Commuter sprint at London Euston highlights ongoing crowding at UK's busiest station
A late-arriving Avanti West Coast service triggers a race to secure a seat, sparking debate over safety and accessibility at crowded rail hubs
A last-minute dash for a London Euston train turned into a stampede as passengers sprinted to catch the Avanti West Coast service to Manchester Piccadilly. The nine-coach train, with three cars reserved for First Class, arrived about 10 minutes late, prompting a frenzied scramble onto the platform.
Marlon McKenzie, a model from Manchester, posted video on Instagram showing the moment the platform appeared on the opposite side of the station and his bid to win a seat. The clip shows him weaving between commuters, past children and travelers with luggage, then boarding and finding an empty seat as the train pulled away. In the closing frames, sweat beads are visible as he takes a swig of water and smiles at the camera. The post drew a wide reaction online, with some praising the audacity and others criticizing the scene as unsafe and a sign of overcrowding, including concerns about disability discrimination.
The London Euston rush has been a long-running feature of the capital's rail scene. Rail operators and Network Rail have been testing measures since late 2024 with Avanti West Coast and others to ease boarding and reduce overcrowding, including changes to platform access and boarding procedures. Yet, on some services, the race for seats remains intense even when platforms are revealed only minutes before departure.
Online commentary captured a spectrum of views. Some commenters likened Euston to the Hunger Games, while others noted that warnings not to run clash with repeated late changes in platform announcements. Several posts suggested that booking a seat or arriving earlier can help mitigate risk, while disability-rights advocates argued that the current dynamic disadvantages travelers who cannot run.
Rail officials say more work is needed to balance schedules, crowd safety and accessibility at peak times. The episode at Euston underscores broader questions about reliability, passenger welfare and the pace of modernization at Britain's busiest stations.