TfL criticised after thousands of passengers faint on busy Tube lines
Transport for London (TfL) came under criticism today as data reveals that more than 3,500 people have fainted or felt faint on the Tube network since 2016.
The highest number of incidents occurred during the morning rush hour between 8am and 9am, with 825 reported incidents.
Kings Cross St. Pancras, London’s busiest Tube station, reported the highest number of incidents.
Meanwhile the Northern Line, closely followed by the Central Line, was the Tube line with the highest number of passengers fainting.
| Tube Station | Number of incidents |
| Kings Cross St. Pancras | 137 |
| Green Park | 106 |
| Liverpool Street | 93 |
| Bank & Monument | 83 |
| London Bridge | 80 |
The news was criticised by the RMT union, with general secretary Mick Cash saying: "Overcrowding on Tube and rail services is a daily nightmare for thousands of passengers and it’s no surprise to the union that more people are passing out on London Underground trains.”
The data, first reported by the BBC, also showed that the most common days for passengers to faint or feel faint were on Monday and Tuesday.
TfL came under fire during the summer heatwave, with reports that some trains had temperatures as high as 40C.
Passengers were not impressed by TfL’s plans to improve the network, after the Central Line Twitter account said that new air-conditioned “are coming in early 2030”.
TfL’s director of customer service, Brian Woodhead, said: “The safety of our customers is always our first priority and our staff are trained to assist anyone who feels unwell.”
“The quickest way to get support from our staff and assistance from the emergency services is to wait until the train is at a platform and then to help the ill person disembark. This also allows the service to resume as quickly as possible and allow other customers to continue on their journey.”