Getting the train home from London to Manchester? How to avoid the 'Euston stampede' and the reason why it happens

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

If you've ever caught the train back to Manchester from London Euston you'll know the routine. Standing around on the concourse, neck craned, peering up at the departures board, as you wait for the last-minute announcement of your platform followed by a mad dash to your seat.

Relaxing it's most certainly not. In fact the 'Euston stampede' has become so notorious it's often a trending topic on Twitter and is the subject of dozens of TikToks, MyLondon reports.

The reason it happens is because unlike most other major London railway terminals, instead of encouraging customers to wait in the area closest to the platform or head straight to the platform and board/wait for their train, at Euston passengers are asked to wait on the main station concourse until the platform is shown around 20 minutes prior to departure. Passengers then have 18 minutes to find and board the train, which closes its doors usually two minutes before the scheduled departure time.

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That's the theory. In reality, it can lead to hundreds of people making an excited rush through the station building to get to their seats first. But running across one of the busiest buildings in the country with hard concrete floors and 25,000 volt electric wiring above you is probably not the best idea.

Network Rail tells MyLondon 'hundreds' of passengers per year have accidents trying to leg it to the platform. The good news is there are a handful of easy ways to avoid the crush, enjoy your journey and beat the crowds.

Euston opened in 1968, with the concourse at a higher level than the tracks to allow for deliveries and underground car parking and a new, expanded London