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On October 5th, 1999, two passenger trains collided at Ladbroke Grove, 2 miles west of London’s Paddington station. The tragic event resulted in one of the worst rail crashes of the century and caused 31 fatalities, with 417 being injured. The accident sprouted a moment for rail safety, with an impact still felt today, 25 years on.
The incident took place when a Thames Trains service to Bedwyn in Wiltshire collided with a Great Western high-speed train from Cheltenham to London, with a combined speed impact of 130 mph. The collision caused a fuel explosion on both trains, leading to the destruction of the leading carriage of the diesel multiple unit and most fatalities on the Bedwyn train. The Thames Trains driver, Michael Hodder, was amongst the perished with Brian Cooper, the driver of the Great Western service.
A subsequent inquiry uncovered deficiencies in Hodder’s training, which included not being notified of previous incidents at the same signal. Signal SN109 had been passed at danger eight times in six years, ultimately highlighting a “seemingly endemic culture of complacency and inaction.”
Unfortunately, it wasn’t until two weeks before the crash that the Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS) was adopted across the network. However, it was lower cost than other safety mechanisms and effectively stops most trains within the overlap distance beyond a red signal. TPWS is still widely in use today and has outperformed all expectations.
The crash spurred the creation of three safety organisations, separating the setting of standards, regulation and accident investigation. In the quarter of a century since Ladbroke Grove, Network Rail has seen a dramatic drop in risk, accompanied by improvements in understanding risk and better safety structure. Andrew Hall, chief inspector of rail accidents, cited a “better understanding of risk and a structure that better looks at accidents and learns from them” in combination with technology for the improvements.
Twenty-five years may seem like a long time, but it is important not to lose sight of the lessons of Ladbroke Grove. Martin Frobisher, Network Rail’s safety, and engineering director urge a corporate memory and continued focus on signals passed at danger. “Don’t be complacent. Don’t forget.
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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