Ufton Nervet crash 2004 remembered today

The First Great Western service was travelling between London and Plymouth when it struck a vehicle on November 6, 2004, which had been deliberately parked at the crossing.
One of the survivors of the crash Jane Hawker was in Coach D of the 17.35 high-speed service when it hit the car and de-railed. She spoke to Newbury Weekly News two weeks ago.
She recalled: “I remember when we got on the train it was quite crowded and we were debating where to sit. We settled for coach D, which was the coach behind one of the ones which overturned. We couldn’t have known at the time, but that turned out to be a very momentous decision.
“We had not long come out of Reading when I felt this massive jolt coming through the floor. The next thing I knew I was being thrown up into the air. It was like being in a tumble dryer, that is the only way I can describe it.”
Mrs Hawker escaped with a broken finger, bruising and tissue damage.
“I got lucky but others didn’t. It has certainly changed my life and the way I view things. I don’t ever skip a light to get somewhere one second quicker, and I don’t tend to rush to get anywhere. Life is so important.”
An independent report into the incident was launched by Network Rail and in 2005 they found that the deaths were a result of “deliberate misuse of the crossings, not because of any inherent fault in the design.”
Since the crash, four other people have died at the crossing which has been subject to repeated calls to improve safety at the half-barrier crossing.
Network Rail said yesterday: “Ten years on, our thoughts remain with the friends and families of the people who lost their lives in the tragic incident at Ufton Nervet level crossing.”
Network Rail also confirmed yesterday that a bridge at the crossing will go ahead “very shortly.”
The rail giant said: “Since announcing our determination to build a bridge over the railway at Ufton Nervet we have been carrying out in-depth design work and assessing the best way of placing a large structure on a complicated and constricted site, near a busy road and a river.
“The investment into the modernisation of the Great Western Main Line has given us access to the substantial funding needed and we hope to be able to proceed very shortly.”