Smoking Bans
Smoking had been banned on London Underground trains since July 1984: in response to the Oxford Circus fire, a complete ban on smoking in all sub-surface stations was introduced in February 1985. Nonetheless a similar incident occurred on 18 November 1987 at King's Cross St. Pancras tube station when it was concluded as probable that a passenger had dropped a lit match onto an escalator. The resulting fire killed 31 people. Due to the extensive damage caused by the fire, it took over a year to repair and reopen the station; the Northern line platforms and the escalators from the ticket hall to the Piccadilly line remained closed until 5 March 1989. After the King's Cross fire, staff training was increased and the smoking ban was enforced much more forcibly with fines being introduced for offenders.
Read more about this topic: Oxford Circus Fire
Famous quotes containing the word smoking:
“half-way up the hill, I see the Past
Lying beneath me with its sounds and sights,—
A city in the twilight dim and vast,
With smoking roofs, soft bells, and gleaming lights,—
And hear above me on the autumnal blast
The cataract of Death far thundering from the heights.”
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1809–1882)