Lord Blunkett, the blind Labour peer, has called for urgent action on “death trap” Tube platforms after suffering injuries from falling down a platform gap at Westminster station.
The former Home Secretary was attempting to board a District Line train with his guide dog when the incident occurred three weeks ago.
The accident has prompted him to demand Transport for London (TfL) improve safety measures for visually impaired passengers across the network.
Lord Blunkett said: “Some of our platforms are death traps. The gap between the walkway and train is huge and they are unsafe for everyone, but particularly for blind people.”
Describing the harrowing incident, Lord Blunkett recalled: “As I took a step to get on to the Tube train I suddenly felt both my feet disappearing down the gap.”
“In an instant my body had been propelled forward into the carriage and I was face down on the floor,” he continued when speaking to The Sun.
Lord Blunkett has demanded Transport for London improve safety measures for visually impaired passengers across the network
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“I didn’t fully know what had happened. I felt enormous pain in both my legs; they were bruised and grazed.”
The peer explained how his legs were scraped into the carriage during the fall.
An X-ray later confirmed “extraordinary bruising” but fortunately showed no broken bones.
He expressed anger about the lack of staff assistance at stations, stating: “Whenever you step into a tube station in London you hear the tannoy warn people to ‘mind the gap’. But too often there are no staff members to actually help you if, like me, you cannot see.”
The peer is now calling for TfL to address the widest platform gaps and ensure staff presence to assist passengers, particularly during rush hour.
He has scheduled a meeting with TfL to demand answers and an urgent review of safety at the busiest Tube stations.
Nick Dent, London Underground’s director of customer operations, expressed deep regret over the incident.
“We were extremely sorry that Lord Blunkett was injured on our network,” he said.
“We have written to, and will be meeting with, him to discuss how we could have managed the incident better and to ensure that lessons are learned.”
He emphasised that safety remains their top priority, stating: “The safety of our customers and staff is at the forefront of everything we do, and while injuries like the one experienced by Lord Blunkett are rare, we are undertaking a huge range of work aimed at eradicating such incidents.”
On average, 21 people per month are involved in platform train interface incidents, including falls between platforms and trains.
Last year saw 261 falls between platform and train, with two classified as serious injuries.
