The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has released its report today into the derailment of a tram on the Croydon Tramlink at Phipps Bridge on 21 October 2005.
The full report is available here
A summary of the key points from the report is included below:
Summary
The tram was travelling eastbound on the single line between Wimbledon and Croydon with approximately 45 passengers on board. It became derailed as it passed over points at the single to double line junction on the approach to Phipps Bridge tram stop near Merton, Surrey at 10.38 hrs on Friday 21 October 2005.
The tram came to rest about 37m beyond the points. There were no injuries and the passengers were evacuated to the adjacent tram stop by the driver and other staff. Following repairs to minor track damage, normal services were reinstated at 21.10 hrs on the same day.
The immediate cause was the tram driver not reacting to a track-side warning that the points were incorrectly set and failing to stop the tram before reaching the points.
Contributing factors were:
- failure of the points to return to normal after the passage of the previous tram;
- failure of the control room staff to alert drivers to the malfunction of the points;
- the poor clarity of the points position indicator display when the points are not set correctly.
Recommendations
Four recommendations are made to reduce the likelihood of a recurrence of this incident. They cover:
- Assessing and improving the clarity of the points indicator when points are not correctly set
- A review of the inspection and maintenance regime for the points
- A joint review of the system for dealing with alarms in the control room
- A review of control room procedures as soon as is practicable to ensure that controllers respond promptly and appropriately to each incident.
Actions Already Taken or in Progress
The tram operator has given control room staff a formal briefing on the importance of taking action on high-level alarms relating to safety on the system.
Notes to Editors
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch started operation on 17 October 2005. The sole purpose of RAIB investigations is to prevent future accidents and incidents and improve railway safety. The RAIB does not establish blame, liability or carry out prosecutions.
For media enquiries please call 020 7944 6984.
Newsdate: 29 March 2006
