Oxford Circus Fire - Smoking Bans

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.