Southall rail crash
The Southall rail crash occurred on 19 September 1997, on the Great Western Main Line at Southall, West London. An InterCity 125 high speed passenger train (HST) failed to slow down in response to warning signals and collided with a freight train crossing its path, causing seven deaths and 139 injuries. The passenger train operating company had failed to inform Railtrack and the signaller that the automatic warning system (AWS), which warns drivers of adverse signals, had been turned off in the cab of the HST. As a result, the signaller set a route which would stop the HST and allow the freight train to cross in front of it. If the signaller had known that the AWS in the express was not working, he would have been prevented by the operating rules from setting a conflicting route. The HST driver did not apply the brakes until it was too late because he was packing his bag and did not see the cautionary signals. He was charged with manslaughter by gross negligence, but the charges were later dropped. Great Western Trains, whose managing director survived the crash in one of the most badly affected carriages, was fined for failure to ensure that the HST had their automatic warning system working during long journeys.
Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Southall rail crash (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).Southall rail crash
South Road, London Southall Green (London Borough of Ealing)
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Geographical coordinates (GPS)
Latitude | Longitude |
---|---|
N 51.506388888889 ° | E -0.375 ° |
Address
Platform 3
South Road
UB1 1BE London, Southall Green (London Borough of Ealing)
England, United Kingdom
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