[Bromley boy]

Every time I go to Wembley Stadium, there is a fella loudly proclaiming all sorts of doom and devastation if we don't take the Lord into our hearts.
And yet there's never been a mass panic and people running away.

Those of us in or around London/most large cities will no doubt be familiar with these types. Often using a loud hailer, handing out pamphlets etc. Oxford Street seems a particular hotbed. God knows what they think they are achieving (pun intended).

It's easy to see how people could perfectly reasonably distinguish between these guys and somone who ominously starts muttering religious mumbo jumbo about death on a crowded rush hour train.

Commuters on their way to work aren't likely to egress for spurious reasons, in my experience (as distinct from some other "types" of passenger !)

 

[HarleyDavidson]

The train was stopped at a red signal at the time by reports. The passengers wouldn't have known when it was going to move off, and if it had been a real threat, a minute may have been too long.

I have problem with that.

1. They know that it's not uncommon to come to a brief stand outside WM at anytime of day.

2. Do you think that any extremist/terrorist is going to have a go at the same area so soon after the previous event, they know full well that security is going to be increased, they're going to be looking elsewhere to do it where the tensions and locals aren't quite so tetchy.

 

[Dr_Paul]

Every time I go to Wembley Stadium, there is a fella loudly proclaiming all sorts of doom and devastation if we don't take the Lord into our hearts. And yet there's never been a mass panic and people running away.

I think the words 'every time' might explain things. There's a gaggle of chiliastic Christians preaching most days on the pavement opposite my local station; there are Christians of some other exotic brand giving it some welly most Saturdays on the King's Cross forecourt. But because they're there so often, and because regulars take no notice, nobody gets worried.

After what happened at Parsons Green a week or two back, some frummer with a rucksack suddenly proclaiming the apocalypse is going to cause people to get away from him as quickly as possible. Climbing down from a train outwith a station is not the best thing to do, especially on routes using the third rail, but I can well see why they did it.