Passengers locked inside Hartlepool station

[Bantamzen]

I imagine the call is made to the Duty Manager in Northern Control, or goes through the stations "on-call" procedure who will then make a risk assessment on the best option.

I'd rather hope that would be the quickest risk assessment in history, don't strand passengers behind a locked gate!

 

[nanstallon]

Or said member of staff was past their rostered hours and for personal reasons, refused to work on.

True British customer service!

 

[Horizon22]

I'd rather hope that would be the quickest risk assessment in history, don't strand passengers behind a locked gate!

I meant more, a) leave station open, b) detrain at prior station, c) provide guard with instructions to assist with exit etc.

 

[etr221]

Just thinking that in the last couple of years there have been a couple of similar incidents (passengers being locked in), at Blackburn (Northern again) and Oxenholme, possibly others. Others with better memories will doubtless be able come up with details.

 

[chrisjo]

Others with better memories will doubtless be able come up with details.

On the Facebook group which has the original account that all this guesswork and speculation has derived from ('Hartlepool Together'), one of the contributors says that this is not the first time it's happened at Hartlepool in recent times.

 

[greatkingrat]

The same train today is currently 26L at Newcastle, so lets see what they do tonight!

 

[bramling]

True British customer service!

One doesn’t have a problem with someone being unable or unwilling to stay past their time. However something should have been put in place beforehand nonetheless.

I’d like to think the member of staff didn’t just take the view “not my problem” and walk off, and hope that wasn’t the case, but unfortunately there are staff who would do exactly that, so it’s not beyond the realms of possibility.

 

[D1537]

Just thinking that in the last couple of years there have been a couple of similar incidents (passengers being locked in), at Blackburn (Northern again) and Oxenholme, possibly others. Others with better memories will doubtless be able come up with details.

The 2022 Oxenholme one was a cock-up, though. The (very late running) train during disruption had a stop order put in, but that wasn't transmitted to the station staff.

 

[CL395]

There’s an emergency exit on the east-most platform by KFC, so they weren’t trapped at all.

Assuming it wasn’t locked…

 

[Rab Smith]

One doesn’t have a problem with someone being unable or unwilling to stay past their time. However something should have been put in place beforehand nonetheless.

I’d like to think the member of staff didn’t just take the view “not my problem” and walk off, and hope that wasn’t the case, but unfortunately there are staff who would do exactly that, so it’s not beyond the realms of possibility.

Right, let's get some reality to this thread. Staff don't just 'walk off' without any care or attention. There is a procedure for closing a Station and it looks like this was done. The staff member has no obligation to stay past their time. This would have been reported to their Control and a plan put in place. The staff member is being unfairly treated with these accusations. Nobody knows their personal situation regarding this. It was a late night finish and they may have had to get a bus home, pick up a child or tend to a sick family member! That is most probably why the guard and driver stayed behind to see the customers exit the Station.
Yet again, Social Media creates this big mystery where everyone and their dog jumps in with wild opinions.
Why don't we wait for the explanation first before jumping to conclusions?

 

[Y Ddraig Coch]

Right, let's get some reality to this thread. Staff don't just 'walk off' without any care or attention. There is a procedure for closing a Station and it looks like this was done. The staff member has no obligation to stay past their time. This would have been reported to their Control and a plan put in place. The staff member is being unfairly treated with these accusations. Nobody knows their personal situation regarding this. It was a late night finish and they may have had to get a bus home, pick up a child or tend to a sick family member! That is most probably why the guard and driver stayed behind to see the customers exit the Station.
Yet again, Social Media creates this big mystery where everyone and their dog jumps in with wild opinions.
Why don't we wait for the explanation first before jumping to conclusions?

They have no obligation to stay past their time? In almost every contract I have ever signed for an employment roll, a "reasonable" amount of overtime is always expected to fulfil the companies needs, where required. I would say this would have been 100% reasonable.

 

[Struner]

They have no obligation to stay past their time? In almost every contract I have ever signed for an employment roll, a "reasonable" amount of overtime is always expected to fulfil the companies needs, where required. I would say this would have been 100% reasonable.

“where required” by who - surely something an ordinary passenger isn’t allowed to do

to me it seems that “traffic control” allowed a train to stop to let (dis-)embark passengers at a closed station

 

[Y Ddraig Coch]

“where required” by who - surely something an ordinary passenger isn’t allowed to do

to me it seems that “traffic control” allowed a train to stop to let (dis-)embark passengers at a closed station

If the last train hasnt called surely the station isnt closed. ‍♂️ late or not and surely this is part of station staff roll, you wait until the last service has arrived or departed.

 

[Temple Meads]

It was a late night finish and they may have had to get a bus home

I don't think there would be any buses leaving Hartlepool at that hour, even with an on time finish. Also, TOCs will usually establish that a candidate for this type of role is able to commute without using public transport due to the shift times.

 

[Benjwri]

“where required” by who - surely something an ordinary passenger isn’t allowed to do

to me it seems that “traffic control” allowed a train to stop to let (dis-)embark passengers at a closed station

I think it’s pretty hard for us to judge who is in the wrong here without knowing specific policy and contract wording.

If the policy is to ring control if closing before the last train, the employee has contractual compulsory overtime and control told them to stay, the employee is likely in the wrong and could face disciplinary actions, but if they have no contractual overtime, or the policy is just to close at a set time no matter what, the employee is just doing what the were told.

In my opinion their decision to lock up despite being alerted to the late train was not customer friendly and personally I would’ve stayed, but we cannot say if in terms of their job the employee is in the right or wrong.

 

[MadMac]

In other circumstances, if the train crew had not been on the station, there are potential Healthy & Safety issues, for example if a passenger was injured by trying to climb over a fence, or walk along the track ?

I recall an intending passenger arriving at Yoker for the first train of the day and finding the place locked up, attempting to climb the fence and sustaining injuries (broken leg IIRC).

 

[Taplowgreen]

True British customer service!

It is, of course, accepted wisdom on the railway that ultimately it is always the customer's fault, irrespective of the scenario in question.

 

[Falcon1200]

If, as reported elsewhere, it is correct that there is an emergency exit, and that the station staff spoke to people waiting arriving passengers; Would the staff not simply have told them about the exit, and to pass that on to the passengers? If they were not, for whatever reason, able to stay on or leave the station unlocked. Locking the station with no alternative exit knowing that a train was still to arrive would be outrageous - IF that is what actually happened.

 

[SuspectUsual]

Staff don't just 'walk off' without any care or attention

You don’t know that

There is a procedure for closing a Station and it looks like this was done

No it wasn’t, because part of that procedure is to be sure no passengers will subsequently arrive and be unable to exit

This would have been reported to their Control and a plan put in place

You don’t know that

The staff member is being unfairly treated with these accusations

You don’t know that

So please don’t tell us we need to get some “reality” into this thread when all you have is your own suppositions

 

[mpthomson]

I fear for the monkey's future in that case.....

Indeed, court case ongoing and the judge has just put on a black cap...

 

[sprunt]

Everything has to be so dramatic

Yes, I'm sure if you went to Tesco, finished your shopping and were then locked in the store for half an hour you'd meekly accept it as just one of those things.

The 2022 Oxenholme one was a cock-up, though.

Any time this happens is a cock-up

 

[Djgr]

If, as reported elsewhere, it is correct that there is an emergency exit, and that the station staff spoke to people waiting arriving passengers; Would the staff not simply have told them about the exit, and to pass that on to the passengers? If they were not, for whatever reason, able to stay on or leave the station unlocked. Locking the station with no alternative exit knowing that a train was still to arrive would be outrageous - IF that is what actually happened.

Yes it does seem hard to believe that there was an available exit that the train staff were unable to locate

 

[chrisjo]

Yes, I'm sure if you went to Tesco, finished your shopping and were then locked in the store for half an hour you'd meekly accept it as just one of those things.

I'd meekly accept it as an invitation to have a good feed.

 

[Killingworth]

After 83 posts we seem no nearer finding out exactly how this happened from the key holders viewpoint. All else is speculation. We all make mistakes but reading this thread no wonder the Monkey got hung in Hartlepool!

 

[ExRes]

Yes, I'm sure if you went to Tesco, finished your shopping and were then locked in the store for half an hour you'd meekly accept it as just one of those things.

I'd accept it as an offer to have a bit of fun, stage one would be opening a fire exit which I assume would be linked to an alarm, stage 2 would be operating a fire alarm which definitely would be linked to an alarm, stage 3 would be sitting in my car in the car park with food and drink supplied free of charge by Tesco waiting for all those flashing blue lights to turn up

 

[Benjwri]

According to a local newspaper Northern has stated it was a third party contractor, and they didn't check when the last train was:

Operator Northern has apologised and said the error was due to a security guard from a third-party contractor who locked up without checking the last train had arrived.

Also gives some more details on the interaction when he staff member was locking up:

"When they saw the man locking the doors they said, ‘how is my mum going to get out?’. He didn’t reply, so they repeated the question and got no response again."

Claire said she understands the guard may somethimes get abuse from teenagers, given the nature of his job, but added: “There should have been a bit of doubt in his mind, and he should have checked there wasn’t a train running late, and it wasn’t just kids pulling his leg.

"But he didn’t, and for whatever reason, he locked up and left.”

Absolutely appalling to just ignore them if true.

 

[contrex]

Again on here, a TOC has made a balls up and rather than actually condone them, the rhetoric seems to be, well, the passengers could have used the fire exit, storm in a teacup, sweep it under the carpet etc...

I think you mean 'condemn'?

 

[SuspectUsual]

According to a local newspaper Northern has stated it was a third party contractor, and they didn't check when the last train was

The worst kind of buck passing

 

[harz99]

Pretty sure the staff that man the barriers and so on are agency staff in Northern uniform, the normal ones I encounter there seem pretty sensible, maybe it was somebody covering, but even so if what has been reported actually happened (people were locked into a closed station and the lights turned off even before that late running train arrived), there's no excuse whatsoever.

 

[greatkingrat]

I guess part of the problem is that because the train terminated at Hartlepool, it wouldn't be shown on any departure boards as delayed. So it wouldn't be obvious that there is a train still to arrive.