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Hither Green rail crash

1967 disasters in the United Kingdom1967 in LondonAccidents and incidents involving British RailDerailments in EnglandHistory of the London Borough of Lewisham
November 1967 events in the United KingdomRailway accidents and incidents in LondonRailway accidents in 1967Robin GibbTransport in the London Borough of Lewisham

On 5 November 1967, a busy Sunday evening train service from Hastings to London Charing Cross derailed near the Hither Green maintenance depot in London, between Hither Green and Grove Park railway stations. Of the twelve coaches, many full of standing passengers, eleven were derailed and four turned onto their sides, resulting in 49 fatalities and 78 injuries. It is Britain's sixth worst rail disaster in terms of death toll, and has not been surpassed since. The derailment was found to be due to a broken rail. The Ministry of Transport report criticised the maintenance of the line, especially following a recent increase of the maximum speed of trains over the route. Following the accident the maintenance of the line was improved and plans accelerated for replacing jointed track by continuous welded rail.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Hither Green rail crash (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

Hither Green rail crash
St. Mildred's Road, London Hither Green (London Borough of Lewisham)

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Wikipedia: Hither Green rail crashContinue reading on Wikipedia

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N 51.445277777778 ° E 0.0055555555555556 °
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St. Mildred's Road Bridge

St. Mildred's Road
SE12 0RG London, Hither Green (London Borough of Lewisham)
England, United Kingdom
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