Travelling right behind a derailed train

[HST BB]

In February this year, 222005 derailed near Market Harborough, it was a normal day, I spent at least 2 hours at Luton Airport Parkway including a visit at Luton Airport itself. At around 15:20, 222005 sped past LAP with a working to Sheffield, as I noticed it speed by, nothing didn't really seem wrong.

I waited at Platform 4 for the 15:51 to Nottingham, it arrived at on time, departed on time and on the journey back to Nottingham, as we approached Kettering, we waited outside for 12 minutes because of a broken down train in front of us, nothing unusual, trains brake down sometimes, there not all perfect.

We departed Kettering 15 minutes late, this is where all the trouble begins, as we departed it came to a stop just outside of the station, there wasn't any announcements just for the occasional sorry for the delay. We including the passengers sat on the train nothing to do, the bar was closed and my magazines becoming increasingly boring to read. It was an hour and loads of trains passed on the slow line towards Corby, even the scheduled 16:51 departure from LAP passed us on the slow line. As we waited we went backwards towards Kettering and I thought something was immediately wrong. As we entered Kettering again, all of the passengers and crew had to disembark and wait until further announcements back to Nottingham, one sounded.

We had to wait an extra half an hour for rescue service to so it can take us home, a 7-car meridian arrived, we board the first class area and food was being served for all the passengers, the train was only going to Derby not to Nottingham, passengers and I got of at Leicester, joined a coach service back to Nottingham for a 45 minute journey back home. We arrived home restless and tired, I counted to find out it took 3 hours, 30 minutes to get back to Nottingham, a complete nightmare of a journey.

As I got back home, kept an eye on news to find out 222005 deriled at East Langton, near Market Harborough, I was shocked, ever since the incident still today, I'm keeping an eye on RAIB reports into how the incident happened.

 

[transportphoto]

No offence intended - in that case can you trust any train? They all can derail - this is not an isolated event.

 

[TGV]

Yes - you can.

 

[MCR247]

Then can you trust a car? A plane?

 

[ainsworth74]

Of course you can, there hasn't been a passenger fatality (touch wood) on the railways since Grayrigg in 2007. Can the same be said for any other form of transport?

 

[mumrar]

You have made a very long and drawn out opening to then end with a rather silly question. The title 'Travelling right behind a derailed train' sounds so very dramatic but couldn't be further from the truth. The train that derailed was protected by signals in the rear, so what relevance does being right behind it carry? If there was an inherent problem that caused this derailment, then the fleet would have been examined and withdrawn until a solution was found. Rail is one of the worlds safest transport systems. It also seems a rather long time since the derailment for you to now be bothered.

 

[Greenback]

In February this year, 222005 derailed near Market Harborough, it was a normal day, I spent at least 2 hours at Luton Airport Parkway including a visit at Luton Airport itself. At around 15:20, 222005 sped past LAP with a working to Sheffield, as I noticed it speed by, nothing didn't really seem wrong.

I waited at Platform 4 for the 15:51 to Nottingham, it arrived at on time, departed on time and on the journey back to Nottingham, as we approached Kettering, we waited outside for 12 minutes because of a broken down train in front of us, nothing unusual, trains brake down sometimes, there not all perfect.

We departed Kettering 15 minutes late, this is where all the trouble begins, as we departed it came to a stop just outside of the station, there wasn't any announcements just for the occasional sorry for the delay. We including the passengers sat on the train nothing to do, the bar was closed and my magazines becoming increasingly boring to read. It was an hour and loads of trains passed on the slow line towards Corby, even the scheduled 16:51 departure from LAP passed us on the slow line. As we waited we went backwards towards Kettering and I thought something was immediately wrong. As we entered Kettering again, all of the passengers and crew had to disembark and wait until further announcements back to Nottingham, one sounded.

We had to wait an extra half an hour for rescue service to so it can take us home, a 7-car meridian arrived, we board the first class area and food was being served for all the passengers, the train was only going to Derby not to Nottingham, passengers and I got of at Leicester, joined a coach service back to Nottingham for a 45 minute journey back home. We arrived home restless and tired, I counted to find out it took 3 hours, 30 minutes to get back to Nottingham, a complete nightmare of a journey.

As I got back home, kept an eye on news to find out 222005 deriled at East Langton, near Market Harborough, I was shocked, ever since the incident still today, I'm keeping an eye on RAIB reports into how the incident happened. The question is... can I trust a Meridian? You never know.

I'm a bit confused - you don't seem to couint yourself as a passenger! Were you supposed to be working the bar but reading magazines instead?

But seriously folks, yes, trains do break down and they do derail, sometimes as a result of vandalism. The chances of it being an endemic problem with a particular unot type is really very small!

 

[rail-britain]

I have done loads of journeys by rail and car

In all that time I have only been involved in one rail accident, where the Aberdeen - Euston sleeper was impacted by a freight train and derailed prior to departure
As I was working on the train I had to be breathalysed

I've been on a few HSTs that felt like they were nearly derailing; once I gave the driver an ear full on arrival at Edinburgh although he did apologise but he should have made that to the passengers and the staff in the buffet (as they had to close it as all the crockery ended up smashed)

I've seen vastly more accidents on the road, but that would simply be due to their being more possibility

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I've been on a few HSTs that felt like they were nearly derailing

I've had three particularly hairy moments over the years, none of which did or indeed would deter me from travelling by train again.

 

[theblackwatch]

I've had three particularly hairy moments over the years, none of which did or indeed would deter me from travelling by train again.

Same here. I was involved in a derailment last month which saw one vehicle on my train come off the track completely, and in Portugal in 1999 I was on a train which I still consider to have been rather unsafe - the train was going way over its speed limit and I'm convinced our coach (the back one of 3) was a swinger with no brakes! Also, on an all-line many years ago, a brick came through the window of the seating bay in front of mine whilist travelling around Glasgow on a 303, smashing the window. Had there been anyone sat there, I suspect they would have been injured by the glass.

Incidents like that haven't put me off travelling by train - I suspect I'm more likely to be injured on my way to the station than on a train itself!

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Oh, you've just reminded me of one instance about 20+ years ago when I was on a 302 out of Fenchurch Street towards Upminster; thundering past the marshes ( I understand this is a notorious spot for vandalism even today? ) the door window just inches in front of me suddenly shattered inwards and a hole about an inch in diameter was left in the middle of the shatter.

The really scary thing was that simultaneously the door window on the opposite ( left ) side of the carriage developed an identical but slightly larger hole with the debris falling outside, which suggests that instead of being the more usual stone impacting the glass some BLEEP had taken a pot shot at the train with an air gun?

 

[37401]

I've had three particularly hairy moments over the years, none of which did or indeed would deter me from travelling by train again.

It would take alot to get me off the trains

 

[yorksrob]

the bar was closed and my magazines becoming increasingly boring to read.

That is shocking. Ideal time to sell a few drinks with a captive audience

Was on a train back home from work and was just getting up to walk to the door when a large stone shattered one of the windows in front of me. Also had a big stone land about a metre away from me whilst waiting at Cottingley station. (phoned the BTP about that one).

The scariest thing was being in an emergency landing in the brace position though.

 

[royaloak]

The scariest thing was being in an emergency landing in the brace position though.

The good old "brace position" where if the plane crashes (properly) you break your own neck (and die) as it is cheaper for the airlines to pay out for a dead person than one that is seriously injured and will need constant care for the rest of their (long) natural life!

Just my opinion of course

 

[37401]

"Put yer head between your legs and kiss your bum goodbye!"

 

[yorksrob]

The good old "brace position" where if the plane crashes (properly) you break your own neck (and die) as it is cheaper for the airlines to pay out for a dead person than one that is seriously injured and will need constant care for the rest of their (long) natural life!

Just my opinion of course

Or is it to protect your teeth so that they have something to identify you with

 

[ChrisTheRef]

Or is it to protect your teeth so that they have something to identify you with

I crossed the Atlantic 24 hours after that Air France flight had gone down last January.
I was also flying on an Air France 777, in the dark, in poor weather, travelling from South America to Paris CDG. I'm not superstitious, but I did have a few moments of thinking "what if?"

Back to the OP, I'm struggling to see your role in this incident. You're not staff, you're not a passenger...a spotter who thinks they're superior to the passengers?

Oh dear, oh dear....

 

[90019]

Back to the OP, I'm struggling to see your role in this incident. You're not staff, you're not a passenger...a spotter who thinks they're superior to the passengers?

Oh dear, oh dear....

So, what else is new?

 

[37401]

I'm keeping an eye on RAIB reports into how the incident happened.

The train broke, there thats how it happened


nothing meant by this but why do you care so much, its not exacly like you were involved in the incident and its not all the bad at all, noones died everyones ok, the train just broke.

exacly what ChrisTheRef said!

 

[455driver]

I would rather be on a train that crashes compared to a plane that does!

 

[Bedpan]

I crossed the Atlantic 24 hours after that Air France flight had gone down last January.
I was also flying on an Air France 777, in the dark, in poor weather, travelling from South America to Paris CDG. I'm not superstitious, but I did have a few moments of thinking "what if?"

Back to the OP, I'm struggling to see your role in this incident. You're not staff, you're not a passenger...a spotter who thinks they're superior to the passengers?

Oh dear, oh dear....

Wasn't it an Air France Airbus A330 that broke up over the Atlantic, the one where they weren't able to recover the black box? I thought that it was in around May last year, I was booking tickets for a visit to Vancouver at the time and the choice was a 777 or an A330, I thought that an A330 would be less worrying because the 777 had crashed at Heathrow a few months earlier and they hadn't remedied the cause, which was water in the fuel which iced up and blocked the fuel pipes as far as I remember...... and then a few days after I got my ticket the A330 went down.