Grand Central over-speeding incident at Spital Junction in …
Rail Accident Investigation Branch is investigating an over-speeding incident which took place at Spital Junction in Peterborough[1] on the 4th of May 2023.
The incident took place at approximately 13.00 hours and involved the Grand Central[2] 09.45 Sunderland[3] to King's Cross service.
The incident saw the train pass over three sets of points, travelling on the northern approach leading into Peterborough[4] station.
The service was travelling at a speed of around 65mph which is substantially higher than the maximum permitted speed for Spital Junction, which initially starts at 30mph and drops to 25mph.
As the train travelled over the points at a higher speed, it lurched sideways, which led to a number of minor injuries to passengers as some were thrown from their seats.
The train eventually stopped using emergency braking at Peterborough station and had not derailed throughout the incident, with no damage caused to either the train or rail infrastructure.
The service was not scheduled to call at Peterborough and was approaching the station using the fast line prior to being moved onto a slower line at the points, which is when the over-speed took place.
The change of route onto the slow line was displayed via the junction signal, which is on the approach to the points.
Grand Central[5] Train at Kings Cross Station // Credit: Grand Central
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch is currently investigating a similar over-speed incident at Spital Junction, which took place in April 2022 and is expected to be released in the near future.
The 25th of May 2023 also saw RAIB provide urgent safety advice to both Network Rail and rail operators running trains via the East Coast Main Line via Peterborough station.[6]
The advice detailed the need for duty holders to take immediate steps to address this issue either via technical means or operationally in order to diminish further risk.
Rail Accident Investigation Branch's investigation into this latest over-speeding incident at Spital Junction is independent of other investigations held by the rail industry or the Office of Rail and Road and will see RAIB consider the following:
- How the train was driven.
- Factors which may have influenced the driver's actions
- The condition of the signalling[7] system at the time of the incident
- The nature of reported injuries
- Underlying management factors
Once completed, RAIB will publish its findings and any safety recommendations via its website.
References
- ^ Posts tagged with Peterborough (www.railadvent.co.uk)
- ^ Posts tagged with Grand Central (www.railadvent.co.uk)
- ^ Posts tagged with Sunderland (www.railadvent.co.uk)
- ^ Posts tagged with Peterborough (www.railadvent.co.uk)
- ^ Posts tagged with Grand Central (www.railadvent.co.uk)
- ^ The 25th of May 2023 also saw RAIB provide urgent safety advice to both Network Rail and rail operators running trains via the East Coast Main Line via Peterborough station. (www.railadvent.co.uk)
- ^ Posts tagged with Signalling (www.railadvent.co.uk)