2021 Salisbury rail crash

2021 Salisbury rail crash
Aerial view of the crashed trains Diagram of the crash by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch
Details
Date	31 October 2021 (2021-10-31) 18:45 GMT
Location	Fisherton Tunnel 1 mi (1.6 km) north east from Salisbury
Coordinates	SU 150 309 51°04′39.2″N 1°47′08″W
Country	United Kingdom
Line	Wessex Main Line West of England Main Line
Operator	Great Western Railway South Western Railway
Owner	Network Rail
Service	Portsmouth Harbour–Bristol Temple Meads (GWR) London Waterloo–Honiton (SWR)
Incident type	Sidelong collision and derailment
Cause	Under investigation (suspected SPAD caused by low railhead adhesion)
Statistics
Trains	2
Passengers	92
Crew	4
Deaths	0
Injured	15 (1 serious)
Location diagram Wessex Main Line to Southampton West of England line to Basingstoke N S Laverstock North and South Junctions Salisbury Tunnel Junction Fisherton Tunnel Salisbury Wessex Main Line to Bristol Temple Meads West of England line to Exeter St Davids

On 31 October 2021, two trains, travelling on converging lines, collided at Salisbury Tunnel Junction, approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Salisbury railway station in Wiltshire, United Kingdom. Fifteen people, including one of the train drivers, were taken to hospital.

Incident

158762 pictured in 2021

158763 pictured in 2020

159102 pictured in 2010

On the evening of 31 October 2021, the 17:08 GWR service from Portsmouth Harbour to Bristol Temple Meads (reporting number 1F30), operated by Class 158 diesel multiple unit (DMU) formed of 158763 and 158762, was approaching Salisbury railway station at the same time as the 17:20 South Western Railway (SWR) service from London Waterloo to Honiton (1L53), served by Class 159 DMU 159102. The lines on which the two trains were travelling converge at Salisbury Tunnel Junction, at the entrance to Fisherton Tunnel. 1L53 (the SWR train) failed to stop at signal SY31, 240 yards (220 m) from Salisbury Tunnel Junction, which was displaying a red aspect.

At 18:45, the leading carriage of the SWR train collided with the side of the third of the GWR train, causing both trains to derail as they entered Fisherton Tunnel. The rear two carriages of the GWR train and front two carriages of the SWR train were derailed.

Emergency services, including Wiltshire Police and the British Transport Police, attended the scene, as did the Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service who declared a major incident. National Police Air Service and HM Coastguard despatched helicopters to the scene. The railway lines through the tunnel were closed as a result of the incident.

The accident was the first involving a collision between two moving in-service passenger trains in the United Kingdom since the Ladbroke Grove rail crash on 5 October 1999.

Passengers and crew

Of the 92 passengers on board the trains, 14 were injured. All bar one were taken by ambulance to Salisbury District Hospital. Four of those taken to hospital were admitted, with three of them being discharged later, and nine were treated for their injuries before being sent home. Thirty other people walked to a temporary casualty centre established in a local church. The driver of the SWR train was initially trapped in his cab before being freed and taken to hospital, where his injuries were described as life-changing. He was flown to Southampton General Hospital for treatment.

Aftermath

The accident closed both the Wessex Main Line and West of England Main Line, affecting services between Portsmouth Harbour and Westbury and between Basingstoke and Exeter St Davids respectively. Network Rail stated that the track at the junction required heavy refurbishment and that the track through the tunnel may also need to be relaid. Unit 158762 was the leading unit of 1F30. It was not damaged, and was removed by rail on 4 November. One of the remaining five carriages was removed from the site that day. It was lifted from the railway by a large crane and removed by road. Class 59 locomotive 59003 was used to drag the derailed carriages out of the tunnel. The A30 London Road was closed until 9 November to allow for the recovery of the carriages and for investigators to carry out their work. The line through the tunnel reopened on 16 November.

Investigations

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) deployed a team of inspectors to the scene. The Office of Rail and Road are also investigating. The British Transport Police also opened an investigation.

On 2 November the RAIB stated that initial evidence indicated that, although the SWR driver had applied the brakes, his train had failed to stop at a signal and collided with the GWR train; wheel slide, as a result of low railhead adhesion, was the most likely cause. Announcing a formal investigation on 3 November, the RAIB said that the On Train Data Recorder showed that the driver had made an emergency brake application twelve seconds after he initially applied the brakes, and that a further emergency brake demand had been made by the Train Protection & Warning System fitted to the train.

RAIB will examine how Network Rail managed the risk of loss of adhesion at the track site and also any SWR policy for preventing or mitigating wheel slip on their trains. SWR commented that its driver had acted in an "impeccable way in a valiant attempt to keep passengers safe". The West of England Line had not had a Rail Head Treatment Train over it since 29 October, although one had been scheduled to travel over the line before the accident occurred.

Reporting of the story

Initial reports of the accident, based on a leaked Network Rail log, led to highly inaccurate reporting of the accident in its immediate aftermath. The Evening Standard reported that a derailed locomotive had been left sitting duck for seven minutes after the rear carriage of a train derailed and was then run into by another train after signalling failed. Rail editor Nigel Harris pointed out that the only facts in the story were the location and services involved. The leak led to the Mail Online reporting similarly, with a "senior Network Rail manager" quoted as saying According to my system, the signalling system was aware seven minutes before impact. It should've automatically stopped the train. It should've automatically set all signals to red. If the driver didn't see the signal, the system should've made the train stop. An initial statement put out by Network Rail also contained incorrect facts. Although it was quickly corrected, Harris said that "the genie was already out of the bottle". The Network Rail log initially reported that the GWR driver had reported hitting an obstruction and derailing. The log was updated seven minutes later to record the collision, which is where the press got their "seven minutes sitting duck" scenario. Harris called for Network Rail (and its to-be successor Great British Railways) to be given responsibility for public statements of national importance. Under the current system, Train Operating Companies, the British Transport Police, and the Office of Rail and Road can all issue statements.

See also

• 1906 Salisbury rail crash