Two-mile terror on 65mph runaway train as leaves on line send it out of control
by Dick Murray, Transport Correspondent - 18.11.10
A commuter train from Charing Cross slid for a record two-and-a-half miles because of leaves on the line.
It raced through one station at 65mph without stopping and then shot over a level crossing before coming to a halt. Shocked rail chiefs have launched a major investigation.
One senior source told the Standard: Thankfully no one has come to any harm but the thought of what possibly could have happened at the level crossing is just too horrible to imagine.
The terrified driver has told investigators he applied the brakes as he approached Stonegate station in East Sussex on November 8 but the 6.45am Charing Cross to Hastings train failed to slow down.
A spokesman for the Rail Accident Investigation Branch said: At around 8.10am the train encountered poor adhesion conditions as its driver applied the brakes to make a scheduled stop at Stonegate station while travelling at about 65mph. The train was unable to stop and came to a stand some 2.45 miles beyond the station.
No red signals were passed and the level crossing was fortunately closed to road vehicles and pedestrians.
The train driver immediately contacted signal control to report what happened. The RAIB spokesman added: The investigation will identify the reasons for the train's inability to stop normally.
It will also examine the arrangements for the servicing and maintenance of the rail head (surface) sanding equipment on the trains used on the Charing Cross-Hastings line.
Statements by the train driver about how, when and where he applied the brakes will also be taken into account.
Train operator Southeastern and Network Rail, which is responsible for the tracks, have combined to launch their own investigation.
An NR spokesman said: The train had green signals and a clear route ahead.
Every winter NR spends tens of millions of pounds keeping the tracks clear of leaves. Wet and windy conditions are the worst.
The wind blows the leaves on to the tracks where they stick on the wet lines. The first train along then crushes then into a substance similar to black ice on the roads.
Investigators will also look at whether a fault with the train was to blame.
The longest previous train slide caused by leaves on the line happened at Slough station 15 years ago. A train approaching a dead-end platform at 56mph slid for 1,300 yards about three-quarters of a mile on the slippery track.
The front coach smashed into the buffers, mounted the platform, careered across the concourse and demolished the station buffet.
Only two people, including the train driver Paul Farrell, 29, were injured.
Aslef, the train drivers' union, said at the time, The train was like a car on black ice.
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