The ‘Euston Rush’ is to be a thing of the past thanks to new boarding measures
London Euston is a key station serving the midlands, the north and cities in Scotland.
Due to its wide variety of destinations and popularity with passengers, the station does suffer from crowds of people who make their way en-mass to their trains once the platform number for their train appears on the departure board.
With this in mind, Network Rail, in collaboration with Avanti West Coast and London Northwestern Railway, are set to trial an early boarding scheme with the aim of reducing passenger congestion on the ramps down to the platforms from the station concourse.
This trail is part of the passenger experience enhancement which was conceived by the Department for Transport and Network Rail, which has a 5 stage plan to review daily operations at Euston and improve the transition of passengers from concourse to train.
This plan also addresses the improvement notice issued by the ORR to Network Rail regarding Euston Station last year.
The acceleration of passenger boarding and the enhancement of station flow are to be achieved through the collaborative efforts of Network Rail and the train operating companies, to streamline cross-industry operational procedures.
As of Monday 28 October 2024, some Avanti West Coast trains will trial boarding 20 minutes before the train time.
This will increase before the end of the year. London Northwestern Railway’s trials started last week, where passengers travelling on their Birmingham bound services are invited onto the platforms awaiting the incoming arrival of their train after the previous one has been despatched.
This frees up passenger space on the concourse.
Network Rail has convened the inaugural rail industry summit to provide updates to passenger user groups and the government on the progress of the five-point improvement plan for Euston Station.
“I am pleased to see immediate improvements being made at Euston Station to reduce the risk of overcrowding, drive up standards and deliver a better experience for passengers.
For too long, Euston station simply has not been good enough. That’s why I have tasked Network Rail and operators with delivering a clear plan to alleviate some of the issues passengers are facing while we work on a long-term solution for the station.”
Transport Secretary Louise Haigh
Responses
Incredibly funny – except that people are paid good money to come up with such corporate garbage.
Only offering train boarding in the final few minutes before departure time was obviously part of the plan to ensure passengers spent as much time as possible in all the shops that litter the concourse or stood around looking at the advertising hording where the departure indicator WAS and should be
About time too! It’s been totally unacceptable leaving it until five minutes before announcement of platforms it’s totally unacceptable for passengers to run to the designated platform on mass especially for elderly passengers and those with children. The platforms are so long in length.
“This trail is part of the passenger experience enhancement which was conceived by the Department for Transport and Network Rail, which has a 5 stage plan to review daily operations at Euston and improve the transition of passengers from concourse to train.”
What a pompous announcement! “Early boarding” is nothing new , and doesn’t need trials. Just announce the train’s platform as soon as it has been cleaned and is ready for boarding. That used to be the standard practice at all railway stations, but Euston, it seems wanted to be different.
Making pompous announcements is one of the few things that the railways are really good at. And declaring that collaboration is the secret to any successful operation, as if that was some kind of new invention. For some reason the London termini have developed an aversion to letting passengers onto platforms in good time to board their trains whilst simultaneously reducing or cluttering up their concourses.