October 29th 2024.
The train, which had made a stop at Paddington Station, continued its journey towards Westbourne Park, about a mile away, without a driver on board. This was quite an unusual sight and it caught the attention of many people. The incident took place on London's Elizabeth Line, and it caused quite a stir among the staff and passengers.
The driver, whose name remains unknown, had informed the signaller that they needed to take an "emergency personal needs break" before stopping at Paddington station. The staff at Paddington quickly got the passengers off the train, while the driver hopped off to use the restroom. However, to everyone's surprise, as soon as the train's doors closed, it started moving without a driver on board. Luckily, there were no passengers on the train at the time.
The train continued on its own for about a mile, until it reached a siding at Westbourne Park. This was quite a strange incident and it caused some confusion among the staff. It was later revealed that the driver had accidentally put the train into auto-reverse mode, which is generally used when the train needs to change direction. The incident occurred during rush hour on Friday, October 11, causing some delays and disruptions to the train service.
After this incident, an alert was issued to all drivers, reminding them to inform the signallers in advance if they need to take a restroom break, in order to avoid similar situations in the future. The alert also emphasized the importance of clear communication with not only the signallers, but also the station staff. This incident also sparked discussions about the safety protocols and standards set for the railway.
In the meantime, the incident was reported to the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) by the bosses at MTR, the operator of the Elizabeth Line. However, after further investigation, RAIB decided not to take any further action and left it in the hands of the railway companies involved. The Elizabeth Line, which opened in May 2022 to commemorate Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee year, has had its fair share of incidents since then.
One of the most memorable incidents was when passengers were left stranded on a train for several hours outside Paddington in December 2023. This incident, along with the recent incident of the driver's "emergency personal needs break", has raised concerns about the safety and operations of the Elizabeth Line. However, a TfL spokesperson reassured the public that the trains are designed to safely reverse automatically between Paddington and Westbourne Park sidings, and that the train should always be staffed.
The Elizabeth Line has had its fair share of funny incidents as well, with a long list of strange items being left behind on the trains. Some of the most bizarre items include a prosthetic leg, an urn full of ashes, a full-sized carpet, a hairdresser's mannequin, a giant Spiderman doll, £15,000 in cash, a gigantic cuddly octopus, and even false teeth. It just goes to show that you never know what you might find on a train ride in London.
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