SALISBURY TRAIN CRASH: Engineering work delayed clearance of leaves
It's thought to be the cause of the collision
An interim report into the Salisbury train crash last year has been published by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch.
It indicates that leaf mulch is still thought to be the cause of the collision, and the route hadn't been cleared that day yet.
It was scheduled to take place at 11pm on Sunday 31st October, as it was delayed by engineering works taking place between Southampton and Brockenhurst.
The collision happened at 6:43pm.
Two hundred people were on board the South Western and Great Western Railway services.
Thirteen passengers and one driver required hospital treatment when the wheels of the SWR train slipped on the tracks outside Fisherton Tunnel causing it to smash into the side of the service in front.
Analysis of the tracks after the collision found that "many areas had a medium or heavy level of contamination" by crushed leaves.
It's suggested that this meant the SWR train could not come to a stop, despite the driver applying the brakes when it was given a red signal.
The train slid 191 metres past the signal until it hit the side of the GWR service at a junction, at a speed of between 52 and 56 mph.
As well as the 14 people who were taken to hospital, the crash also caused major damage to the trains and the railway infrastructure.
Rail services through Salisbury did not fully resume for 16 days while repairs took place.
The full investigation will consider a number of factors, including:
• Consider the behaviour of both trains during and following the collision and the damage caused to each
• Consider the actions taken on the day of the accident to manage the risk of low adhesion given the time of year and prevailing weather conditions
• Consider the actions of the driver of 1L53 and any factors which may have influenced them
• Consider South Western Railway’s policies and processes relating to operating trains in conditions of low wheel/rail adhesion including the dissemination and responses to information
• Consider Network Rail’s policies and processes relating to low wheel/rail adhesion and how it managed the risk of low adhesion in the Salisbury area