Two trains collide near Salisbury - 31 Oct 21

[whole diary]

[TonyK]

BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) lunchtime news reports 5 people still in hospital, all described as stable.

Now it is being reported that the SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) driver's injuries are more serious, and sadly will have long-term consequences.

Alas so, using that awful term "life changing".

[IndustryInsider]

But what happens to the signallers who are on shift in such circumstances, do they have to get relieved?

As soon as practically possible, yes.  Especially if there’s any reason to believe their actions may have caused or contributed to an incident.

[stuving]

I think in Stuving’s excellent summary the eastbound GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) (1F27) would have been stopped by an area emergency call.  I’m therefore assuming that if they were still in Salisbury’s control area then it would not necessarily be a priority to get them going again. 

Paul

Yes, that is all in the Salisbury signalling area. That explanation would explain the initial stop, and I wonder if there was a concern even that early to get information from the driver about anything on the track, or any other source of evidence such the FFTV.

[paul7575]

Apparently the Telegraph (paywalled) are now reporting that there was only one incident:

Initial reports suggested the first train had hit an object, causing it to derail, and that the second train ploughed into the displaced, stranded service.

But in an update on Monday afternoon, British Transport Police (BTP^▸ (British Transport Police)) confirmed this was not the case, and that both trains were travelling in the same direction when one train struck the side of the other, causing it to derail whilst in the tunnel.

BTP on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/BTP/status/1455173517847171074?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

There is no evidence to suggest the train struck an object or that there was any significant delay between the collision and the derailment.

Also supported by a recent BTP statement:
https://www.btp.police.uk/news/btp/news/england/derailment-at-fisherton-tunnel-salisbury---statement/

[Mark A]

Eyewitness account from a passenger travelling from Brighton to Southampton and then onto the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) service where he was to alight at Salisbury - and in the event ended up being walked through the tunnel and along the tracks into Salisbury Station which is quite a trek in itself.

It may be significant that he doesn't mention two events.

https://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/19685161.salisbury-train-crash-passengers-experience/

[Andy]

Thoughts with all rail staff, emergency staff and passengers who were victims of or witness to the accident, especially the driver, whose injuries seem to be more serious than first reported. Thank goodness no lives were lost.

[broadgage]

If I have understood correctly, the two trains involved were travelling in opposite directions.
In that case, I retract my earlier remarks that imply that the signalling system should have prevented the SECOND collision.

If two trains are proceeding in the SAME direction, on the same line, then even if the first train suffers an accident, the second train should be held a safe distance away by the signalling system.

If however two trains are proceeding in OPPOSITE directions, and the first one is derailed, then it can be hard to prevent a second accident. If the first train, or any substantial parts thereof is foul of the OTHER line, then no automatic system can reliably prevent the second train colliding with the the first one.

Under such circumstances, reliance must be placed on human actions such as;
Press the emergency button on the cab radio, so doing sends a "stop danger" message to other trains in the area.
Apply track circuit operating clips to other line, this puts signals back to danger.
A member of train crew to walk back along the track with a red flag or lamp, and apply detonators.
Make an emergency phone call, preferably from a signal post telephone. Cellphone as a second choice.

Such actions might not be in time to avoid a second accident.

IMPORTANT EDIT. Both trains were travelling in the sane direction. See following post for details.

[JayMac]

If I have understood correctly, the two trains involved were travelling in opposite directions.

The two trains were both travelling toward Salisbury and collided at Salisbury Tunnel Junction. The GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) service was travelling from Portsmouth to Cardiff and the SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) service from Waterloo to Honiton.

[paul7575]

If I have understood correctly, the two trains involved were travelling in opposite directions.
In that case, I retract my earlier remarks that imply that the signalling system should have prevented the SECOND collision.
[…]

There are now more recent reports this afternoon, eg from BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) that I quoted, that there was no second event at all…

Paul

[Gordon the Blue Engine]

One conclusion from the published pictures is that both trains were moving when they came together and collided. Note that the trailing cab of the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) train shows no sign of being hit by the leading cab of the SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) train.

[stuving]

That BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) press release of 13:40 today starts off with:

British Transport Police detectives have begun an investigation into a train collision in Salisbury, Wiltshire last night (31 October). 

At around 6.45pm, a Great Western Railway service from Southampton to Cardiff collided with a South Western Railway service from London to Honiton as they both entered the Fisherton Tunnel in Salisbury.

Both trains were travelling in the same direction and one train struck the side of the other, causing it to derail whilst in the tunnel. The front few carriages remained upright while the back tipped on their side...

That would fit in with the idea that both trains were moving, though that in itself raises problems over the recorded timings. But I'm still not taking it as a definitive statement, given some bits that are are obviously wrong.

[stuving]

There are informed suggestions that the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) train split in the tunnel - so the picture showing two trains from the front roughly side by side is of the second of two 2-car GWR 158s. When that happened isn't clear.

[ChrisB]

‘Travelling in the same direction’ simply means they were going the same way (towards Salisbury station), not that they were actually both moving.

We’ll have to await the initial RAIB^▸ (Rail Accident Investigation Branch) report to know for sure. I suspect also that the BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) will be ‘asked’ to shut up about what they think happened & await the report too. They were wrong with an initial report about the derailment prior to the crash….

[grahame]

From GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway), SWR^» (South Western Railway - about) and Network Rail, by email, headed "Incident at Fisherton Tunnel"

Dear Graham
 
You will be aware that yesterday evening (Sunday 31 October) there was an incident at Fisherton Tunnel, near Salisbury. While we’re thankful the majority of customers and colleagues have now been able to go home safely, unfortunately it has become clear that a driver sustained a more serious injury and continues to be treated in hospital. We know everyone in the railway family is wishing him a full and swift recovery.
 
This was an upsetting experience for our customers. Their patience and understanding was appreciated by everyone on site and our thoughts remain with them.
 
The British Transport Police have been clear their investigations are in the very early stages, and it is likely the trains involved will need to remain on site for some time. The line will stay closed for at least a few days.
 
Currently, South Western Railway is unable to run to the West of Salisbury and there is a limited bus replacement service in operation. Our advice to those customers is to avoid all but essential travel on those routes.
 
Great Western Railway is running a bus service between Salisbury and Romsey, with trains operating shuttle services between Cardiff, Bristol and Salisbury, and Romsey to Portsmouth on either side of the line closure.
 
We will continue to update you and we are grateful for the support already shown by stakeholders.  We would also like to say thank you to our customers, colleagues and the emergency services for their support and dedication throughout this incident.
 
Best wishes
 
Mark Hopwood (Managing Director, Great Western Railway)
Claire Mann (Managing Director, South Western Railway)
Mark Killick (Wessex Route Director, Network Rail)

[grahame]

Thoughts with all rail staff, emergency staff and passengers who were victims of or witness to the accident, especially the driver, whose injuries seem to be more serious than first reported. Thank goodness no lives were lost.

They have been stated as "life changing" but just stated as "life threatening" in a BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) report I have just heard. Let us just hope that's a slip of the tongue; a difficult day to get wording accurate in a sea of developing and amending news.