‘Life-changing injuries’ sustained by train driver
ATRAIN driver involved in a crash in the Westcountry at the weekend suffered “lifechanging injuries”, police have said.
Two trains collided on the approach to a tunnel in Salisbury, Wiltshire, at around 6.45pm on Sunday. The driver of a Devon-bound South Western Railway (SWR) train, who was seriously injured, had to be rescued after being trapped in his cab.
British Transport Police (BTP) said yesterday afternoon: “Thirteen people were taken to hospital by ambulance, where they have received treatment for minor injuries. One remains there.
“Unfortunately, the driver of the train was more seriously injured and his injuries are believed to be lifechanging. He also remains in hospital in a stable condition this morning, and his family have been informed.”
BTP said the SWR train running from London to Honiton struck the side of a Great Western Railway (GWR) service from Southampton to Cardiff as they both entered Fisherton Tunnel. This caused the SWR train to derail, tipping its rear carriages on to their sides.
The crash happened at a Y-shaped rail junction, as the trains approached the tunnel in the same direction but on separate tracks. A rail industry source has told the Press Association the trains collided at the point where the tracks converge. Previous crashes in similar circumstances have been caused by a variety of reasons, such as signalling failures, trains passing through stop lights, and train brakes struggling due to leaf fall.
A total of 92 passengers were on the trains involved in the Salisbury incident. It was initially believed that a carriage of one train derailed after hitting an object, with the second train crashing into it after signalling was damaged, but this version of events has been denied.
BTP Detective Chief Inspector Paul Langley said: “This will no doubt have been an incredibly frightening experience for all those involved and our thoughts are with them and their families today. Specialist officers and detectives remain on scene in Salisbury and we are working closely alongside the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) and the Office of Rail and Road to establish exactly how these two trains came to collide.
“We are keeping an open mind but at this early stage there has been nothing to suggest the train struck an object or that there was any significant delay between the trains colliding and then one derailing.”
Railway engineer Gareth Dennis said the purpose of signals is to “stop one train hitting another”, and the fact that has not happened “means that there has been there has been a breakdown somewhere”.
Network Rail said there has been “lots of contradictory information about what led to the collision”, adding that “speculation in the immediate aftermath of an accident rarely proves to stand up to the rigour of the calm and professional investigation that follows”.
A Downing Street spokesman said the Prime Minister’s thoughts “remain with those who were affected by the incident”, adding that the Government was investing to ensure Britain’s rail network remains “one of the safest in the world”.
National Rail Enquiries said most of the lines serving the Wiltshire city are blocked and “will remain closed until at least the end of the day on Thursday”. This is affecting GWR services on the route linking Cardiff and Bristol with Portsmouth and Brighton. SWR routes are also affected, such as London Waterloo to Exeter, Bristol to Salisbury and Southampton to Salisbury. Passengers are urged not to travel on the affected parts of the network.