The train derailed in the Ufton Nervet crash On 6 November 2004 at 18:12 GMT, the 17:35 First Great Western departure from London Paddington to Plymouth hit a stationary car with the driver inside at an automatic level crossing, located close to the rural Berkshire village of Ufton Nervet.
The rear of the 220m HST set came to rest approximately 100 metres beyond the crossing with all eight passenger carriages derailing. Six people were killed in the crash, including the car's driver, the driver of the train, and four of its passengers. One passenger subsequently died in a hospital, resulting in a total of seven fatalities. Approximately 300 people were on board at the time of the incident, with around half of these injured, including twelve serious injuries. Eleven people had to be cut free from the wreckage.
The accident, investigation and necessary repairs blocked the main railway route between London and the West Country until the morning of 16 November, operating under temporary speed restrictions to allow the bedding in of ballast. In the meantime inter-city trains operated via Swindon and Westbury and local services were replaced by rail and bus shuttles.
Background
In Britain, fully automatic "half barrier" level crossings are used on quiet roads where rail linespeed is less than 100MPH. These are unmonitored and are designed so that a car cannot get accidentally trapped behind a forward barrier. This also allows a person to attempt to "zig zag" around the barriers onto the track, usually in an attempt to save time. On busier roads, bridges or tunnels are preferred, or where this would be prohibitively expensive, a full barrier crossing is built. These are always monitored by CCTV, or less often in person, and the facing barriers are only closed once all cars have cleared the line.
Investigation
A joint investigation has begun between Thames Valley Police and the British Transport Police. A preliminary health and safety executive report has indicated that the car stopped on the level crossing prior to any warnings, and failed to react to the barrier alarm sequence. A minor deflection of the stationary car to one side by the train derailed the forward bogie, which continued to travel at about 25° to the rails until reaching points at the start of a passing loop. The power car at this point fully derailed, causing the remainder of the train to also slip the points.
In the absence of information from the investigation, local and press speculation has centred on the theory that Bryan Drysdale, the car's driver, may have parked on the level crossing in order to commit suicide, because there is no evidence of any attempt to move or exit the car. However there is no published hard evidence to support this theory, and some of the speculation gives the impression of being more motivated by homophobia than an attempt to find the truth.
List of the deceased
- Bryan Drysdale, 48, of Reading, Berkshire (the car driver)
- Louella Main, 9, of Speen, Berkshire (the daughter of Anjanette Rossi)
- Stanley Martin, 54, of Torquay, Devon (the train driver)
- Charlie Matthews, 72, of Warminster, Wiltshire
- Anjanette Rossi, 38, of Speen, Berkshire (the mother of Louella Main)
- Barry Stevens, 55, of Wells, Somerset
- Emily Webster, 14, of Moretonhampstead, Devon
Location
The accident occurred at a level crossing, located on the narrow lane linking the village of Ufton Nervet to the Bath Road (A4) and about 300 metres from the junction of the lane with the main road. In railway terms, the crossing is located between the stations of Theale and Aldermaston, although both of these are local stations not stopped at by the train involved.
Grid reference: SU616687 (http://getamap.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/getamap/frames.htm?mapAction=gaz&gazName=g&gazString=SU616687)
See also
References
|
