Train driver who caused crash in Bromsgrove while texting 'could have killed someone'

A train driver who caused a crash with a passenger train while texting on his mobile phone 'could have killed someone'.

Mark Hubble was driving a CrossCountry freight train while sending and receiving messages on his phone throughout the journey, on 23 March 2020 - the start of lockdown, when passenger numbers had dropped dramatically .

After entering the siding at Bromsgrove station, Hubble 'lost concentration' due to looking at a picture message and failed to slow down the train.

It hit the buffer stops, derailed and partially blocked the main line.

A CrossCountry passenger train travelling through Bromsgrove station then struck Hubble’s locomotive.

Six people were on board the passenger train - due to lockdown restrictions.

Nobody was injured in the collision but there was extensive damage to both the locomotive and the passenger train.

Hubble was found guilty of breaching Section 7a of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

He has been sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for 18 months, following a prosecution brought by the Office of Rail and Road.The prosecution said that under slightly different circumstances the incident may have had a “catastrophic outcome”.In delivering the sentence, Judge Cartwright said:

“Luckily there were only six people on board; the guard, driver and four passengers.  But for the lockdown, the train might otherwise have been carrying a good number of others.

"Alan Jones, the driver, was immediately covered in glass, his driver's door torn open. If the locomotive had derailed a little further over, this would have been a head-on collision and he would have been killed."