European Railroad Discussion > London Tramlink tram overturns - 5 dead

A quite horrendous accident earlier this morning in Croydon in South London

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-37919658

7 dead now.


>  The tram driver, 42, from Beckenham, has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.  British Transport Police said they were investigating whether he fell asleep.


Looks like, "I don't remember" and "The radio was distracting" ain't going to cut it over there.
 

Do UK trains have event recorders and/or forward facing cameras? I would imagine security cameras in the passengers area would also give an idea how fast the tram was going.

Here is a shot from a tram coming toward Croydon from Elmers End from 2013. If the tram in the crash was going toward Wimbledon it would have been going from the left of this shot and away into the distance. The rails the tram we were on looks like it it got pushed off the sleepers in the scenes on the BBC. That tram had to have been going really fast since it would have been on the left most track and was still able to slide on it's side across the outbound track going toward New Addington. I took this hum drum shot from the tram, never though it would be posted for anything like this. Sad day for public transit.

Croydon Tramlink Map

Jim

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Certainly looks like driver error, I imagine the data recorder will establish exactly how fast the tram was going. It's the worst rail accident in terms of loss of life since the Ufton Nervet crash in 2004, when a would be suicide parked his car in front of a speeding First Great Western HST on a rural level crossing, and the first in which a passenger has died since Grayrigg in Feb 2007.

86235 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Certainly looks like driver error, I imagine the
> data recorder will establish exactly how fast the
> tram was going. It's the worst rail accident in
> terms of loss of life since the Ufton Nervet crash
> in 2004, when a would be suicide parked his car in
> front of a speeding First Great Western HST on a
> rural level crossing, and the first in which a
> passenger has died since Grayrigg in Feb 2007.

Is there a data recorder???  

PHall Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Is there a data recorder???  

From Croydon Advertiser

Meanwhile Mike Brown, Transport for London's commissioner said a black box-style data recorder on the tram would be examined as part of the investigation.

Read more at http://www.croydonadvertiser.co.uk/there-will-be-disruption-for-days-on-tram-network-after-fatal-croydon-crash/story-29882695-detail/story.html#5jSygTpHKYO6ZLFu.99



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/11/16 12:54 by 86235.

Yes, there was a data recorder and its information was downloaded to determine the speed entering the curve, The RAIB has issued a preliminary report n the accident at this link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/582c4614ed915d14ae00000a/IR012016_161116_Sandilands_Jn.pdf  Needless to say the date is very interesting.

The real reason:  The driver only slowed from 50 to 43mph approaching the 12mph curve because he was texting:

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2173636/croydon-tram-crash-driver-was-texting-as-vehicle-sped-round-corner-significantly-above-the-permitted-speed/

As a busdriver I cringe seeing other busdrivers I work with who are obviously texting, while driving. I don't know how you can get the message through to these people. I would hate to live thinking that I killed people because I was doing something as unessential as texting.

Jim

tq-07fan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> As a busdriver I cringe seeing other busdrivers I
> work with who are obviously texting, while
> driving. I don't know how you can get the message
> through to these people. I would hate to live
> thinking that I killed people because I was doing
> something as unessential as texting.
>
> Jim

If that's what happened. Using a mobile phone in a vehicle is an offence in Britain, if there is evidence he was texting then he'll be charged by the police. That hasn't happened yet.

I took a couple of pictures a few months ago of a 66 hauled freight train and when I was processing them the first shot revealed the driver with his mobile glued to his ear. It was nowhere to be seen in the shot taken seconds later. That would be a disciplinary matter for most TOCs, the modern day equivalent of drinking and driving.