TfL is failing both customers and staff – as over 1,000 people sue it over injuries

Transport for London (TfL) found itself fighting almost 1,000 personal injury claims because of accidents at their stations within a five-year period, according to new data.

Accident At Work Claim UK gathered information from TfL which revealed that there were 13,943 non-fatal injuries suffered in TfL-operated stations from April 2020 to March 2024.

Incidents have been steadily rising since the Covid-impacted 2020/21 financial year, in which 1,408 incidents were recorded.

That rose to 3,432 the year after, and then 4,202 in 2022/23.

In 2023/24, to date the most recent fully completed financial year, TfL customers, workers, and visitors were injured 4,901 times.

TfL hit with legal action – but pay out only 40 times

TfL explained that it was hit with 943 personal injury claims due to train station accidents between April 2020 and the end of 2024.

Like the accidents themselves, claim figures have continued to rise. After 90 cases made against TfL in 2020/21, the transport service was sued 157 times in 2021/22.

Legal action arose on 241 occasions in 2022/23, before another 281 people made their case in 2023/24.

174 personal injury claims have been levied against TfL in the first eight months of the 2024/25 year.

249 claims were due to a slip, trip or fall on the platform, with another 167 suing due to an escalator-related accident.

Jubilee Line users prolifically claimed, with Stratford (40), London Bridge and Waterloo (27 each) all common locations for incidents related to legal action. King’s Cross, with 46 incidents leading to claims, topped the list.

Across the period, only 40 claimants were successful, collecting £2,591,787.92 in compensation between them.

One person took home £2,352,872.78 in damages, while others were awarded as much as £44,000, £33,950 and £30,000.

The remaining claimants received compensation at an average of just under £14,000.

TfL did not confirm how many claims remain ongoing or how many were rejected.

Escalators pose the greatest threat

When broken down by where the incident happened, the data shows that 4,676 people were injured on escalators. The figure is significantly clear of other parts of the station, including stairs (1,762), the platform (1,640) and booking halls (1,310).

A further 1,113 people were hurt due to incidents at the platform/train interface, which is either the gap between the train and the platform or the track when no train is in the station.

Waterloo station’s escalators were the site of 337 accidents, more than any specific location in any station. King’s Cross and London Bridge (298 and 295 accidents respectively) also hosted dangerous escalators.

Baker Street station’s stairs had many more accidents than its counterparts around the city, with 72 incidents logged. The station also had the most platform/train interface accidents, with 50.

Overall, TfL customers were hurt 11,332 times, which works out at close to eight accidents per day. Staff suffered harm on 2,560 occasions in the same period.

Slips, trips and falls accounted for 8,037 counts of non-fatal injury, with another 1,449 noted as ‘passenger/train interface’.

A concerning 889 injuries came as the result of assault, and ‘Safety Critical Failures’, or equipment malfunctions, led to people being harmed 158 times.

370 of the incidents led to what TfL termed ‘serious’ harm.

Accident At Work Claim UK are workplace accident claim experts who offer a 24/7 advice service for people injured in public places.

Featured image via the Canary