2016 Croydon tram derailment

2016 Croydon tram derailment

The derailed tram at Sandilands Junction
Location within Greater London
Location within Greater London
Date 9 November 2016
Time 06:07 GMT
Location Close to Sandilands tram stop, Croydon, London
Coordinates 51°22′27″N 0°04′31″W / 51.374205°N 0.075410°W / 51.374205; -0.075410Coordinates: 51°22′27″N 0°04′31″W / 51.374205°N 0.075410°W / 51.374205; -0.075410
Country United Kingdom
Rail line Tramlink route 3
Operator FirstGroup for Tramlink
Type of incident Derailment
Cause Excessive speed on curve; underlying causes under investigation
Statistics
Trains 1
Crew 1
Deaths 7
Injuries 58
Legend
 Routes 1, 2 & 4
 Addiscombe
 Addiscombe Road
All routes
Sandilands
 Sandilands Tunnels
 Lloyd Park
Direction
Route 3
A map of the accident scene, showing the tram lying by the southern half of a fork junction
Location where the tram came to rest
A photo of the accident site in 2010, showing a tram exiting the tunnel and entering the curve
The site of the derailment, in 2010. The tram is running towards the camera and entering the sharp curve on which the derailment occurred.

Soon after 6:00 a.m. on 9 November 2016, a tram operated by Tramlink, a light rail tram system serving Croydon and surrounding areas in South London, England, derailed and overturned on a sharp bend approaching a junction. There were seven fatalities with 58 other people injured.[1][2] It was the first tram incident in the United Kingdom in which passengers were killed since 1959.[1]

The tram was running from New Addington to Wimbledon via Croydon, and was on the approach to Sandilands tram stop.[3] A preliminary report issued a week after the accident indicated that although the speed limit approaching the junction was 20 km/h (12 mph), the tram had been travelling at 70 kilometres per hour (43 mph).[4]

Accident

The accident took place in the dark and during heavy rain at 06:07,[4] on a sharp left curve approach­ing the points where route 3 from New Addington (on which the tram was operating) converges with the line from Beckenham Junction and Elmers End.[3][5][6] The curve is located in a cutting, which comes almost immediately after the line emerges from a series of three tunnels on a 1-mile (1.6 km) straight section of track after leaving Lloyd Park tram stop. It has been described as a "sharp bend",[7] and has a 20 km/h (12 mph) speed restriction. The tram entered the curve at a speed of 70 kilometres per hour (43 mph),[4] and overturned onto its right side, falling outside the curve on which it was travelling and trapping several people inside. The tram was a Bombardier CR4000, No. 2551, which is a two-car articulated unit, and has a maximum design speed of 80 km/h (50 mph).[4]

The emergency services confirmed that 51 people were injured, and initially stated that five had been killed.[7][8] The death toll later rose to seven.[9] The victims, six men and a woman, were between 19 and 63 years old.[10] Eight of the survivors were described as having serious or life-threatening injuries.[11] It was the deadliest tram accident in the United Kingdom since an accident at Dover in 1917 killed eleven and injured 60,[12][13] and the first in the United Kingdom in which passengers were killed since 1959.[1] It is also the deadliest accident on any rail network in the UK since the 2001 Great Heck rail crash.[13]

Aftermath

The injured were taken to St George's Hospital in Tooting, and to Croydon University Hospital.[7] As well as the 51 people taken to hospital, seven more made their own way to hospital for treatment. Twenty-two ambulances,[2] eight fire engines, and over 70 firefighters from the London Fire Brigade were sent to the scene.[14] Assistance was given by Croydon Council, the Red Cross, Salvation Army and railway chaplains.[15]

FirstGroup, which operates the tram service on behalf of Transport for London (TfL), said it was "shocked and saddened by what happened."[14] An extra minute was added to the two-minute Armistice Day silence at Croydon Cenotaph.[14] TfL later made an offer to cover the funeral expenses of the victims.[16]

During the night of 10–11 November, the tram was righted in preparation for removal from the accident site,[17] and it was removed on the morning of 12 November. The tram had suffered serious damage to its right side, onto which it had overturned.[18][19]

After the accident, no services operated on the line between East Croydon and Addington Village, Harrington Road or Elmers End. Partial tram services ran between East Croydon and Wimbledon, between New Addington and Addington Village, and between Beckenham Junction and Harrington Road. Full services were reinstated on 18 November.[20][21]

Investigations

British Transport Police

The 42-year-old tram driver was arrested by the British Transport Police on suspicion of manslaughter.[9][22] After questioning, he was released on bail until May 2017.[22] According to metro.co.uk, one aspect of the police investigation is whether or not the tram driver fell asleep; and The Guardian reports that some passengers said the driver had blacked out at the controls.[23][24] A former driver suggested, to The Times, that a blackout was a possibility, due to the erratic shift patterns that the drivers had to adhere to. He also said that the vending machine at the tram depot was stocked only with energy drinks, and that "Nobody is ever fully awake; I was always in a bit of a daze and that is because the way the shifts work doesn't allow the drivers to get a regular sleep pattern."[25] Following this, multiple sources reported on a video apparently showing a different driver struggling to stay awake at the controls.[26][27] The driver concerned was suspended pending an investigation into the matter.[28]

Office of Rail and Road

The Office of Rail and Road opened its own investigation into the accident, concentrating on whether or not safety rules were followed.[16] They have confirmed that British trams are not fitted with any safety protection systems that would apply the brakes automatically if they are going too fast.[7][29]

Rail Accident Investigation Branch

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) is also investigating the accident, with data from the tram's on-board event recorder being analysed.[30] The RAIB state that initial indications suggest that the tram was travelling at a significantly higher speed than permitted.[3] Rail magazine reported that the tram's electro-magnetic track brakes had not been activated.[31] Following the accident, The Guardian reported that on 31 October there had been passenger allegations made on Facebook of a tram travelling round the curve at excessive speed. The Evening Standard reports an earlier passenger complaint describing the tram as "tipping" on the curve.[2][13] The driver of the tram involved in the incident of 31 October was not the one involved in the accident on 9 November.[32]

The interim report was released a week later on 16 November 2016. At the time of the accident it was dark and it was raining heavily. There was no evidence of any track defects, or obstructions on the track, that could have contributed to the derailment. Initial investigation did not indicate any malfunction of the tram's braking system.[4] Initial findings were that the tram, with about 60 people on board, was travelling at approximately 70 kilometres per hour (43 mph) at the time of the accident – far more than the speed restriction of 20 kilometres per hour (12 mph) – with the brakes having been applied late.[33] A recommendation was made that a further speed limit should be introduced prior to the one for the curve at Sandilands Junction before the line reopened to traffic.[4] The recommendation was accepted and three further speed restrictions were put in place before the line reopened.[19][21] In November 2016, Rail magazine called for the RAIB to complete its investigation and release the final report "much more rapidly than has become the norm".[31]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2016 Croydon tram derailment.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Several killed and more than 50 injured as tram overturns in Croydon". ITV. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Ross, Alice; Gayle, Damien; Topham, Gwyn (10 November 2016). "Croydon tram crash: police examine reports of incident in previous week". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 "Investigation into a fatal accident involving a tram near Sandilands Junction, Croydon, 9 November 2016". Rail Accident Investigation Branch.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Fatal accident involving the derailment of a tram at Sandilands Junction, Croydon – 9 November 2016" (PDF). Rail Accident Investigation Branch. 16 November 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  5. ↑ "BBC London Live: Latest updates". BBC London. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  6. ↑ "Croydon Tram Derails: Several Feared Dead After Crash". LBC. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Croydon tram: Five dead and 50 injured after derailment". BBC London. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  8. ↑ Tom Powell (9 November 2016). "Croydon tram derailment: Several feared dead and dozens injured after tram overturns at Sandilands". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  9. 1 2 "BTP | Updated statement on tram derailment – Croydon". media.btp.police.uk. "British Transport Police". Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  10. ↑ "Croydon tram crash: Who were the victims?". BBC News. 13 November 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  11. ↑ "Croydon tram crash: Driver held on suspicion on manslaughter". BBC News. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  12. ↑ Horn, J. V. (1955). "Chapter VI. The tramways during the First World War". The Story of the Dover Corporation Tramways, 1897–1936. London: The Light Railway Transport League.
  13. 1 2 3 Davis, Barney; Watts, Matt; Sleigh, Sophia. "Croydon tram crash: first victim named as Crystal Palace fan, 19 who was on his way to work". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  14. 1 2 3 "Croydon tram crash: Crane to lift carriages from site". BBC. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  15. ↑ Climnick, Richard; Browne, Stefanie; Stephen, Paul (23 November 2016). "Croydon tram speeding at 70kph on 20kph curve". Rail. Peterborough: Bauer Consumer Media (814): 6–7. ISSN 0953-4563.
  16. 1 2 "Croydon tram crash: Funeral costs offer from Transport for London". BBC News. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  17. ↑ Gillett, Francesca. "Croydon tram crash: Giant crane arrives as work begins to move wreckage". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  18. ↑ "Croydon tram crash: Carriages being removed from site". BBC News. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  19. 1 2 "Croydon tram crash: Driver was 'three times over speed limit'". BBC News. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  20. ↑ "Status Updates Tram". Transport for London. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  21. 1 2 "Croydon tram line services resume". BBC News. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  22. 1 2 "Croydon tram driver bailed as first victim is named". Sky News. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  23. ↑ Morley, Nicole. "Crowdfunding page launched for victims of Croydon tram crash that killed 7". Metro. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  24. ↑ Siddique, Haroon; Gayle, Damien; Rawlinson, Kevin (9 November 2016). "Croydon tram driver 'blacked out' in crash that killed seven, claim passengers". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  25. ↑ Kolirin, Lianne (14 November 2016). "Tram drivers left 'in a daze' by erratic shifts". The Times (72067). p. 17. ISSN 0140-0460.
  26. ↑ "Croydon tram driver suspended after video of man 'asleep' at controls". The Guardian. 19 November 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  27. ↑ "Probe into driver 'falling asleep'". London Evening Standard. 18 November 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  28. ↑ "Croydon line tram driver suspended over Sun footage". BBC News. 19 November 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  29. ↑ "Dozens injured after tram overturns in Croydon". Sky News. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  30. ↑ "There will be disruption 'for days' on Croydon trams after crash". Croydon Advertiser. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  31. 1 2 Harris, Nigel (23 November 2016). "Croydon, HS2 and NR costs...". Rail. Peterborough: Bauer Consumer Media (814): 3. ISSN 0953-4563.
  32. ↑ "Croydon tram crash: Bosses were warned of 'speeding trams'". BBC News. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  33. ↑ Gwyn Topham (16 November 2016). "Croydon tram going three times speed limit when it derailed, say investigators". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 November 2016.

External links

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