From the collection of
London’s Screen Archives is a network of over 50 organisations with a collective vision – to preserve and share London’s history on film. The network is managed by Film London and we work with our partners to digitise, preserve, and offer access to their moving image collections.
Stand clear of the doors! London Underground Video News release on passenger safety in the aftermath of an accident.
This Video News Release (VNR) from London Underground offers a peek behind-the-scenes at the construction of regional and national news. VNR's like this one were created by London Underground to give broadcasters the necessary information and video content to create a news item on a particular story or issue. This VNR is about the London Underground's implementation of a range of new safety features to protect passengers when getting on and off trains, following an incident on a Central Line train where a child was injured. In the 1990s, a new fleet of Underground trains were launched with doors that passengers could operate, with those (now redundant) buttons still seen on some trains today. While most lines simply had an option to open the doors, the Central Line was unique in also allowing passengers to close doors, which resulted in the injury of a child at Notting Hill Station on a new Central Line train. This, combined with delays caused by passengers overzealously using the buttons, quickly returned trains to central control by the driver. The range of safety features discussed and demonstrated in this VNR include CCTV for the driver to more clearly see the train doors and the now ubiquitous passenger operated emergency alarms and brakes.
How British experiences of travel and transport have changed over the years, taking us further and (sometimes) faster than ever before.