Many enjoy spending a weekend afternoon leisurely riding historic but what happens when people can’t figure out how to get on for the ride? A number of historic train carriages have been taken out of service because Gen Z passengers can’t work out how to open the doors.
The Severn Valley Railway uses 1930s coaches for their trips but they’ve recently sparked incidents because of their difficulty to use. They don’t have buttons to open or lock them and oftentimes, the doors were found to be open while the train was moving.
Due to these issues, passengers instead had to lean out of the windows and turn the door handles or wait for platform staff in order to get out. Since the beginning of 2023, around 20 of the seating areas have had to be stored away because of these ongoing issues.
“There have been some events where the Great Western carriage doors have been found to be open on arrival at stations or mid-section (while the train is moving). Lack of awareness from a younger demographic of visitors and ever-increasing pressure from the rail regulator means the railway has to be proactive,” the Severn Valley Railway’s health and safety manager, Richard Morris, said.
In the future, the Great Western train may have to put extra staff on board in order to improve the checking process before the trains depart. A longer-term solution may be to modify the locks on the trains so that they lock as they slam.
Obviously, any solution is costly. “The cost of making modifications could be considerable, as more than 140 doors are affected. The railway is exploring a number of options, which include putting extra staff onboard trains and improving the checking procedures for carriages before departure,” the railway said.