Injured at a Train Station? Get Free Legal Advice

Railway stations can be hectic environments with a large volume of travellers hurrying around creating conditions in which accidents can occur. Both railway station operators and train companies owe travellers (and employees) a duty of care as per the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, and must take all reasonable measures to ensure that safety standards are maintained in the areas of the station for which they are responsible. Where the negligence of a train company or railway station operator’s staff has caused an accident, injured parties will often have grounds for claiming personal injury compensation.

Accidents at railway stations are routinely the result of passengers falling over on wet and slippery platforms, sometimes due to ice, snow and rainwater during periods of bad weather, especially in uncovered areas. Spillages and discarded litter also regularly cause railway station accidents, particularly due to the absence of rubbish bins at many stations. Cleaning staff may fail to clear up such hazards properly, for example, or else cleaners may have failed to post any wet floor warning signs prior to an accident. It is the responsibility of train companies to implement and maintain safe operating procedures that minimises the risk of such incidents occurring.

Following an accident at a railway station, it is important that the details are reported to the train company or station operator in question, and that the contact details of any witnesses to the incident are obtained. Once a complaint and / or a request for CCTV footage has been made, the train company or station operator in question will be expected to reply within a week or two, and this is the first step down the path towards claiming compensation. If the services of a solicitor are required, then a letter of claim will be sent to the train company in question, usually requesting the disclosure of information they hold that is relevant to an accident.