| Details | |
|---|---|
| Date and time: | 4 March 1989 |
| Location: | Purley |
| Rail line: | Brighton Main Line (Network SouthEast) |
| Cause | Signal passed at danger |
| Statistics | |
| Trains: | 2 |
| Deaths: | 5 |
| Injuries: | 94 |
| List of UK rail accidents by year | |
The Purley station rail crash was a train accident on the British railway system that occurred just to the north of Purley railway station in the London Borough of Croydon on Saturday 4 March 1989, leaving five dead and 94 injured. Events 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title Princeps iuventutis (head of the youth Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) The Brighton Main Line is a major British railway line running from London Victoria and London Bridge to Brighton. 1586 at London Victoriajpg|thumb|right|A train in modified NSE livery with rounded corners Signal passed at danger (SPAD in Railway terminology, describes an event where a train has run beyond its allocated signal block without authority as indicated This list is of railway accidents in Britain sorted chronologically Purley railway station is at Purley in the London Borough of Croydon, on the main London to Brighton line, in Travelcard Zone 6. The London Borough of Croydon ( is a London borough in South London, England and is part of Outer London. Events 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title Princeps iuventutis (head of the youth Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar)
The 12:50 from Horsham had stopped at the station and then crossed to the fast line, when the 12:17 from Littlehampton ran through a red signal (SPAD) into the back of it. Horsham railway station serves the town of Horsham in West Sussex, England. Littlehampton railway station is in Littlehampton in the county of West Sussex. Signal passed at danger (SPAD in Railway terminology, describes an event where a train has run beyond its allocated signal block without authority as indicated Five coaches left the track and came off the embankment, so that they had to be recovered by road.
Contents |
Cause
The cause was one which had led to many collisions over the last 150 years; the driver missed a warning signal in advance so that there was insufficient time to stop when he saw the red signal. He would have received an AWS warning, but the audible warning was the same for double yellow, yellow and red signals. The Automatic Warning System (AWS is a form of limited Cab signalling and Train protection system introduced in 1956 in the United Kingdom to help As a result, on these busy lines, drivers are constantly cancelling AWS warnings and it becomes routine habit. The problem had been recognised for many years but no technical solution had been found at reasonable cost.
A notable feature of the accident was that the driver pleaded guilty to manslaughter and sentenced to 12 months in prison plus 6 months suspended, despite the known deficiency of the AWS system. He had an exemplary record over 22 years, but became the only driver in UK railway history to be imprisoned for such an error. Media pressure was intense following the previous year's accident at Clapham Junction. The Clapham Junction rail crash was a serious railway accident involving two collisions between three commuter trains at 0810 on the morning of 12 December
The driver's sentence was later cut to four months upon appeal, and on 12 December 2007 his convictions for manslaughter were overturned by the Court of Appeal, ruling the conviction "unsafe". Events 627 - Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II 's Persian Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being in a manner considered by law as less culpable than Murder. Court of Appeal, Court of Appeals, and Appellate Division redirect here for a list of specific courts using those titles see Court of Appeal Lord Latham commented in his judgement that "something about the infrastructure of this particular junction was causing mistakes to be made" due to new evidence showing that there had been four previous SPAD's at the same location in the five years prior to the rail crash. Signal passed at danger (SPAD in Railway terminology, describes an event where a train has run beyond its allocated signal block without authority as indicated [1].
Preventing recurrence
This accident illustrates the limitations of the British Rail Automatic Warning System which can be overridden by the driver as a matter of habit. The Automatic Warning System (AWS is a form of limited Cab signalling and Train protection system introduced in 1956 in the United Kingdom to help When working normally, the newer Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS) always applies the brakes if a fitted signal is passed at 'danger'. The Train Protection & Warning System (TPWS is a Train protection system deployed across the entire UK passenger railway network, as well as in Victoria
References
- ^ Rail crash convictions overturned, BBC News, 12 December 2007
Hall, Stanley (1991). Events 627 - Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II 's Persian Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Danger on the Line. Ian Allan.
Vaughan, Adrian (2000). Tracks to Disaster. Ian Allan.
Vic Mitchell and Keith Smith, Caterham and Tattenham Corner. Middleton Press, 1994. ISBN 1-873793-25-1 (includes photograph of a coach being lifted by crane).
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