A new row has broken out between London Underground bosses and the RMT union over a fire alert at Euston station earlier this month.
In the alert on 12 July, staff evacuated passengers following reports of smoke coming in from the mainline concourse shortly after midnight. After an extensive search, London Fire Brigade gave the station the all-clear at around 1.30 am.
In a previous incident at the station last July, the union said that detection equipment had failed, a claim denied by Transport for London. On this occasion RMT general secretary, Bob Crow, claimed the public address system did not work, meaning staff had to hurry around with megaphones to get everyone out.
“Almost exactly a year on from last year’s fire in an escalator machine room, Euston station has had yet another reminder of the constant risks to safety and the need for staff on the Underground,” said Mr Crow.
“This is a wake-up call for Boris Johnson and Transport for London just a year away from the Olympics.
“With the ever-present risk and the problem of unreliable detection and evacuation equipment, the only thing that stands between safety and a major catastrophe is the presence of staff.”
In response, a spokesperson for Transport for London said:
“On the day that London had marked with excitement as a year to go until the start of the Olympic Games, the RMT leadership have chosen to pointlessly scaremonger, despite knowing full well that there are no plans to reduce station staff at Euston or elsewhere.
“The use of staff communicating on the ground is standard practice to ensure that passengers, including tourists whose first language may not be English, the elderly and those who may be hard of hearing have understood the direction being given to evacuate the station.”