The legacy of Ladbroke Grove…

Twenty-five years ago, two passenger trains collided at Ladbroke Grove. One had passed a signal at danger. The consequences for rail safety are still being felt today, as PAUL CLIFTON explains

October 5 1999 - one of the worst rail crashes of the last century: 31 people were killed and 417 injured. It was a watershed moment that changed the industry. The collision at Ladbroke Grove was the second major crash on the Great Western Main Line in two years, following the Southall accident in September 1997. Both events could have been prevented by an operational Automatic Train Protection system. The crashes damaged public confidence in the management and regulation of safety on what was still a newly privatised and fragmented railway. And the effects have been long-lasting. In a quarter of a century, there has not been a fatality caused by a train passing a red light- a SPAD (signal passed at danger), even though the number of SPADs remains…

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RAIL (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 1019

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