Investigation launched into Froxfield train collision

London Paddington to Penzance hit brick debris while travelling at about 90mph.

AN INVESTIGATION has been launched after a high-speed train struck debris from a bridge that had been damaged by a reversing lorry.

The independent Rail Accident Investigation Bureau (RAIB) has announced a probe into the incident, which left hundreds of passengers stranded near Froxfield.

As reported in the Newbury Weekly News, at around 5.31pm on Sunday, February 22, a high- speed train collided with a bridge parapet which had fallen on to the railway at Oak Hill, an unclassified road off the A4 on the edge Froxfield, between Hungerford and Bedwyn.

The heavily-loaded 4.34pm First Great Western service from London Paddington to Penzance hit brick debris while travelling at about 90mph.

An initial report by the RAIB stated that the train driver had no opportunity to brake before hitting the debris, and the impact lifted the front of the train.

Fortunately, the train did not derail, and the driver applied the emergency brake.

The train stopped after travelling a further 730 metres and nobody was injured.

However, the leading power car sustained underframe damage and there was also damage to the train’s braking system.

The bridge parapet had originally been struck at about 5.20pm by a reversing articulated lorry.

The RAIB report states: “The lorry driver had turned off the A4 at a junction just north of the railway bridge, and crossed over the railway before encountering a canal bridge 40 metres further on, which he considered to be too narrow for his vehicle.

“A pair of road signs located just south of the A4 junction warn vehicle drivers of a hump- back bridge and double bends but there were no weight or width restriction signs.

“The lorry driver stopped before the canal bridge and attempted to reverse around a bend and back over the railway bridge without assistance, and was unaware when the rear of his trailer first made contact with, and then toppled, the brick parapet on the east side of the railway bridge.”

It added: “The entire parapet, weighing around 13 tonnes, fell on to the railway, obstructing both tracks. This was witnessed by a car driver who was travelling behind the lorry.
“The car driver left his vehicle to alert the lorry driver and he then contacted the emergency services by dialing 999 on his mobile phone at about 5.21pm.”

The RAIB investigation will consider the sequence of events and factors that led to the accident.

The investigation will include a review of the adequacy of road signage and the overall response to the emergency call made by the motorist who witnessed the collapse of the bridge parapet.

It will also identify any safety lessons from the accident and post-accident response.