Case study: boarding ramp concerns
30 January 2025
Alternative options reviewed for long portable train boarding ramp.
It’s difficult for staff to carry a long portable ramp at Brighton station. The ramp helps wheelchair users board or alight Class 387 trains at platform 8.
The reporter to CIRAS said staff had to lean when carrying it, to compensate for its size, against manual handling advice. Its storage was another concern: unsecured, lengthways against a bench at the buffer stop end. It could be knocked over and is heavy enough to injure someone.
Although this ramp was needed, as the gap between Class 387 trains and platform 8 was larger than on other platforms, it risked musculoskeletal injury.
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) said the management team had been working with staff to manage the risks. A risk assessment involved station staff. One control was an extra person to help carry the ramp. A serious incident review in March followed an accident where an on-board supervisor mistakenly used the standard on-board ramp. Combined with the passenger’s oversized electric wheelchair, this led to the wheelchair tipping over. The passenger was injured. This shows the long ramp is needed.
After the report, a different design with wheels was made and delivered to Brighton to be trialled. Most station staff who used it preferred the original ramp, so it has remained in use with the controls.
GTR asked its timetabling team to explore if Class 387s could be routed into different platforms, but it wasn’t feasible for all services for the foreseeable future. GTR also requested a new ramp holder. This work was paused partly due to heritage concerns—and while trialling the alternative ramp, as this would need a different holder—but the ramp holder should be installed soon.