Slough station - incidents and events (merged posts)

[whole diary]

[tomL]

Thoughts are with everyone involved.  Seems to have been a _very_ tough day for FGW^▸ (First Great Western).

"The brakes were put on fairly sharply and we ground to a halt. Then, unusually for a British train, all the passengers started talking to each other." 

This quote somewhat lightened the read on BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) for me. 

[ChrisB]

The boy was 10 years old....

[BerkshireBugsy]

The boy was 10 years old....

Even though I've no intention of speculating on the background and circumstances of what occurred I can only repeat my sadness and sympathy to all of those affected.

[Chris from Nailsea]

An update, from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Slough station deaths: Mother and son killed by train named

A mother and her 10-year-old son who were killed when they were hit by a train in Slough, Berkshire, have been named.

British Transport Police said they "strongly believe" them to be Rubina Khan, 46, and her son Amaar Khan, 10.

However the force has yet to formally identify the pair.

It added that it was providing support to family members. A spokesman said: "We ask that they be left to grieve and come to terms with what has happened."

The incident happened just before 09:45 BST on Tuesday.

British Transport Police said the deaths were being treated as suspicious, but no third party was being sought.

They said the possibility of a murder-suicide was "one of the lines of inquiry" officers would be pursuing.

Emergency services and forensics officers blocked off two of the four lines in and out of London Paddington at Slough for six hours, causing severe train delays and cancellations.

Passengers on the 08:41 from Bedwyn, which hit the pair, were kept on the train while investigations were carried out.

Dan Paynes, a spokesman for First Great Western, said the driver of the train was replaced at Slough. "He is receiving all the support he needs and probably won't drive again for some time," he said.

[Tim]

This tweet from a passenger on the train sums up my sympathy for the driver:

"Poor driver. Hits two people and he's apologising to the passengers - screw us mate, I hope you're alright "

If he is one of your colleagues then please look after him, I know you will. 

[ChrisB]

And mine....

[TaplowGreen]

Sadly there can rarely (if ever) have been a week like it for suicides on the railway, seem to be happening all over the country.

[grahame]

Sadly there can rarely (if ever) have been a week like it for suicides on the railway, seem to be happening all over the country.

Indeed.   Technically, until inquests have been held we shouldn't refer to them as suicides for definite, and indeed there's a strong chance that at least one of the deaths in the least few days was not suicide.

[Chris from Nailsea]

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

Slough train deaths: Respects paid at Rubina Khan's mosque


The three-story mosque in Slough is expecting between 500 and 800 mourners for the funeral

People have been paying their respects at a mosque in Slough where a mother and son who were hit by a train worshipped.

The Jamia Masjid and Islamic Centre has had around 150 visitors, according to the mosque's trustee and family friend Latif Khan.

Rubina Khan, 46, and Amaar Khan, 10, were hit by a train at Slough station on Tuesday morning.

Mr Khan said: "They are one of the nicest families I've known." He said the Khan family have lived in Slough for about 50 years and are a "well-respected and educated" family.

Mrs Khan attended the mosque in in Stoke Poges Lane regularly with her three sons and the rest of her family.

"The whole family was popular," said Mr Khan. "Friends and family have been coming from Slough and the surrounding areas. We can't believe this has happened. They can't believe it."

When the funeral is held, Mr Latif, a former mayor of Slough, said the mosque was expecting between 500 and 800 mourners to attend.

British Transport Police said the deaths were being treated as suspicious, but no third party was being sought.

[Chris from Nailsea]

An updated article, from the Guardian:

Slough railway deaths could be murder-suicide, say police

Relatives mourn Amaar, 10, and his mother Rubina Khan, 46, saying she had faced ^a long tackle with depression^


Forensic officers on the tracks at Slough station after a woman and a child died when they were struck by a train. Photograph: Steve Parsons/PA^▸ (Public Address (broadcast loudspeaker announcements) or Passenger Assist (railway staff providing physical assistance to passengers with mobility issues), depending on context)

The family of a mother and child who were killed by a train in a suspected murder-suicide have said they are struggling to come to terms with their deaths.

British Transport police say they strongly believe Rubina Khan, 46, and her 10-year-old son, Amaar, were the two people who died at Slough station in Berkshire, on Tuesday morning.

The pair have not yet been formally identified, but their family paid tribute to them today and said their deaths had left a ^huge hole in our lives^. In a statement, they said: ^Rubina was a loving mother, wife, daughter and sister who will be sorely missed by all who knew her.

^Amaar was a cute, gorgeous little boy, with a lovely cheeky side, and we will all miss him so much. Their loss has left a huge hole in our lives and we are all struggling to come terms with what has happened.

^We have, however, been comforted and humbled by the support of the community. More than 1,000 people have been to see us to pay their respects, which really is testament to Rubina^s character as she was loved by one and all. This is an indescribably difficult time for the family and we now ask to be given the space and time we need to grieve.^

A BTP^▸ (British Transport Police) spokesman said officers were keeping an open mind about the incident. He said: ^Although we have yet to formally identify the deceased following yesterday^s incident at Slough railway station, we can confirm we strongly believe them to be Rubina Khan, 46, and her son, Amaar Khan, 10.^

Ch Insp Jenny Gilmer said the possibility of a murder-suicide was ^one of the lines of inquiry that our officers will be pursuing but we must not speculate^.

The mother and son were pronounced dead at the scene after they were struck shortly before 9.45am. Gilmer said: ^The incident is still bring treated as suspicious although officers do not believe there was any third party involvement at the station.^

The station was closed for nearly six hours on Tuesday while police gathered evidence from the scene. The driver of the 8.41am commuter train from Bedwyn to London Paddington was incredibly shaken up following the incident, Gilmer said. One passenger tweeted that the driver used the public address system to apologise to those on board.

Officers combed the railway tracks for evidence and studied the station^s CCTV^▸ (Closed Circuit Tele-Vision) of the incident. A large number of witnesses both on the train and on the platform were also interviewed.

This article was modified on 25 September 2014 to remove a reference to a Tweet reportedly from a family member

[ChrisB]

From The Slough & South Bucks Observer

POLICE are appealing for two women who may have ^vital accounts^ of the Slough Railway Station double fatality.

British Transport Police want to speak to two women on platform five at the time of the incident.

Slough mum Rubina Khan, 46, and her son Amaar, 10, died after being hit by a train at around 9.40am on Tuesday last week (23).

The deaths are being treated as suspicious, and detectives are trying to trace the movement of the mother and son prior to them being on the tracks.

Detective Sergeant Andy Nattrass said: ^So far we have managed to speak to a number of people who saw Rubina and Amaar prior to their tragic deaths, but we are certain there are more witnesses who have yet to come forward.

^We would particularly like to speak to two women who were on platform five at Slough station at the time of the incident.

^We know the women spoke to another witness at the station ^ and told her they had seen what happened ^ but we have yet to trace them.

^Their accounts may be vital in piecing together exactly what happened and it is imperative that we speak to them as soon as possible.

DS Nattrass added: ^Even the smallest piece of information could be crucial.^ Call police on 0800 40 50 40 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

[Jason]

The first mention on Twitter was @ 08:24

A person has been hit by a train between Maidenhead and Slough. Because of this, the following alterations will be in place until approxiamtely 11:00:

    Trains between Reading and London Paddington will be delayed by up to 60 minutes
    Trains will not run between Slough and Windsor & Eton Central.

[JayMac]

High speed services are backing up across the network. The 0830 and 0900 from Bristol TM^▸ (Train Manager, or Ticket Machine, or Temple Meads (Bristol), depending on context) are being held there as at 0910. Swindon station is can't accept anything on the up platforms either. The 0728 from Swansea is being held at Bristol PW^▸ (Permanent Way - the railway track).

[Jason]

Things are moving again now with ~2 hour delay, eg
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C20592/2015/02/04/advanced

Slough remains closed though.

[NickB]

We just stopped at Slough, though it may be disembarking only as no one got on.
I'm on a Reading-->Padd slow train. Making 'regular' progress though.