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Croydon tram service reopens a week after derailment

The Croydon tram service has reopened, just over a week after the derailment in which seven people died.

Investigators have said the tram was travelling at three-and-a-half times the speed limit when the crash happened near the Sandilands stop.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said the tram, which was carrying about 60 people, was doing 43.5mph in a 12mph zone.

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Croydon tram service reopens a week after derailment

Croydon tram service reopens. Credit: PA

The Croydon tram service has reopened, just over a week after the derailment in which seven people died.

Investigators have said the tram was travelling at three-and-a-half times the speed limit when the crash happened near the Sandilands stop.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said the tram, which was carrying about 60 people, was doing 43.5mph in a 12mph zone.

In its interim report, it said there was no evidence of any track defects, or obstructions on the track.

The investigation also found no malfunction of the braking system.

The tram derailed on Wednesday morning last week, shortly after coming out of a tunnel with a 50mph speed limit.

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TfL: Temporary speed restrictions on Croydon tram

Transport for London has imposed temporary speed restrictions on the area of track near the Croydon tram crash.

TfL: Temporary speed restrictions on Croydon tram. Credit: RAIB

Our engineers have now repaired all track and other equipment and have run trams over the repaired section.

We will follow the RAIB’s advice and, before service is resumed, will implement additional temporary speed restrictions and associated signage near Sandilands to supplement existing safety arrangements.

We are continuing to carry out a thorough safety assessment and are taking the advice of an independent panel of tram experts. We will only resume services for the local community once that rigorous assurance process has been completed.

– Mike Brown MVO, London’s Transport Commissioner

Croydon tram was travelling 3.5 times the speed limit

Croydon tram was traveling three times speed limit. Credit: ITV

The Croydon tram was traveling three times the speed limit when it derailed, a report has revealed.

Our interim report sets out what we found during our site examination and in the days that followed. The tram was travelling at 70km/h (43.5 mph) on a curve with a speed limit of 20km/h (12.5 mph). We have found no evidence of track defects or obstructions and our initial investigation does not indicate any malfunction of the tram’s braking system.

We have issued urgent safety advice to reduce the risk of trams approaching Sandilands Junction at excessive speed.

Our ongoing detailed investigation will now look at the wider context of the accident, including the sequence of events, the way the tram was driven, the infrastructure and how people received their injuries. We will also be looking into previous occurrences of over-speeding in this area and underlying management issues.

– Chief Inspector of Rail Accidents, Simon French

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has published an interim report into the tram crash near Sandilands Junction, Croydon on November 9.

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Police investigate Facebook posts over Croydon Tram crash

Police investigate Facebook posts over Croydon Tram crash. Credit: PA

British Transport Police said a Facebook post from last week which said that a tram "lifted onto one side at 40 mph" near the same location as the crash "will now form one of our lines of inquiry".

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has launched a witness appeal. Anyone who was on the tram or has information relevant to the accident is asked to complete an incident report form on the RAIB's website. An interim report into what happened will be published by the RAIB next week, with a final report, including any safety recommendations, coming at the conclusion of the investigation.

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