Rail Accident Investigation Branch
At around 21:30 hrs on 6 February 2017, an incident occurred at Bank station on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR). A passenger became trapped by their coat, in the closing doors of a train preparing to depart. The passenger managed to quickly get out of the coat, which remained trapped. A short time later, the coat was dragged into the tunnel by the train. The passenger, who was not dragged, was not physically injured, but the incident caused considerable distress. The coat was subsequently recovered by DLR staff.
Our investigation will identify the sequence of events that led to the incident. It will also consider:
- how the train was dispatched
- the design and operation of doors
- processes used by DLR to manage dispatch of trains from stations
- the adequacy of the train and platform equipment used for train dispatch
- any relevant underlying management factors
Our investigation is independent of any investigation by the railway industry, the British Transport Police or by the industrys regulator, the Office of Rail and Road.
We will publish our findings, including any recommendations to improve safety, at the conclusion of our investigation. This report will be available on our website.
You can subscribe to automated emails notifying you when we publish our reports.