Almost terrorism.......

I forgot to post it at the time but a couple of weeks ago I was coming home from work as usual. In fact I was making good time. I was on the Hammersmith and City line at Aldgate East when the following event unfolded:

The train doors opened as usual and few people got in and out. The train wasn't very busy for the time of day and most of the seats were full with the odd person standing. The doors shut as normal. The train started moving then after about 5 seconds it lurched, there was a loud bang and all the lights went off in the train. It was at that moment, to everyones horror, that smoke was pouring from the tunnel in front of us. The driver came on the tannoy and said in a shaky voice "There is smoke coming from the tunnel ahead and we are unable to proceed". I was in the front carriage so the smoke was pretty bad. Everybody was looking at everybody else ashen-faced. Don't forget that it was nearby that Shehzad Tanweer detonated his bomb which killed 7 people and injured 171 on the 7th of July 2005.

We sat there for 20 minutes in grim silence. Then the driver came through the train and asked if everyone was feeling alright and if there were any pregnant women or anything. It was an experienced, short chap in his 50s and he had a strong London accent. He was desperately trying to keep everyone calm but the fact that the driver was coming down the train alarmed everybody. After going the length of the train he went back to his cab. Shortly he came on the tannoy saying "The Fire Brigade are at the scene". Through the clearing smoke on the platform I could make out firemen on the platform. They were standing in a circle discussing what had happened. I remembered that I had my camera so I took some photos of the firemen on the platform through the window of the door.

Later on the driver announced that the fire was caused by rubbish inside the tunnel that had somehow caught alight. Then we were off. But its nice to know if it had been a terrorist attack we would have been in safe hands.

Fireman talking on the platform.

Firemen on the empty platform

A policeman gives the firemen the all clear.