A train driver on London’s Elizabeth Line sparked a safety alert after going for an ’emergency’ toilet break and accidentally letting their train drive off on its own.
The driver, whose identity is unknown, told a signaller they needed an ‘emergency personal needs break’ before stopping at Paddington station.
Staff members at Paddington got passengers off the train while the driver jumped off to use the loo.
However, once the train’s doors closed, staff were surprised to see the vehicle move off with no driver on board.
Luckily, no passengers were on the train when it left the station unmanned.
The train moved itself about a mile away from Paddington to a siding at Westbourne Park.
The driver had mistakenly put the train into auto-reverse mode, used generally when it is time for it to change direction.
The incident took place during rush hour on Friday, October 11.
After the confusion, an alert was given to drivers telling them to give signallers more notice about toilet trips to avoid similar situations in the future.
The alert said: ‘If you require an emergency [personal needs break] then contact the signaller and control in good time, giving as much notice as you can.
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‘Remember to always come to a clear understanding with not only signallers but also station staff too.’
One source told The Metro: ‘It was a bit of a cock-up. The driver probably thought the staff weren’t going to close all the doors and station staff probably thought it was in a secure state, which means it wouldn’t drive off.’
Bosses at Elizabeth Line operator MTR reported the incident to rail accident safety investigators at the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB).
However, RAIB decided not to take further action and said they would leave further investigation to the railway companies involved.
(Picture: Shutterstock/John Gomez)
A TfL spokesperson said: ‘Elizabeth Line trains are designed to safely reverse automatically between Paddington and Westbourne park sidings while out of passenger service.
‘The train should always be staffed, so our operator, MTR Elizabeth Line, reminded all drivers of the high professional standards we set for the railway.’
Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the line in May 2022 to commemorate her Platinum Jubilee year.
Since then, several incidents have happened on the Elizabeth line, including when passengers were stranded on a train for several hours outside Paddington in December 2023.
It is not the first time a funny incident has also happened on board the tube, with a long list of weird and wonderful items being left on trains including a prosthetic leg and a full-sized carpet.
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