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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 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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Croydon tram service reopens a week after derailment

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