Glasgow Bellgrove rail crash
Encyclopedia
On 6 March 1989 two Class 303
commuter trains crashed on the Springburn branch of the North Clyde Line
, just east of Bellgrove station
in the East End of Glasgow
, Scotland. One passenger and the driver of one of the trains were killed.
The accident was of a type known as "ding-ding, and away
"; caused primarily by a Signal passed at danger
(SPAD) in conjunction with the single-lead junction track layout, where two lines converged into one just beyond the platform end and then diverged again - a layout which is simpler to maintain but is vulnerable in the event of a SPAD. This type of junction has been implicated in other accidents, notably to the south east of Glasgow in the Newton rail accident just a couple of years later.
British Rail Class 303
The British Rail Class 303 electric multiple units, also known as "Blue Train" units, were introduced in 1960 for the electrification of the North Clyde and the Cathcart Circle lines in Strathclyde...
commuter trains crashed on the Springburn branch of the North Clyde Line
North Clyde Line
The North Clyde Line is a suburban railway in West Central Scotland. The route is operated by First ScotRail, on behalf of Transport Scotland...
, just east of Bellgrove station
Bellgrove railway station
Bellgrove Railway Station is a railway station in the East End of Glasgow, Scotland. The station is east of and is managed by First ScotRail....
in the East End of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Scotland. One passenger and the driver of one of the trains were killed.
The accident was of a type known as "ding-ding, and away
Ding-ding, and away
Ding-ding, and away is a slang expression used by the UK Media and railway enthusiasts to describe an incident in the British railway industry where a train driver is incorrectly given a bell code or green flag telling him to start the train despite the platform starting signal being at danger, and...
"; caused primarily by a Signal passed at danger
Signal passed at danger
A Signal passed at danger , in British railway terminology, occurs when a train passes a stop signal without authority to do so. It is a term primarily used within the British Railway Industry, although it can be applied worldwide.-Categories of SPAD:...
(SPAD) in conjunction with the single-lead junction track layout, where two lines converged into one just beyond the platform end and then diverged again - a layout which is simpler to maintain but is vulnerable in the event of a SPAD. This type of junction has been implicated in other accidents, notably to the south east of Glasgow in the Newton rail accident just a couple of years later.