Passengers 'thrown from seats' as speeding train forced to emergency stop at Peterborough station

Passengers were thrown from their seats when a train sped towards a station at double the speed limit, an accident report found.

Grand Central's Sunderland to King's Cross train approached Peterborough station at around 65mph at around 1pm on 4 May, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said.

This was over double the permitted speed over the three points at Spital Junction, of 30mph, reducing to 25mph.

The excessive speed led to the train "lurching sideways" and passengers being thrown from their seats, resulting in a number of "minor injuries".

The driver then operated the train's emergency brakes to make an unplanned stop at Peterborough station.

It had been approaching on a fast line, before being put onto a slower line at the points on the junction, the report said.

The RAIB is investigating the incident and looking into a similar overspeed at Peterborough station that happened in April 2022.

In that case, the train approached the station at three times the 25mph speed limit, lurching sideways to cause luggage to fall from the overhead storage and throw passengers from their seats.

The RAIB has issued urgent safety advice to Network Rail and train operators at Peterborough station to take "immediate steps" to mitigate the risk.

The advice said suitable arrangements "may not be in place" to prevent similar incidents happening again.

Sean English, Chief Operating Officer for Grand Central, said: "We are aware of the incident that occurred at Spital Junction on 4 May and are currently investigating the situation further.

"Meantime, we have further briefed all our train drivers on the various restrictions on their relevant routes."

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