Derailment on Cambridgshire Guided Busway

[Ianno87]

News story here: http://m.cambridge-news.co.uk/Injur...-Trumpington/story-28784633-detail/story.html

A guided bus has come off its tracks in Trumpington, injuring five people.

The vehicle left its tracks near Foster Road in Trumpington at 2pm.

The busway was closed in both directions, with buses being diverted away from the area, but has now reopened.

Two people have been taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge. One is a woman with a hip injury and the other, a man, suffered a back injury....

Occured on southern section near Trumpington.

5 people injured.

 

[Busaholic]

A wry smile to my lips reading that link, caused by the 'related news' that Cambridgeshire are lending their expert advice to Manchester for its Leigh guided busway. Whoops!

 

[AndrewE]

When you think how soft a bus suspension has to be to cope with potholes etc (unlike steel wheel on steel rail) it wouldn't be a great surprise if a bus bounced down & up so much that its guide wheels popped out of the kerbstone channels - or whatever the proper names for those bits are...

 

[Bletchleyite]

As it was a road accident, who reckons precisely nowt will actually be done about it?

 

[Lrd]

What sort of speeds to do they do on this busway?

 

[Robertj21a]

What sort of speeds to do they do on this busway?

I'd guess about 30-40 mph usually. Can be faster at times.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

It looks as if it could have been a railway line at one time. It looks ideal for conversion to being a tram route

 

[radamfi]

What sort of speeds to do they do on this busway?

I've measured it up to 50 mph. I would guess the speed limiters are probably set to that.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

It looks as if it could have been a railway line at one time. It looks ideal for conversion to being a tram route

It was and it is, but it won't be because of local politics!

 

[notadriver]

They go up to 55 mph. Speculation is the driver misjudged their entry into the guideway.

Why are guided busways more prone to driver error accidents than trams ?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

It looks as if it could have been a railway line at one time.

The northern section of the guided Busway was indeed so and was opened in the late 1840's by the Wisbech, St Ives and Cambridge Junction Railway and was generally referred to as the Cambridge and St Ives branch line. It finally closed on 5th October 1970.

 

[edwin_m]

It looks as if it could have been a railway line at one time. It looks ideal for conversion to being a tram route

This may be true of the guided sections. However the buses also run into the centre of Cambridge where streets are very narrow and congested. It's most unlikely that trams would be workable on that section.

 

[nerd]

They go up to 55 mph. Speculation is the driver misjudged their entry into the guideway.

Why are guided busways more prone to driver error accidents than trams ?

Trams derail too;

- and there was a busway derailment on the Luton busway last year.

According to the story, this is the first ever busway derailment for Cambridgeshire; so it is not at all clear that busways are more prone to driver error. But most such problems, both for busways and tram-tracks, arise from cars driving onto the dedicated track by mistake.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

The northern section of the guided Busway was indeed so and was opened in the late 1840's by the Wisbech, St Ives and Cambridge Junction Railway and was generally referred to as the Cambridge and St Ives branch line. It finally closed on 5th October 1970.

..but this derailment didn't happen on a former rail alignment, but on a newbuild section of busway south of Cambridge.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Trams derail too;

- and there was a busway derailment on the Luton busway last year.

According to the story, this is the first ever busway derailment for Cambridgeshire; so it is not at all clear that busways are more prone to driver error. But most such problems, both for busways and tram-tracks, arise from cars driving onto the dedicated track by mistake.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


..but this derailment didn't happen on a former rail alignment, but on a newbuild section of busway south of Cambridge.

Some quality comments beneath the article with the usual uninformed guff or those with an axe grinding opportunity. Of course, one person demanded that the guided bus be stopped until investigation had been concluded.

However, one person did get it right. Boats sink, planes crash etc. Events do happen and they need to be investigated but you don't have knee jerk reactions.

 

[Bletchleyite]

However, one person did get it right. Boats sink, planes crash etc. Events do happen and they need to be investigated but you don't have knee jerk reactions.

Agreed, though I must admit it is very visible that, despite it to all intents and purposes being a railway, it is treated much more like a road.

 

[notadriver]

It's not a railway - rules of the road apply. Guided buses are not trains - they are driven on sight so in the event any collision at least part of the blame will be on the driver.

 

[ac6000cw]

Just for the record, this section of the busway is built along the alignment of the former Cambridge-Sandy(-Bedford-Bletchley-Oxford) line, but that is completely irrelevant to how it operates today as a guided busway.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Since the bus has ended up part-way up the side of a cutting, I suspect that this is near to the Shelford Road overbridge, where the busway goes from double to single (to fit under the bridge) - the changeover is via an unguided section, so maybe there has been some mis-judgement or the driver was trying to avoid a pedestrian/cyclist/some other obstruction ?

 

[Deerfold]

This may be true of the guided sections. However the buses also run into the centre of Cambridge where streets are very narrow and congested. It's most unlikely that trams would be workable on that section.

And unfortunately that's where the system suffers most.

I've used it a few times and been very impressed with the guided sections, but it can take longer to get between Central Cambridge and the station as it did from St Ives.

The answers aren't easy (except for banning cars during the daytime which would cause an outcry from the persecuted motorist).

 

[notadriver]

I think a complete restructure of the roads including banning cars is exactly what's needed

 

[Deerfold]

A wry smile to my lips reading that link, caused by the 'related news' that Cambridgeshire are lending their expert advice to Manchester for its Leigh guided busway. Whoops!

Presumably one of the reasons for offering the advice is to try and minimise the problems with contractors and build quality.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

They go up to 55 mph. Speculation is the driver misjudged their entry into the guideway.

Why are guided busways more prone to driver error accidents than trams ?

Where guided busways start do the guides form a "funnel" to channel the bus's wheels into the guides?

 

[ac6000cw]

Where guided busways start do the guides form a "funnel" to channel the bus's wheels into the guides?

Yes, they do, but the 'funnel' isn't super-wide.

 

[Busaholic]

I'm interested as to why in that photo the engine compartment is open. Was it necessary to stop the engine via an emergency button? There was no mention of the driver having been injured, so could he not switch it off himself from the cab?

 

[overthewater]

I'm interested as to why in that photo the engine compartment is open. Was it necessary to stop the engine via an emergency button? There was no mention of the driver having been injured, so could he not switch it off himself from the cab?

To make sure nothing was leaking?

 

[Teflon Lettuce]

It's not a railway - rules of the road apply. Guided buses are not trains - they are driven on sight so in the event any collision at least part of the blame will be on the driver.

Actually, in the UK guided busways ARE legally railways and come under the auspices of the railway inspectorate... before they even open they have to be signed off by the railway inspectorate.

 

[Phil.]

The northern section of the guided Busway was indeed so and was opened in the late 1840's by the Wisbech, St Ives and Cambridge Junction Railway and was generally referred to as the Cambridge and St Ives branch line. It finally closed on 5th October 1970.

I could don my pedant's hat and state that although the railway closed to passenger traffic in 1970 freight continued for a number of years. The oranges for Hartley's jam factory at Histon were delivered in season in Transfesa vans.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

The lack of rails makes the term "derailment" stick out like a sore thumb on this thread. Surely "deroadment" would be more appropriate?

 

[notadriver]

Actually, in the UK guided busways ARE legally railways and come under the auspices of the railway inspectorate... before they even open they have to be signed off by the railway inspectorate.

In that case will the RAIB be making a full report into the accident ? I don't think so.

 

[edwin_m]

Actually, in the UK guided busways ARE legally railways and come under the auspices of the railway inspectorate... before they even open they have to be signed off by the railway inspectorate.

Not so. The ROGS regulations explicitly exclude guided busways.

 

[Teflon Lettuce]

Not so. The ROGS regulations explicitly exclude guided busways.

so explain why both the Cambridgeshire and Luton Busways had delayed openings due to awaiting sign off by the railway inspectorate.. and why the busway that was supposed to serve the millenium dome never opened because the railway inspectorate refused to sign it off?