Ladbroke Grove rail crash

Details
Date and time:	5 October 1999 08:08
Location:	Ladbroke Grove
Rail line:	Great Western Main Line
Cause:	Signal passed at danger
Statistics
Trains:	2
Passengers:
Deaths:	31
Injuries:	523
List of UK rail accidents by year

The Ladbroke Grove rail crash (also known as the Paddington train crash) was an English rail accident which occurred on 5 October 1999 in which thirty-one people died. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (500x662, 42 KB) Source Cover of Cullen (2000). ... October 5 is the 278th day of the year (279th in Leap years). ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Categories: Rail stubs | British railway lines ... Two-aspect signal at danger In railway terminology, a Signal Passed At Danger or SPAD describes an event where a train has run beyond its allocated signal block without authority, as indicated by a lineside signal showing danger. ... This lists railway accidents in Britain sorted by death toll. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi   - Water (%) Population... The list includes some terrorist bombings. ... October 5 is the 278th day of the year (279th in Leap years). ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

The disaster occurred at 08:08 and 58 seconds BST, when a three-car Class 165 diesel multiple unit train operated by Thames Trains collided with a High Speed Train (8 coaches with a diesel power car at each end) of First Great Western at Ladbroke Grove Junction, about two miles / 4 km west of the terminus at London Paddington station. The trains collided almost head-on at the junction with a combined closing speed of approximately 130 mph / 205 km/h. Time zones of Europe: Dark colours indicate countries observing daylight saving British Summer Time (BST), known in Ireland as Irish Summer Time (IST), is the changing of the clocks in effect in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland between the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in... Class 165/1, no. ... DMU, type SA108 of Great Poland Voivodship in Poznań, Poland German DMU of class 628 A diesel multiple unit (DMU) is a train whose carriages have their own motors powered by a diesel engine. ... Thames Trains was a British railway company franchised (from September 1996, following the privatisation of British Rail, until 31 March 2004) to run regional and suburban trains from London Paddington station to destinations in the home counties west of London (also to Worcester, Hereford and Stratford-upon-Avon), as well... This Virgin Trains High Speed Train is shown here running along the Dawlish sea-front. ... A locomotive (from Latin loco motivus) is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train, and has no payload capacity of its own; its sole purpose is to move the train along the tracks. ... First Great Western is a British train operating company owned by First Group, which operates services principally on the Great Western Main Line. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom. ... Paddington Station, March 2005 during rush hour Paddington station or London Paddington station is a major National Rail and London Underground station complex in the Paddington area of London. ...

The first car of the Thames Train, the 0806 from Paddington to Bedwyn, Wiltshire, driven by Michael Hodder, was totally destroyed on impact, and the diesel fuel carried by this train at the start of its daily journey ignited, causing a series of separate fires in the wreckage, particularly in coach H at the front of the HST, which was completely burnt out. 31 people were killed as a result of the incident, including the drivers of both trains, 227 people were hospitalised and 296 people were treated at the site of the crash for minor injuries. Great Bedwyn is a village and civil parish in the east of the English county of Wiltshire. ... Wiltshire (abbreviated Wilts) is a large southern English county. ...

Cause

The immediate cause of the disaster was identified as Driver Hodder passing signal SN109 when it was showing a red aspect (technically known as a Signal Passed At Danger or SPAD), 563 metres before the impact point. However, the public inquiry conducted over the next year by Lord Cullen identified many contributory factors, blaming Thames Trains' driver training procedures (Driver Hodder had only qualified two months earlier), and Railtrack's Great Western Zone (who were responsible for the maintenance of the track and signalling) who had not taken appropriate action in view of the fact that there had been eight SPADs at signal SN109 in the preceding six years (although all those trains stopped before reaching the junction), or taken sufficient action in response to complaints from train drivers about the visibility of various signals, particularly SN109. Two-aspect signal at danger In railway terminology, a Signal Passed At Danger or SPAD describes an event where a train has run beyond its allocated signal block without authority, as indicated by a lineside signal showing danger. ... William Douglas Cullen, Baron Cullen of Whitekirk, PC (born 18 November 1935), is Scotlands most senior judge. ... Railtrack was a group of companies which owned the tracks, signals, tunnels, bridges, level crossings and some stations of the British railway system from its formation in April 1994 until 2002. ...

The Health and Safety Executive's HM Railway Inspectorate was also criticised for its inspection procedures, and the Railtrack signalling centre staff at Slough were criticised for not sending a radio "emergency all stop" signal immediately when it was realised that the Thames Train had passed a signal at danger. They were expecting the train to stop shortly after the signal as had happened with the earlier SPADs at that signal, and it is not known if the radio signal eventually sent was received before the impact 33 seconds later. Finally, the system did not provide flank protection; points ahead could have been set as a default to divert an overrunning train to a parallel line instead of into a head-on collision. (Hall 2003) The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), reporting to the Health and Safety Commission, is the British government body responsible for the regulation of risks to health and safety in the UK. It was created as a result of the Health and Safety at Work, etc, Act 1974, and has since... HM Railway Inspectorate (HMRI: his/her Majestys Railway Inspectorate) is the British government body responsible for overseeing safety on Britains railways, tramways, trolley bus and other guided transport systems. ... Slough (pronounced ) is a town and unitary authority (Borough of Slough) in the county of Berkshire in the south of England. ...

The disaster site

The disaster occurred at the point where the main line from London to South Wales and the West of England switches from two lines in each direction, carrying fast and slow trains, to multiple lines signalled to allow trains to travel in either direction, in and out of the platforms of Paddington Station. The track layout had been modified in this way by British Rail in the early 1990s, but the line had subsequently been electrified to allow the new Heathrow Express service to operate from 1994, and the new overhead power lines obstructed the view of various signals. Signal SN109 had a particularly restricted view as there was a road bridge over the railway line a few hundred metres before the gantry on which SN109, together with four other signals, was mounted. The design of signal SN109 was non-standard, in that it was shaped like a reversed "L", with the red lamp on the horizontal arm rather than below the other lenses as is standard, and it is thought that this, together with the bright sun rising in the east behind the train and shining directly into the signal lenses may have misled the inexperienced Driver Hodder into thinking that the signal was showing a proceed aspect. The On-Train Data Recorder showed that he had reacted correctly to earlier caution signals. Logo of British Rail British Railways (BR), later rebranded as British Rail, ran the British railway system from the nationalisation of the Big Four British railway companies in 1948 until its privatisation in stages between 1994 and 1997. ... Heathrow Express is a train service from Heathrow Airport to Paddington in central London operated by the Heathrow Express Operating Authority - a wholly-owned subsidiary of BAA. The service is not part of the National Rail system, despite part of its journey sharing track with National Rail trains and terminating...

This was the second major accident on the Great Western Main Line in just over two years, the other being the Southall rail crash of September 1997, just a few miles further west, and this severely damaged public confidence in the safety of Britain's privatised railway system. The Southall rail crash occurred on September 19, 1997, on the Great Western Railway line at Southall, west London. ... The United Kingdom consists of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and previously consisted of Great Britain and the whole of Ireland. ...

On 5 April 2004, Thames Trains was fined a record £2,000,000 for violations of health and safety law in connection with this accident. April 5 is the 95th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (96th in leap years). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Signal SN109 was brought back into service in February 2006. [1]

List of fatalities

The following people lost their lives in the Ladbroke Grove disaster:

Charlotte Andersen, 32, from Stillwater, OK, USA, resident in London, international products manager.

Derek Antonowitz, 25, from South Africa, resident in Willesden Green, London, computer consultant.

Anthony Beeton, 47, Civil Servant in the Northern Ireland Office.

Ola Bratlie, 26, from Gavdik, Norway, telecommunications engineer.

Roger Brown, 44, from east London, software engineer.

Jennifer Carmichael, 22, from Newbury, Berkshire, bar worker.

Brian Cooper, 52, from Hayes, west London, (Driver of the HST)

Robert Cotton, 41, of Dursley, Gloucestershire, school caretaker and trade union official.

Sam Di Lieto, 24, from Bloomsbury, central London.

Shaun Donoghue, 45, of New Cross, south east London, statistician.

Neil Dowse, 39, from Forest Hill, London, sheet-metal worker.

Cyril Elliott, 41, from Beckenham, south east London, management consultant.

Fiona Grey, 33, from Dumbarton, IT consultant.

Juliet Groves, 27, from Shepherd's Bush, west London, accountant.

Sun Yoon Hah, 25, of London, barrister.

Michael Hodder, 31, from Reading, Berkshire, (Driver of the Thames Train)

Elaine Kellow, 24, of Paddington, IT worker.

Martin King, company director.

Antonio Lacovara, 24, from Hither Green, London, graphic designer.

Rasak Ladipo, 33, from Muswell Hill, London, computer expert.

Matthew Macaulay, 26, from New Zealand living in Clapham, S. London, information technician.

Delroy Manning, 39, from Lewisham, plasterer.

John Northcott, 24, from Leyton, east London, IT worker.

John Raisin, 61, from Painswick, Gloucestershire, recruitment consultant.

David Roberts, 35, of Swindon, Wiltshire.

Allan Stewart, 28, from Auckland, New Zealand, resident in Fulham, accountant.

Khawar Tauheed, 44, from Romford, east London, microbiologist.

Muthulingam Thayaparan, 26, of Tooting, south London.

Andrew Thompson, 52, from Colchester, Essex.

Bryan Tompson, 61, from Cirencester, Gloucestershire, freelance engineer.

Simon Wood, 40, from Liss, Hampshire, charity project worker.

Eugene is a city in [Lane County, Oregon| lane County]], Oregon, United States. ... Willesden Green tube station is a London Underground station at Willesden. ... Motto: (French for God and my right)2 Anthem: UK: God Save the Queen Regional: (De facto) Londonderry Air Capital Belfast Largest city Belfast Official language(s) English (De facto), Irish, Ulster Scots 3 Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Office suspended... Newbury is the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in the United Kingdom. ... Hayes is a town in the London Borough of Hillingdon. ... Arms of the former Dursley Rural District Council Dursley is a market town in Gloucestershire, England. ... Gloucestershire (pronounced ; GLOSS-ter-sher) is a county in South West England. ... The Bloomsbury, a corner pub Bloomsbury is an area of central London, in the London Borough of Camden. ... New Cross is a district on the north tip of the London Borough of Lewisham. ... View from the top of Forest Hill. ... Beckenham is a town in the London Borough of Bromley. ... Dumbarton (Dùn Breatainn in Scottish Gaelic) is a burgh in Scotland, lying on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. ... Shepherds Bush is a district of West London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, situated 4. ... Reading is a town and unitary authority (the Borough of Reading) in the English county of Berkshire. ... Hither Green is part of the London Borough of Lewisham. ... Muswell Hill is an area in the London Borough of Haringey in London, England. ... Clapham is a neighbourhood in the London Borough of Wandsworth, South London. ... Lewisham is an area within the London Borough of Lewisham in south-east London. ... Leyton is a town in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. ... Location within the British Isles Painswick Beacon, and part of the view from it. ... Gloucestershire (pronounced ; GLOSS-ter-sher) is a county in South West England. ... Swindon is a large town in the South West of England. ... Wiltshire (abbreviated Wilts) is a large southern English county. ... Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest urban area in New Zealand. ... Fulham is a district in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham located 3. ... Romford is a town in East London, England. ... Tooting is a suburb in the London Borough of Wandsworth in south London. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Map sources for Cirencester at grid reference SP023020 Cirencester is a market town in Gloucestershire, England, 93 miles (150 km) west northwest of London. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Dramatisation

On 20 September 2005, Derailed, a 90-minute documentary-drama programme based on the events at Ladbroke Grove, was aired on BBC1. This dramatisation was heavily criticised in the railway press, with the editor of Rail magazine (Nigel Harris) describing it as a "trashy piece of subjective story-telling" (issue 523). The programme itself clearly stated that the chronology of actual events had been changed, and some scenes fabricated, to "add clarity". September 20 is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... BBC One (or BBC1 as it was formerly styled) is the oldest United Kingdom, and indeed, the world. ...

External links

• Ladbroke Grove Rail Inquiry Part 1 Report (3 MB pdf file) - Description of the accident and investigation
• Ladbroke Grove Rail Inquiry Part 2 Report (1.3 MB pdf file) - Recommendations
• Health and Safety Executive Report (4.2 MB pdf file)
• Paddington Survivors Group - Website of the Paddington Survivors Group, which campaigned for better rail safety and supports survivors.
• Stop at Signal 109 - a website which lambasted Great Western Trains

References

Hall, Stanley (2003). Beyond Hidden Dangers: Railway Safety into the 21st Century. Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-2915-6..