| Re: Person hit by train, Taunton 24/10/2025 - Harry Basham, age 17, walking to work Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 20:23, 9th January 2026 |     |
An update, from the BBC:
Mum of boy killed at Taunton rail crossing calls for change
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Leanne Golding said her son Harry Basham used the crossing regularly to get to work
The mother of a boy killed on a pedestrian railway crossing is calling for urgent safety improvements to "stop others going through" the same.
Harry Basham, 17, was struck by a train in Taunton, Somerset just before 07:00 GMT on 24 October as he walked to work.
His mum Leanne Golding wants to see changes before her son's inquest takes place in May, saying "lighting needs to be in place, a traffic light system and gates that lock".
Network Rail has described what happened as a "tragic accident" and said it will "engage with local authorities, stakeholders and the community on the future of the crossing".
Image not available to guests
Harry Basham's family wants to see safety improvements at the foot crossing in Taunton
Golding said her son would have walked across the foot crossing "hundreds of times" to get to and from work. "It would have been pitch black that morning, nothing is lit up. The gates don't lock, you don't know when the train's coming. We're not here to blame anyone, we just don't want it to happen to anyone else," she added.
Network Rail said train drivers were instructed to sound their horn at some crossings and it urged people to be alert. Trackside signs, known as whistle boards, instruct train drivers to warn pedestrians they are approaching, but Golding said the family were not sure at what time in the morning drivers start sounding their horns.
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Tributes to Harry Basham have been left near the foot crossing
A petition calling for safety improvements at the crossing has been set up on Change.org by family friend Vicky Butland. "I just hugely believe it would have prevented this tragedy if these safety measures were in place. I am doing this in Harry's name. It's a huge loss of life and we will forever remember him," she added.
The family's campaign is being supported by the Liberal Democrat MP for Taunton and Wellington Gideon Amos. "Ideally I would like to see an alternative crossing, an underpass or a footbridge. I am meeting with Network Rail next week so that we can discuss what the options are," Amos added.
In a statement, Network Rail said: "Our thoughts are with Harry's family and friends and the local community following the tragic accident at the 5/13 railway crossing. Network Rail will of course co-operate with the inquest and any relevant investigations as is appropriate," it added.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said it sent a team of inspectors to the scene at the time of the incident. A spokesperson added: "RAIB has submitted a report summarising the evidence gathered during our preliminary examination to His Majesty's Coroner. Our thoughts remain with everyone affected by this tragic accident," they added.
Image not available to guests
Leanne Golding said her son Harry Basham used the crossing regularly to get to work
The mother of a boy killed on a pedestrian railway crossing is calling for urgent safety improvements to "stop others going through" the same.
Harry Basham, 17, was struck by a train in Taunton, Somerset just before 07:00 GMT on 24 October as he walked to work.
His mum Leanne Golding wants to see changes before her son's inquest takes place in May, saying "lighting needs to be in place, a traffic light system and gates that lock".
Network Rail has described what happened as a "tragic accident" and said it will "engage with local authorities, stakeholders and the community on the future of the crossing".
Image not available to guests
Harry Basham's family wants to see safety improvements at the foot crossing in Taunton
Golding said her son would have walked across the foot crossing "hundreds of times" to get to and from work. "It would have been pitch black that morning, nothing is lit up. The gates don't lock, you don't know when the train's coming. We're not here to blame anyone, we just don't want it to happen to anyone else," she added.
Network Rail said train drivers were instructed to sound their horn at some crossings and it urged people to be alert. Trackside signs, known as whistle boards, instruct train drivers to warn pedestrians they are approaching, but Golding said the family were not sure at what time in the morning drivers start sounding their horns.
Image not available to guests
Tributes to Harry Basham have been left near the foot crossing
A petition calling for safety improvements at the crossing has been set up on Change.org by family friend Vicky Butland. "I just hugely believe it would have prevented this tragedy if these safety measures were in place. I am doing this in Harry's name. It's a huge loss of life and we will forever remember him," she added.
The family's campaign is being supported by the Liberal Democrat MP for Taunton and Wellington Gideon Amos. "Ideally I would like to see an alternative crossing, an underpass or a footbridge. I am meeting with Network Rail next week so that we can discuss what the options are," Amos added.
In a statement, Network Rail said: "Our thoughts are with Harry's family and friends and the local community following the tragic accident at the 5/13 railway crossing. Network Rail will of course co-operate with the inquest and any relevant investigations as is appropriate," it added.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said it sent a team of inspectors to the scene at the time of the incident. A spokesperson added: "RAIB has submitted a report summarising the evidence gathered during our preliminary examination to His Majesty's Coroner. Our thoughts remain with everyone affected by this tragic accident," they added.
| Re: Person hit by train, Taunton 24/10/2025 - Harry Basham, age 17, walking to work Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 19:19, 14th December 2025 | |
Thank you for your update here on the Coffee Shop forum, JayMac. Image not available to guests
Bearing in mind my somewhat lifelong interest in the safety (or otherwise) of railway road level and pedestrian foot crossings, I shall investigate that link and probably offer some input to their petition.
| Re: Person hit by train, Taunton 24/10/2025 - Harry Basham, age 17, walking to work Posted by JayMac at 18:58, 14th December 2025 | |
The inquest into Harry's death will take place in May 2026.
Meanwhile a petition to improve safety at, or close, the 5/13 foot crossing has been set up in Harry's memory.
https://www.change.org/p/improve-safety-at-5-13-railway-foot-crossing-or-close-it-down-in-memory-of-harry-basham
| Re: Person hit by train, Taunton 24/10/2025 - Harry Basham, age 17, walking to work Posted by JayMac at 19:30, 29th October 2025 | |
Here's Harry and his dad in happier times, appearing on BBC's Children In Need in 2019.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07v4c2q
| Re: Person hit by train, Taunton 24/10/2025 - Harry Basham, age 17, walking to work Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 16:59, 29th October 2025 | |
Thank you for posting that update here, JayMac.
CfN. Image not available to guests
| Re: Person hit by train, Taunton 24/10/2025 - Harry Basham, age 17, walking to work Posted by JayMac at 14:01, 29th October 2025 | |
Harry's father Trevor has posted on Facebook a reply to comments on a Local World (Somerset Live) news item about the I
incident. Many people in the comments were making assumptions about mental health.
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An inquest has opened and been adjourned to a later date.
| Re: Person hit by train, Taunton 24/10/2025 - Harry Basham, age 17, walking to work Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 20:50, 24th October 2025 | |
Harry Basham, age 17.
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RIP.
CfN. Image not available to guests
| Re: Person hit by train, Taunton 24/10/2025 - Harry Basham, age 17, walking to work Posted by JayMac at 20:40, 24th October 2025 | |
Yes. RIP.
I've just learnt that I went to school, same year and shared subject classes, with the father of the victim. I had a pint with him the week before last and we chatted about our respective offspring. Such sad, devastating news. Image not available to guests
BTP press release if you'd prefer not to have all of the adverts and pop-ups from the Local World website.
https://www.btp.police.uk/news/btp/news/england/family-of-brilliant-and-funny-teenager-who-died-on-the-railway-pay-tribute-to-him/
| Re: Person hit by train, Taunton 24/10/2025 - Harry Basham, age 17, walking to work Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 20:34, 24th October 2025 | |
Very sad. Image not available to guests
| Re: Person hit by train, Taunton 24/10/2025 - Harry Basham, age 17, walking to work Posted by TaplowGreen at 19:32, 24th October 2025 | |
RIP
https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/brilliant-funny-boy-dies-westcountry-10598642?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar
| Person hit by train, Taunton 24/10/2025 - Harry Basham, age 17, walking to work Posted by JayMac at 14:33, 24th October 2025 | |
At approximately 0655 on 24th October 2025 a person was struck by 1S37, a CrossCountry service from Plymouth to Edinburgh. The location was the '5/13' foot crossing about a mile east of Taunton station. Major disruption for the rest of the morning with both directions closed for several hours.
'5/13' is a foot crossing with kissing gates each side. No miniature lights or interlocking. Line speed is nominally 100mph but nearly all trains will be accelerating away from, or braking for, Taunton East Junction and the station. The train involved had just departed Taunton.
Confirmed fatality later in the morning.
