Investigation launched after speeding train causes injuries to passengers near Peterborough

An investigation has been launched after a speeding train left a number of passengers injured at a junction close to Peterborough.

At around 1pm on May 4, the 9.54am service, between Sunderland and King’s Cross, passed over three sets of points at Spital junction, on the northern approach to Peterborough, at close to 65mph.

The train was operated by Grand Central.

The maximum speed at the junction is 30mph, which then lowers to 25mph.

The excess speed of the train led it to lean sideways, resulting in a number of minor injuries being sustained by passengers, with some being thrown from their seats.

The train subsequently came to a stop at Peterborough station under emergency braking but this was not a scheduled stop on its journey.

It had been approaching the station on a fast line, before being routed onto a slower line via the points where the overspeed occurred.

The train did not derail during the incident, and subsequent inspections found that no damage was caused to the infrastructure of the railway or to the train.

The investigation will be handled by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch and will seek to identify the sequence of events that led to it.

This will include the way the train was driven, any factor that may have influenced the actions of the driver of the train, the condition of the signalling system at the time, the nature of the reported injuries, any underlying management factors.