ATW 158 train hits tractor at Buttington Hall crossing in mid-Wales - 16 July 2013

[whole diary]

[bobm]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

A train has hit a tractor near Welshpool, Powys, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service says.

The fire service was called at about 12:10 BST and four fire engines are attending.

British Transport Police confirmed an incident had occurred but were unable to comment further.

The National Rail Enquiries website reports that a "problem at a level crossing" has suspended trains between Shrewsbury and Machynlleth.

[bobm]

More information from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page).  No serious injuries reported.

A train has crashed into a tractor on a level crossing near Welshpool, Powys, emergency services say.

The tractor, which was towing a trailer, was hit by the 10:08 BST Birmingham to Aberystwyth service near Buttington Crossing at about 11:49 BST.

Between 150 and 200 passengers were on board, but British Transport Police (BTP^▸ (British Transport Police)) said nobody is believed to be seriously injured.

Services between Shrewsbury and Machynlleth are suspended.

A BTP spokesman added: "The train remained upright and on the tracks following the collision, although the front cab of the train has been damaged.

"It is believed there were between 150 and 200 passengers on the train and initial reports suggest that some minor injuries have been reported, although none are believed to be life threatening.

"An investigation will be launched into the cause of the collision, including how the vehicle came to be on the tracks, and the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB^▸ (Rail Accident Investigation Branch)) has been notified."

BTP, Dyfed-Powys Police and ambulance personnel were all called to the line at Buttington, Welshpool, while Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service sent four fire engines.

The National Rail Enquiries website reports that a "problem at a level crossing" has suspended trains between Shrewsbury and Machynlleth.

[anthony215]

Another incident involving a colision between an ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) service and a road vehicle at a crossing:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-23331232

The 158 looks like it has taken a real bang but as  stated in the article it could have been a lot worse

[TonyK]

Crikey - they won't be mending the tractor, I reckon. That could have ended much worse - thank goodness it didn't.

[Chris from Nailsea]

In the interests of clarity and continuity, I have moved and merged two new topics relating to this particular incident into this one here. 

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Rail Accident Investigation Branch website:

Collision at Buttington Hall user-worked level crossing, Welshpool, 16 July 2013

The RAIB^▸ (Rail Accident Investigation Branch) is investigating a collision between a train and a tractor and trailer at Buttington Hall user-worked level crossing near Welshpool on 16 July 2013.

At approximately 11:45 hrs on Tuesday 16 July 2013, train 1J11, the 10:08 hrs Arriva Trains Wales service from Birmingham International to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli, comprising two two-car class 158 units, collided with a tractor and trailer that was crossing the railway in front of it.  There were 140 passengers and three crew members on the train. Two passengers were taken to hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Two agricultural workers who were standing close to the collision, and the tractor driver, were slightly injured by flying debris.
 


Buttington Hall user-worked level crossing, looking towards Shrewsbury, showing the tractor and trailer involved.

Buttington Hall crossing is situated on the ^Mid Wales^ line, approximately 17 miles from Shrewsbury and 2 miles from Welshpool. The crossing is a private crossing that provides access to fields on the opposite side of the railway to the farm. The crossing is provided with gates, which must be operated by the crossing user, and telephones which connect to the signalling centre at Machynlleth. There are signs at the crossing, in both English and Welsh languages, which instruct the user to call the signaller before crossing the line with vehicles or animals.
 

The front of the train involved.

At the time of the accident a number of tractors and trailers were involved in transporting silage across the railway to the farm. The harvesting operation had been contracted by the farmer to an agricultural contractor who had appointed an attendant to stand at the crossing. The task of the attendant was to use the crossing telephone to call the signaller for permission for tractors to cross the line, and then allow the tractor drivers to cross.

The RAIB^s preliminary examination found that the system of work that had been established for the crossing had broken down such that two tractors started to cross the line without the signaller^s permission. The first had crossed and the second was crossing when the train arrived and collided with its trailer.

The RAIB^s investigation will examine:
- the sequence of events leading up to the accident;
- the system of work implemented by the farmer and his contractor at the crossing, including the role of the attendant that was appointed;
- Network Rail^s communications with the authorised users of the crossing; and
- other relevant accidents and incidents and any recommendations arising from them.

The RAIB^s investigation is independent of any investigation by the Office of Rail Regulation.

The RAIB will publish its findings, including any recommendations to improve safety, at the conclusion of its investigation. This report will be available on the RAIB website.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Details of an earlier incident at the same crossing, from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Buttington level crossing van man's ^1,000 fine

A van driver who stopped on a level crossing and forced a train to make an emergency stop has been fined ^1,000.

George Calladine drove on to the unmanned crossing in the village of Buttington, near Welshpool, Powys. Welshpool magistrates heard Calladine, 40, of Nottinghamshire, drove off with only seconds to spare when the train approached around a bend at 70mph.

Calladine, who admitted endangering safety on a railway, must also pay a ^100 victim surcharge and ^85 costs.

The Shropshire Star reported David Peate, the chairman of the magistrates, told Calladine he had done a "very, very, very stupid thing". Mr Peate told Calladine that his wife and children "could have been left without a breadwinner" and the effect on the train driver "must have been considerable".

Calladine, a mattress salesman from Newark, was visiting a customer and had not encountered a similar crossing before the incident on 27 March. His defence solicitor said that the defendant should have paid more attention, and he had been "neglectful" but it was not "wilfully dangerous".

The court heard the train driver spotted Calladine's vehicle when he was just 200 yards (180m) from the level crossing.

In an unrelated incident three-and-a-half months later, a Birmingham to Aberystwyth train with more than 100 passengers hit a tractor on the same level crossing. Two people were taken to hospital with minor injuries after the crash on 16 July, and a 27-year-old man was arrested by British Transport Police on suspicion of endangering safety and was released on police bail, pending further inquiries, until September.

British Transport Police's sector inspector for north Wales, Dai Davies, said: "Although Calladine made a full and frank admission, this was an extremely foolish act, the severity of which is reflected in the magistrate's comments. Thankfully, he managed to drive off the track a second or two before the train went through, otherwise we could easily have been faced with a different scenario.

"Level crossings are commonplace on our roads and are there to keep people safe. When used correctly, that is exactly what they do. Taking a chance at a crossing can have dire consequences. Stop, think and be sensible, because one moment of impatience could result in lives being destroyed."

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Shropshire Star:

Tractor driver charged over train accident

A 28-year-old man has been charged in connection with a train crash which happened in Mid Wales.

Ifan Gwyn Evans, of Llanfihangel, near Llanfyllin, has been charged with endangering the safety of persons using the railway following a crash between a train and a tractor trailer at Buttington, near Welshpool, on July 16.

Huw Waghorn, spokesman for British Transport Police (BTP^▸ (British Transport Police)) said Evans will appear at Welshpool Magistrates Court on November 26.

He said: ^I can confirm that Ifan Gwyn Evans, 28, of Llanfihangel, Llanfyllin, Powys, was yesterday charged with endangering the safety of persons using the railway. This follows an incident on the railway at Buttington, Welshpool, on July 16.^

Up to 200 passengers on board the Arriva Trains Wales Birmingham to Aberystwyth service were helped from the train after the collision at the rear of the dairy farm at Buttington Old Hall.

The tractor driver and the train driver were both shaken and in shock, but otherwise uninjured.

The line between Shrewsbury and Machynlleth was closed for several hours while the tractor was removed. The train, which had been travelling at about 70mph, was partially derailed but remained upright. Following the crash some minor injuries were reported and two people were taken to Welshpool Hospital.

[JayMac]

The undamaged half of 158823 has disappeared from outside Barton Hill Depot in Bristol, where it had been since the summer, so one assumes t'other half has been repaired and the unit is back in service.

[TonyK]

Ah! Was that what I saw on several of my walks to work with the tarpaulin over the join, BNM?

[JayMac]

It was indeed, FT,N.

I don't know for sure where the damaged half of 158823 had been since it's argument with a tractor in mid-Wales. But with the Barton Hill depot being owned by a sister company of ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))), there's a good chance that Barton Hill's finest were knocking out the dents and straightening the coupler of the damaged half.

Anyone know otherwise, then do feel free to correct me. 

[Chris from Nailsea]

From Wales Online:

Two men deny endangering safety of passengers in train crash

The crash between a passenger train and a tractor and trailer occurred at a farm just north of Welshpool last summer


The train crash in Buttington, near Welshpool

Two men have today denied a charge of endangering the safety of train passengers and crew following a crash in Powys last summer.

The crash between the passenger train and a tractor and trailer occurred at a farm crossing close to Buttington Hall in Buttington, just north of Welshpool, on July 16.

Tractor driver Ifan Gwyn Evans, 28, of Penyffordd, Llanfyllin and co-defendant John Elwyn Roberts, 74, Oldford Rise, Welshpool, appeared at Mold Crown Court and pleaded not guilty.

Judge Peter Heywood fixed the trial, which is expected to take four days, on June 2 at Mold Crown Court.

The charge alleges that they endangered the safety of railway users on July 16 after Evans allegedly drove a tractor and trailer across the line when it is claimed they were not authorised to do so causing an approaching train to collide with the trailer.

The charge relates to the crash between an Arriva Train Wales and the trailer, on the Birmingham to Aberystwyth service at Buttington.  There were about 90 passengers on board the train at the time who were moved to safety and two were taken to Welshpool hospital following the crash.

The judge made a series of directions over the conduct of the trial.  The court heard that a site visit by the trial jury was under consideration.

[JayMac]

The RAIB^▸ (Rail Accident Investigation Branch) has published its report into this incident. The full report can be perused at the following link:
http://www.raib.gov.uk/cms_resources.cfm?file=/140327_R062014_Buttington_Hall.pdf

Summary

At 11:44 hrs on Tuesday 16 July 2013 a collision occurred between a passenger train and a farm trailer at Buttington Hall farm crossing near Welshpool on the line between Shrewsbury and Machynlleth. The tractor driver and two other people nearby sustained minor injuries and two passengers on the train were injured and taken to hospital, but were discharged later that day.

The train involved was operated by Arriva Trains Wales and consisted of two 2-car units. It was travelling at 120 km/h (75 mph) at the time of the collision. The train was running from Birmingham International to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli and there were 140 passengers and two crew members on board. On the day of the accident, the farm crossing was being used by tractors bringing in a harvest from fields on the opposite side of the line to the farm. The farmer had appointed a contractor to carry out the harvesting operation, and an attendant had been provided at the crossing to phone the signaller and operate the gates.

The accident occurred because the system of work in use at the crossing was inherently unsafe, leading to ineffective control of road vehicle movements over the crossing and frequent use of the crossing without the signaller being contacted. This system broke down.

There were also underlying management factors:

• the harvest contractor did not implement an effective safe system of work at the crossing;
• Network Rail^s process for risk assessment of these types of crossing did not adequately deal with periods of intensive use; and
• Network Rail^s instructions to users of these crossings did not cover periods of intensive use.

The RAIB has made three recommendations:

• main line infrastructure managers should improve the risk assessment process at these crossings to take into account the increased risk during periods of intensive use;
• main line infrastructure managers should define safe and practical methods of working to be adopted at these crossings during periods of intensive use; and
• RSSB^▸ (Rail Safety and Standards Board) should update the level crossing risk management toolkit to reflect the changes brought about by the second recommendation.

The RAIB has also noted a learning point from an observation made during the investigation concerning the prolonged closure of an adjacent level crossing on a main road after the accident.

[Chris from Nailsea]

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB^▸ (Rail Accident Investigation Branch)) has released an update to its report into a collision at Buttington Hall level crossing, near Welshpool on 16 July 2013. The report has been revised to correct an error related to the actions of the signaller and to clarify the wording of the learning point.

The revised report is available on the RAIB website.

[JayMac]

Another incident on the same line back in March 2014, a near miss this time, at the nearby main road level crossing, with the car driver involved receiving a suspended prison sentence and other punishments:

From the Shropshire Star:

75mph danger driver in near-miss at railway crossing

A driver who zigzagged his way across a level crossing at 75mph narrowly missing an on-coming train has been given a suspended jail sentence.

James Hill, 23, overtook stationary cars as he sped towards the crossing before missing the train, which was travelling between Shrewsbury and Mid Wales, by just 30 seconds.

Ex-soldier Hill, who was driving an Audi TT, admitted one charge of dangerous driving.

He was handed an eight-month suspended jail term and ordered  to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work. He was also banned from driving for 18 months, told to take an extended re-test and must pay ^1,200 costs.

Judge Niclas Parry, sitting at Caernarfon Crown Court, told Hill he had put lives at risk by his actions at the Buttington crossing on the A458 near Welshpool.

Judge Parry said: ^To describe your actions as a moment of madness would be a gross understatement.

^It beggars belief you saw fit to overtake a line of stationary cars at a level crossing, crossing double white lines in order to do that, and having seen lights flashing and a barrier coming down. You put lives at real risk.^

He told the court that Hill, of Maesymeillion, Llandysul, Dyfed, had served in ^testing tours^ in Afghanistan then trained as a lorry driver.

^There^s no doubt you have acted out of character,^ he declared.

^Mercifully no injuries were caused and the train driver didn^t even see the Audi,^ Judge Parry added.

Prosecutor Richard Edwards said Hill went through the A458 Buttington automatic level crossing, near Welshpool, on the afternoon of March 7.  A 40-tonne, four-carriage Arriva train which could carry 200 passengers passed less than half a minute later.

Hill continued on towards Welshpool and a witness took the Audi^s registration.

Mr Edwards said it would have taken a third of a mile to stop the train.

^The defendant confirmed he was the driver at the time and said he didn^t fully appreciate the danger,^ Mr Edwards added.

Simon Rogers, for Hill, said: ^There^s no doubt what this defendant did was incredibly stupid. He placed not only his life at risk but also those travelling on the train.^

The incident happened close to where a tractor and a train were in collision in July 2013. Two passengers needed hospital treatment after the train collided with the trailer.

There were 140 passengers on the Arriva Trains Wales service travelling between Shrewsbury and Aberystwyth when the collision took place at Buttington.

John Elwyn Roberts, 74, of Oldford Rise, Welshpool, denied a charge of endangering the safety of train passengers and crew at a hearing earlier this year and will stand trial.