Speeding train driver 'did not react appropriately' as Peterborough passengers 'thrown from seats'

A train driver did not react appropriately to a signal on the approach to a junction that he drove through at double the speed limit, an accident report has found.

Grand Central's Sunderland to King's Cross train approached Peterborough station at around 65mph on 4 May 2023.

This was over double the speed limit over the three points at Spital Junction, which is 30mph, reducing to 25mph.

The train's speed resulted in passengers being "thrown from seats", resulting in a number of "minor injuries."

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch report found the driver did not react appropriately to a signal that indicated the train was taking a diverging route ahead.

This had a lower speed limit than the straight-ahead route and the driver said he had expected the train to be going straight ahead.

The RAIB also found that Network Rail and East Coast Main Line train operators had not controlled the risk of overspeeding at the junction at the time the signal’s operation was changed in 2013.

The May 2023 incident followed a previous overspeeding incident at the same location in April 2022, where a passenger train was close to overturning.

Andrew Hall, Chief Inspector of Rail Accidents said: "During the 2022 incident a train crossed the 30 mph limited junction at around 76 mph; a speed at which it is likely that some wheels lifted off the rails and close to a speed that could have caused the train to overturn.

"Thankfully a serious accident had been very narrowly avoided but thirteen months later, in this incident, the same junction was crossed at 66 mph in similar circumstances.

"This, once again, reinforces why learning from previous accidents and incidents and taking effective action in response to them is a vital means of improving safety and avoiding repeating mistakes of the past.

"The fact that the management of risks associated with an incident may be shared between more than one party does not alter this."

The RAIB has recommended that Grand Central reviews and amends its training and competence management processes for its drivers.

It also recommended that Network Rail and train operators review how they implement safety learning from accidents and incidents.

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