In just six months Greater Anglia trains have suffered over 17 hours of rail delays from passengers pulling the emergency alarm.
A reminder is being issued to all passengers that pulling the alarm is not the most appropriate way to get help, as it causes delays for all passengers on their train but also has a knock-on effect to other trains in the area.
89 incidents were recorded from 1 April to 4 September 2021, where passengers pulled the emergency alarm. Many of the activations were “malicious” but 13% were genuine passengers needing help. These activations caused 1,032 minutes of delays and nine cancelled trains.
If passengers maliciously pull the alarm without an actual reason, they could be faced with a fine of up to £1,000. Every time an emergency alarm is pulled, the train must come to a complete stop. Sometimes the driver has to attend the carriage where the alarm was pulled to check the situation and reset the alarm if there is no reason for the activation.
If you are travelling on Greater Anglia trains and require help, you can:-
- Speak to the conductor
- Tweet @greateranglia
- Ring Greater Anglia on 0345 600 7245 (option 0)
- Get off at the next station and either speak to a member of staff or use the help point or assistance button on the ticket machine to get help.
East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust and Greater Anglia work together to get to any sick passengers as quickly as possible but also need passengers assistance. Passengers are asked not to pull the emergency alarm, which will stop the train possibly in a hard to reach area, but rather wait to the next station where the ill passenger can be taken off and given medical help more quickly.
If there is a life-threatening emergency, passengers are advised to call 999 and ask for an ambulance and also notify staff on board or contact Greater Anglia via Twitter by using @greateranglia
If you see anyone pulling the emergency alarm maliciously, please text British Transport Police on 61016.
Martin Moran, Greater Anglia commercial, customer service and train presentation director said: “Activating the emergency alarm delays the train for everyone on board.
“Other passengers might be trying to get to work, school, funerals, hospital appointments, go on a date, or pick up their children from school or childcare.”
“The emergency alarm is just for urgent situations, such as a fire on board. Otherwise, there are better and quicker ways to get help, such as asking for help at the next station or tweeting @greateranglia which is staffed 24/7.
“We want all of our trains to be on time because it's important our customers can rely on getting to their destinations on time.”
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