Intoxicated passenger policy needed after Tube death, TfL told

Transport for London (TfL) has been urged to deliver a “concrete plan” to prevent intoxicated passengers being killed on its network following the accidental death of an artist in a Tube tunnel after a night out in London.

Sarah Cunningham, 31, was hit by a northbound Northern line train after stepping on to the track and walking down a tunnel at Chalk Farm station in north London at about 03:30 GMT on 2 November.

Issuing a prevention of future deaths report, senior coroner for Inner North London Mary Hassell said “the risk to the [intoxicated] individual is not necessarily at the forefront of TfL corporate thinking”.

TfL has been approached for comment.

Ms Cunningham, who had used cocaine and ketamine before her death, was not suicidal, a coroner at Poplar Coroner’s Court ruled.

Although she had been seen by a member of TfL staff, they assumed she had boarded a train but she had walked along the tracks and was in a tunnel when she was hit by the train.

Her body was found two days later about 245ft (75m) into the tunnel.

The coroner wrote: “Realistically, some London Underground passengers will be intoxicated, and that has to inform TfL’s corporate planning.

“I heard that there was a TfL investigation following Sarah Cunningham’s death, but the learning from that appears at present to be somewhat aspirational, without a concrete plan.”

The coroner wrote that “passenger intoxication is recognised as a risk to London Underground staff” by TfL.

She added: “Extreme intoxication is also known to be a risk to the individual who is intoxicated. However, it struck me that the risk to the individual is not necessarily at the forefront of TfL corporate thinking.”

TfL has until 16 June to respond to the coroner.