Tram travelling more than three times speed limit

A tram that crashed in south London killing seven people was travelling at more than three times the speed limit when it derailed, accident investigators said.

The data recorder showed the vehicle was doing about 44mph in Croydon as it entered a sharp bend with a 12mph limit, according to an interim report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB).

Investigators found no evidence of track defects or a malfunction of the tram’s braking system.

The RAIB gave no indication why the vehicle was speeding.

Around 60 passengers where on the twocarriage tram approaching Sandilands Junction when it came off the tracks, overturned and slid for 25 metres.

The investigation could be hampered as the RAIB revealed that the Bombardier-built vehicle’s CCTV system does not appear to have been working.