Passengers thrown out of their seats after 'driver error' on speeding train

Passengers were thrown from their seats on a speeding train after a dramatic driver error, a new report has claimed.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has released its report into the 'overspeed' at Spital Junction in Peterborough on May 4 2023. An investigation found the excess speed was caused by the driver of the train not reacting appropriately to a signal indication they had received on the approach to the junction. At around 1pm on May 4, 2023, the 9.54am Sunderland to London King's Cross Grand Central service passed over three sets of points forming part of Spital Junction at excessive speed.

The report said: "The maximum permitted speed over the junction, which is to the north of Peterborough station, is initially 30 mph (48 km/h) reducing to 25 mph (40 km/h). The data recorder from the train indicated that the points had been traversed at a speed of 66 mph (106 km/h)."

"The speed of the train over the junction resulted in sudden sideways movements of the coaches. This led to some passengers being thrown from their seats, with some receiving minor injuries."

READ MORE: 'Hydrating' £15 toner loved by Emily in Paris star and Zendaya leaves skin 'glowing'

"RAIB's investigation found that the overspeeding was caused by the driver of the train not reacting appropriately to the signal indication they had received on the approach to the junction. This signal was indicating that the train was to take a diverging route ahead which had a lower speed limit than the straight-ahead route.", reports Cambridgeshire Live.

"The driver's expectation was that the train was being routed straight ahead and their application of driving awareness skills was not sufficient to overcome that expectation."

The report continued, saying that the speed at junctions depends on how quickly a driver can react to signal information. It said that the system "places the reliance on drivers correctly observing and responding to all the information given by the signal", which was a "factor in this incident".

No damage was caused to the train, which was travelling from Newcastle to London King's Cross, however a RAIB report published on Monday (July 10) said the train was "close to a speed that would have led to it overturning". It added it was likely "some of the wheels of the vehicles lifted off the rails" - and that around half the passenger injuries had been caused by falling luggage.

After the incident the train stopped at Peterborough, which was not a scheduled stop. Lumo considered getting the passengers off the train, however an off-duty driver was on the train and drove it on to London.

Andrew Hall, Chief Inspector of Rail Accidents said: "An underlying factor behind this incident was that neither Network Rail nor the East Coast Main Line train operators effectively controlled the risk of overspeeding at Spital Junction both at the time the protecting signal's operation was changed in 2014 and following the previous incident in 2022. During the 2022 incident a train crossed the 30 mph limited junction at around 76 mph; a speed at which it is likely that some wheels lifted off the rails and close to a speed that could have caused the train to overturn.

"Thankfully a serious accident had been very narrowly avoided but 13 months later, in this incident, the same junction was crossed at 66 mph in similar circumstances. This, once again, reinforces why learning from previous accidents and incidents and taking effective action in response to them is a vital means of improving safety and avoiding repeating mistakes of the past.

"The fact that the management of risks associated with an incident may be shared between more than one party does not alter this."