Passengers thrown from their seats as train speeds through junction near Peterborough

Passengers were thrown from their seats as a train was caught travelling at more than twice the speed limit near Peterborough.

At around 1pm on May 4 2023, the 09:54am Sunderland to London King’s Cross Grand Central service passed over three sets of points forming part of Spital Junction at 66mph. The maximum permitted speed over the junction, which is to the north of Peterborough station, is initially 30 mph, reducing to 25 mph.

The driver slammed on the emergency brakes after feeling the train lurching, with the vehicle coming to a stop at the platform.

An investigation from the Rail Accidents Investigation Branch (RAIB) 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.

Testing and analysis by RAIB also found that the junction indicator element of the signal may not have been as conspicuous as the main aspect of the signal at the point the driver observed and reacted to the signal.

The report also said that Network Rail and East Coast Main Line train operators had not effectively controlled the risk of overspeeding at this junction both at the time the signal’s operation was changed in 2013 and following a previous overspeeding incident at the same location in April 2022.

A similar incident occurred at the same location (RAIB report 06/2023), 13 months before this incident. Following this more recent incident, RAIB issued urgent safety advice in May 2023 to Network Rail and operators of trains on the East Coast Main Line through Peterborough station.

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 thirteen 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.”

To read the report in full, visit https://dft-newsroom.prgloo.com/news/raib-report-overspeed-at-spital-junction-peterborough