Overview
- A London Overground service left Norwood Junction with a portable disability ramp still attached on 1 July 2025, dragging the metal ramp down the platform until it struck an end barrier and fell beside the track with no injuries.
- The Rail Accident Investigation Branch concluded the driver was probably distracted by personal mobile phone calls during the dispatch after phone records showed the device was on and five calls covered the shift and the journey.
- Investigators found the station had been using the wrong type of ramp since at least September 2021, a design that allowed doors to close and traction power to be applied while a ramp remained fitted.
- RAIB recorded two earlier incidents involving the same driver in July 2024 and May 2025 that may also have been caused by loss of concentration, and it has issued multiple recommendations on phone use and better ramp management.
- The report hands new responsibility to First Rail London, which took over the Overground in May 2026, and raises wider concerns about disabled passengers’ confidence and the need for clearer equipment checks and staff procedures.