Found this on runaways!
London Underground train departs driverless with 150 passengers
Martyn Thomas <mct@praxis.co.uk>
Thu, 2 Dec 1993 17:29:24 +0000 (GMT)
According to BBC Radio 4 news (17.00 Dec 2nd), a Picadilly Line underground
train travelled 1.5 miles at 20-40 mph including going through Caledonian Road
station, without a driver.
The driver (and sole crew) had got out to close a door "without carrying out
the proper procedure to shut down the drive systems" according to a spokesman
for London transport.
The train stopped automatically at a red light, and was boarded by LT staff
who had commandeered the following train and given chase.
No passenger pressed the emergency alarm - but it wouldn't have helped as it
just rings a bell in the driver's cab.
A colleague believes that there is a "dead-man's handle" which the driver must
have disabled. My theory is that the train had decided to play Mornington
Crescent and seized its opportunity. --
Martyn Thomas, Praxis plc, 20 Manvers Street, Bath BA1 1PX UK.
Tel: +44-225-444700. Email: mct@praxis.co.uk Fax: +44-225-465205
[I presume this is a NEW incident. RISKS-9.81 described a case contributed
by Stephen Page: On 10 Apr 1990, the driver of an Underground train had
taped down the drive control, relying instead on the doors being closed to
enable the train to move forward. He then left the train to see why the
doors had not closed. The doors closed, and the train took off. But
Martyn's report sounds like the same story! Maybe it was just the same
driver, 3.6 years later. PGN]
TOOT!