Severn Tunnel rail accident
Severn Tunnel rail crash | |
---|---|
Details | |
Date | 7 December 1991 |
Location | Severn Tunnel |
Coordinates | 51°35′7″N 2°43′17″W / 51.58528°N 2.72139°W |
Country | United Kingdom |
Line | South Wales Main Line |
Operator | InterCity Regional Railways |
Owner | British Rail |
Cause | Axle counter failure or driver error |
Statistics | |
Trains | 2 |
Vehicles | InterCity 125 Class 155 |
Deaths | 0 |
Injured | 185 (5 serious) |
List of UK rail accidents by year |
On 7 December 1991, two trains collided inside the Severn Tunnel, between England and Wales. There were no fatalities but 185 passengers were injured.[1]
Accident
[edit]The 08:30 London Paddington to Cardiff Central operated by an InterCity 125 was stopped at a signal guarding the entrance to the Severn Tunnel. On telephoning the signalman according to Rule 55, the driver was advised of a signal failure and given permission to proceed slowly at caution. Three miles into the tunnel, the train was struck from behind by a Class 155 Sprinter travelling from Portsmouth to Cardiff. 185 passengers were injured, including five seriously, but none fatally.[1]
Because track circuits were unreliable in the unusually wet tunnel environment (10 to 20 million gallons of water are pumped out per day),[2] axle counters were used instead. The official report into the accident[2] could not reach a firm conclusion, but speculated that the cause was either:
- an unaccountable error on the part of the Sprinter driver, or:
- technicians in the relay room at Severn Tunnel Junction had reset the axle counter while investigating the earlier signal failure fault, thus clearing the signal for the Sprinter.[1]
References
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