Coroner slams TfL after man struck repeatedly on Jubilee line tracks
A coroner has sharply criticised Transport for London for failing to address safety concerns two years after the “avoidable” death of a man at Stratford station, one of the capital’s busiest Tube hubs.
Brian Mitchell, 72, died on Boxing Day 2023 after falling onto the tracks at Stratford. He was unable to climb back onto the platform before being struck by an incoming Jubilee line train. Subsequent trains also passed over his body, with one driver reportedly mistaking him for an inflatable doll. A fourth train ran over him despite a station employee being aware of his presence beside platform 13.
Graeme Irvine, the coroner for east London, said Mr Mitchell was hit seven times: by the first three trains as they entered and left the terminus platform, and by a fourth train as it arrived. In a Prevention of Future Deaths report sent to London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, Mr Irvine said there was “no clear evidence to demonstrate that risks of fatal harm have been mitigated.”
He added that “recommended technological measures to detect and alert staff to the presence of persons on the tracks have not been implemented at Stratford station.” The coroner also noted that there was “no clear data” showing that Tube drivers were actively scanning for risks when trains entered the station in automatic mode, or that staff had received training for handling similar emergencies.
An inquest jury at Walthamstow Coroner’s Court ruled last month that Mr Mitchell’s death was accidental. He had been heavily intoxicated and fell from the platform after spending nearly 50 minutes on a bench at the end of platform 13. He remained on the tracks for over five minutes before the first train struck him at 2.50pm.
“The court heard that the initial collision with Brian was likely to have been avoidable,” Mr Irvine wrote. “The track layout would have allowed Brian’s presence to have been noticed by an attentive [driver]. Additionally, it was asserted that a [driver] would have had sufficient time to react and bring the train to a stop many metres before Brian’s location.”
The coroner described how the first train passed over Mr Mitchell unnoticed, with two further trains moving over him twice as they entered and left the platform. “A member of staff unsuccessfully tried to prevent a fourth train moving over Brian as it entered platform 13,” the report added. Jubilee line trains operate with Automatic Train Operation, meaning acceleration and braking are automated rather than controlled by drivers.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch first raised concerns about the incident in a report published in January 2025.
Claire Mann, TfL’s Chief Operating Officer, said:
“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Mr Mitchell, who sadly died at Stratford Tube station. We are committed to learning from this tragic incident and assisted the coroner during the inquest. We will respond to the coroner’s Prevention of Future Deaths report and are taking action to prevent incidents like this from happening again.”
Image: RAIB