Southall rail crash
Encyclopedia
The Southall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 19 September 1997, on the Great Western Main Line
at Southall
, west London
. Seven people were killed and 139 injured.
passenger train from Swansea
to London Paddington, worked by power cars 43173 + 43163 and operating with a defective Automatic Warning System
(AWS), went through a red signal (SPAD
) and collided with a freight train leaving its depot shortly before 13:20 local time.
If the AWS equipment on the High Speed Train
(HST) passenger train had been working, the chance of the accident occurring would have been very substantially reduced, though not completely eliminated, since the AWS is only an advisory system. The driver's attention had been distracted and he did not observe the preceding signals visually but AWS would have given him a clear audible warning. Automatic train protection equipment would have almost certainly prevented the accident. The train was fitted with ATP
but this was also switched off. At the time of the accident, the ATP equipment was not required to be switched on and had proved troublesome in service, and drivers were not required to be trained on it.
, the train operating company First Great Western
now requires all its HST trains to have ATP switched on (if the equipment is faulty the train is taken out of service).
The passenger train driver, Larry Harrison, was initially charged with manslaughter but the case was dropped. His employer, Great Western Trains
, was fined £1.5 million for not having a system to ensure high speed trains were not operated for long journeys with AWS inoperative.
The action of the signalman in giving the freight train precedence over the HST with the faulty AWS has been criticised. However, this was a perfectly standard and safe manoeuvre; the signaller would not have been aware that the HST's AWS was switched off or that the driver of the passenger train would ignore the signals indicating he should stop. The key point, as identified in the report, was that drivers had become increasingly reliant on AWS with single-manning and high speeds, and that it was no longer acceptable to run trains at full speed if the equipment was inoperative. Operating rules were changed accordingly.
Power car 43173 was scrapped, having sustained heavy damage during the accident.
Great Western Main Line
The Great Western Main Line is a main line railway in Great Britain that runs westwards from London Paddington station to the west of England and South Wales. The core Great Western Main Line runs from London Paddington to Temple Meads railway station in Bristol. A major branch of the Great...
at Southall
Southall
Southall is a large suburban district of west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross. Neighbouring places include Yeading, Hayes, Hanwell, Heston, Hounslow, Greenford and Northolt...
, west London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Seven people were killed and 139 injured.
Incident
The crash occurred after the 10:32 Great Western TrainsGreat Western Trains
Great Western Trains was a UK train company created in the mid 1990s as part of the privatisation of British Rail. It was one of the first two passenger companies to be privatised, passing into private ownership along with South West Trains on 4 February 1996....
passenger train from Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
to London Paddington, worked by power cars 43173 + 43163 and operating with a defective Automatic Warning System
Automatic Warning System
The Automatic Warning System is a form of limited cab signalling and train protection system introduced in 1956 in the United Kingdom to help train drivers observe and obey signals. It was based on a 1930 system developed by Alfred Ernest Hudd and marketed as the "Strowger-Hudd" system...
(AWS), went through a red signal (SPAD
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:...
) and collided with a freight train leaving its depot shortly before 13:20 local time.
If the AWS equipment on the High Speed Train
High Speed Train
There are three types of trains in Britain that have been traditionally viewed as high speed trains:* Advanced Passenger Train - Tilting trains which never entered into regular revenue-earning service....
(HST) passenger train had been working, the chance of the accident occurring would have been very substantially reduced, though not completely eliminated, since the AWS is only an advisory system. The driver's attention had been distracted and he did not observe the preceding signals visually but AWS would have given him a clear audible warning. Automatic train protection equipment would have almost certainly prevented the accident. The train was fitted with ATP
Automatic Train Protection
Automatic Train Protection in Great Britain refers to either of two implementations of a train protection system installed in some trains in order to help prevent collisions through a driver's failure to observe a signal or speed restriction...
but this was also switched off. At the time of the accident, the ATP equipment was not required to be switched on and had proved troublesome in service, and drivers were not required to be trained on it.
Aftermath
Following this accident and the Ladbroke Grove rail crashLadbroke Grove rail crash
The Ladbroke Grove Rail Crash was a rail accident which occurred on 5 October 1999 at Ladbroke Grove, London, England. Thirty-one people were killed and more than 520 injured...
, the train operating company First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
now requires all its HST trains to have ATP switched on (if the equipment is faulty the train is taken out of service).
The passenger train driver, Larry Harrison, was initially charged with manslaughter but the case was dropped. His employer, Great Western Trains
Great Western Trains
Great Western Trains was a UK train company created in the mid 1990s as part of the privatisation of British Rail. It was one of the first two passenger companies to be privatised, passing into private ownership along with South West Trains on 4 February 1996....
, was fined £1.5 million for not having a system to ensure high speed trains were not operated for long journeys with AWS inoperative.
The action of the signalman in giving the freight train precedence over the HST with the faulty AWS has been criticised. However, this was a perfectly standard and safe manoeuvre; the signaller would not have been aware that the HST's AWS was switched off or that the driver of the passenger train would ignore the signals indicating he should stop. The key point, as identified in the report, was that drivers had become increasingly reliant on AWS with single-manning and high speeds, and that it was no longer acceptable to run trains at full speed if the equipment was inoperative. Operating rules were changed accordingly.
Power car 43173 was scrapped, having sustained heavy damage during the accident.
External links
- BBC News On this day article
- Health and Safety Commission report by Professor John Uff published 24 February 2000. 14 MB pdf file.
- Report by the Health and Safety ExecutiveHealth and Safety ExecutiveThe Health and Safety Executive is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom. It is the body responsible for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare, and for research into occupational risks in England and Wales and Scotland...
on progress made on the recommendations of the original report (February 2002). 333 kB pdf file. - Danger Ahead! Southall 1997