A person at Euston fighting for life as Central Line commuters seek alternatives

A person is fighting for their life after being struck by a train at Euston on March 10. The emergency at about 8: 56 am ET closed Victoria line platforms and prompted a string of alternative journeys for commuters, while mentions of the central line circulated as people searched for other ways across the city.

Passengers at Euston and the Victoria line stoppage

A casualty on the track at Euston brought services on the Victoria line to a halt between Victoria and Highbury & Islington, with severe delays reported through the morning on March 10. Emergency services were called to the scene at 8: 56 am ET, and paramedics treated a person at the platform before that person was taken to hospital with injuries thought to be life-threatening.

Commuters on the Victoria line described long waits underground: some were led through a driver’s cab and onto another train to reach the platform at Euston, and others said they were stuck in a tunnel for more than an hour after the service stopped shortly after 9: 00 am ET. Euston tube station was temporarily closed during the response and later reopened.

Central Line and Euston passengers choosing alternative routes

With the Victoria line suspended between Victoria and Highbury & Islington, multiple alternative routes were circulated for travellers making that journey on March 10. Transport options published for passengers travelling from Victoria to Highbury & Islington included combinations of District line, Northern line, Great Northern services, Piccadilly line and buses; similar reverse routes were offered for those travelling from Highbury & Islington to Victoria.

For clarity, the published alternatives included the following options and approximate journey times:

• District line to Monument, change to the Northern line to Moorgate, then take a Great Northern service to Highbury & Islington (approx. 39 minutes).
• 38 bus to Green Park, Piccadilly line to Holloway Road, then 43 bus to Highbury & Islington (approx. 41 minutes).
• 390 bus to Tottenham Court Road, then 19 bus to Highbury Corner (bus-only option, approx. 58 minutes).
• 38 bus to Green Park, Piccadilly line, then Victoria line northbound followed by a short walk (approx. 44 minutes).

Those travelling in the opposite direction were advised to use Great Northern to Moorgate, the Northern line to Bank, a walk to Monument and the District line to Victoria (approx. 38 minutes).

British Transport Police statement and how services unfolded

A force spokesperson said officers were called to Euston Underground station at 8: 56 am ET following reports of a casualty on the tracks, and confirmed the incident is not being treated as suspicious. Paramedics attended the scene, and the injured person was taken to hospital; paramedics described the person’s condition as “critical” during treatment at the station.

Services between Victoria and Highbury & Islington were paused on the Victoria line and then restarted around 10: 50 am ET, with severe delays on other parts of the line lingering through the morning. Some passengers who had been held in tunnels were evacuated and helped onto other trains to reach platforms at Euston.

Back at the station where the day began, a person rushed to hospital remains the central human fact: an individual taken from the tracks after the 8: 56 am ET call is in hospital with injuries described as life-threatening and critical. For commuters, the next confirmed milestone was the partial restoration of Victoria line services around 10: 50 am ET, as people who had been rerouting onto buses, District, Northern and Piccadilly services began to make their way home or on to work along the alternative corridors published that morning.