Tube lift plunges at Hampstead Station

Around 15 commuters had a worrying experience in a faulty lift at Hampstead London Underground station last Sunday. Shortly after 10pm the lift they were in plummeted almost 200ft down the shaft. Hampstead Tube has the deepest lift shaft on the system.


The Ham and High paper reported: "Roger Juer, 63, was trapped in the lift during the accident, which he says was like something from a Hollywood horror movie.

"It was the most frightening thing I have ever experienced. The girls in the lift were screaming and several of us thought that was it. We thought the lift was going to smash into the ground. I tried to bend my knees a bit so my legs might not break when we landed."

Fortunately the lift stopped just before reaching the bottom.


"A telephone in the lift was tantalisingly visible behind a locked panel, which couldn't be opened, and although they banged on the alarm button there was no response from staff at the station. After the group had been hammering on the lift walls and screaming for help for several minutes the doors eventually slid open and they rushed out to the platform."

Luckily no one was injured and Mr Juer made it to the local pub as quickly as he could in time for last orders to calm his nerves. He said:

"It's not acceptable - and it's not the first time there have been problems with the lifts in this station. Transport for London need to reassure passengers that if there are problems they will be able to contact staff to tell them something is wrong."

Thanks to Ian for giving me the heads up to this.

The only consolation is that at least this didn't happen at Covent Garden station. To be stuck in the lift with Loyd Grossman's voice on continual loop giving you directions to the Piazza and the London Transport Museum would test human endurance.

The Hampstead and Highgate Express contacted Transport for London, but at the time of going to press, no one was able to comment. Hopefully, by now TfL will be in a position to let people know what happened & do all they can to prevent this or something more serious from happening again.

London Underground; Tube Posted by annie mole Saturday, December 20, 2008 Permalink COMMENT HERE
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