Four faults with train safety system, investigation into fatal crash finds
Four faults were detected in a safety system for a train involved in a fatal crash in mid-Wales, investigators said.
Hoses fitted to the Transport for Wales (TfW) train to discharge sand when wheels slide during braking were “blocked”, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said in an interim report.
The investigators said: “This fault would have prevented sand from being ejected from the hoses.”
Two plates which measure the flow rate of sand were incorrectly installed, with both upside down and one misaligned.
Two electrical faults were also discovered.
The train with the failed safety system was travelling at about 24mph when it collided head-on with another TfW train travelling at around 6mph near Talerddig in Powys on October 21 last year.
Death
Passenger David Tudor Evans, 66, died and four other people were seriously hurt.
Those seriously injured included the guard of the train with the faulty safety system – who was standing up at the time of the crash – and the driver of the other train, who was trying to leave the driving cab when the crash happened, and became trapped.
A further 23 people received minor injuries.
Both trains involved in the crash were two-carriage class 158 units.
The train with the failed sanding system was travelling west to Aberystwyth.
It was supposed to stop inside a loop to allow an eastbound train to pass on the single track section of the Cambrian line.
Analysis
Analysis of the on-board data recorder shows the driver applied the brakes as the train neared the loop, during which time the wheels began to slide.
The driver then made an emergency brake demand, which remained in place until the crash.
The train passed through the loop and rejoined the single line, sliding for around 900 metres downhill before the collision occurred.
Investigators found the sanding hoses were blocked with leaves and debris from trees.
A “basic check” of the system was carried out the day before the crash, which “suggests that the sand hoses were not blocked at this time”, the report stated.
Following the crash, Network Rail said one of its railhead treatment trains – which tackle autumn leaf fall – ran along the line and passing loop the night before the crash.
The RAIB said its investigation will consider several aspects, such as the sanding systems and the cause and severity of low adhesion at Talerddig.
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The sanding system is an emergency system. It should not be necessary in normal operation. This investigation needs to understand why the sanding system became necessary in the first place because that’s what caused the accident. If someone unintentionally falls out of a plane and doesn’t survive, their death wasn’t caused by a lack of a parachute.