Last month, King's Cross station stayed open with just one CSS and two CSAs on the station - not just below but way below minimum numbers - but management have decided that it was not that much of a problem.
When the last H&C trains were running late on 22 February, dead-late staff booked off and the station fell below the minimum numbers of 1 CSM + 10 others, it should have closed. Instead, King's Cross stayed open with just one CSM, one CSS and two CSAs - and then the CSM left the station to get rid of an intoxicated passenger who had abused a member of staff.
Minimum numbers are there for a reason - we can not safely run or evacuate a station with fewer people on duty than that minimum. Other nearby stations, Baker Street, Great Portland Street and Euston Square, had already closed for exactly this reason. But our intrepid management seemingly made an exception of King's Cross.
An "investigation" by the local management concluded that it was fine to stay open below minimum numbers because, you know, it was late, only part of the station was open, there weren't many people around, and if they'd closed people might have been cross. Yes, really.
Readers do not need Tubeworker to explain the implications of this shocking occurrence. Down this road lies de-staffing and disaster.
