Crushed leaves thought to have caused train crash were not cleared because of engineering works

Crushed leaves suspected of causing a train crash were not cleared off the tracks because of engineering work, an investigation has found.

Thirteen passengers and one driver were injured and required hospital treatment after the wheels of a South Western Railway (SWR) train slipped on the tracks outside a tunnel near Salisbury, Wiltshire on 31 October last year.

The train smashed into the side of a Great Western Railway (GWR) service.

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An interim report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) revealed that a railhead treatment train (RHTT) was due to pass over the track less than two hours before the collision – which would have cleared the leaves using high-pressure water pumps.

The RHTTs can also use a sand-based gel to break up any remaining leaf film and assist trains in braking.

However, planned engineering work between Southampton and Brockenhurst meant its deployment was delayed. It left an interval of 36 hours between RHTT runs on that section of track.

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The previous RHTT run, on 30 October, had also not used the gel – because it was not required to do so – to increase friction on this section of track.

Analysis of the tracks found “many areas had a medium or heavy level of contamination” by crushed leaves. It is also “likely” the rails were wet at the time of the accident.

The last RHTT to pass through the crash site used water jets but did not apply gel, the RAIB said.

The SWR train was travelling at 86mph, which was below the 90mph speed limit, but when the driver applied the brakes the wheels “began to slide almost immediately”.

Its driver applied the emergency brake “but the train’s speed reduced only slowly”.

The train slid 191 metres past the signal, hitting the GWR train. Both trains continued some distance into Fisherton tunnel before they came to a stop.

The driver of the SWR train remained in the cab until he realised he could do nothing more to prevent the collision.

“When the impact occurred he was attempting to leave the cab, when he was knocked unconscious and became trapped,” the report said.

He sustained serious injuries and had to be freed from the cab by the emergency services.

Rail services through Salisbury took 16 days to resume.

A full investigation will now consider a number of factors – including Network Rail’s policies relating to the preventing of wheels slipping on rails and the regulation of trains at high-risk locations.

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