A MISTAKE by a signaller is thought to be the cause of a collision between two trains in a platform at Plymouth earlier this month in which around 35 people were hurt.
The accident, on 3 April, occurred when a four-car unit arriving from Penzance at 15.30 collided at about 15mph (24km/h) with a stationary London-bound intercity train which was already partly occupying the same platform.
The trains would normally have been directed into separate platforms, but interchange would then have been difficult because some lifts were out of use for maintenance. The signaller therefore decided to bring the connecting service into the same platform behind the London train, following an established practice which is known as permissive working.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch said the signaller could see the rear of the intercity train in Platform 6 from the signal box window and estimated that there was enough room for the approaching train as well. Accordingly, the Cornwall train driver had been given a 'proceed' indication on the approach which warned him that he would be entering an occupied platform.
As his train entered the station throat he looked at the tracks to confirm which route his train was taking and, when he realised the situation, applied the emergency brake. However, this was not enough to stop the train, and the collision followed three seconds later.
Many passengers were standing because they were about to leave the train, and some were thrown around or on to the floor. Seven of those injured were reported to have needed hospital treatment, including the driver. Both trains were also damaged, and the station was closed for around 90 minutes.
The RAIB will follow these preliminary findings with a detailed inquiry into the actions of staff involved, the signalling and platform working arrangements at Plymouth, the performance of the train during the collision and any 'underlying management factors'.