UK - Railway criticised over accident

[John Ashworth]

Railway criticised over accident
BBC
Page last updated at 12:00 GMT, Thursday, 3 July 2008 13:00 UK

A preserved railway in the Forest of Dean has been heavily criticised after an accident last August.

A steam locomotive hit a partially-open level-crossing in Lydney and continued through to the town's station.

A volunteer for Dean Forest Railway was seriously injured when the train hit the gate as he tried to open it.

The Railway Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said the train was going too fast and the crew had not taken proper account of the wet conditions.

Lack of training

The RAIB's report also said the locomotive crew's "lack of training and experience in controlling this type of train in these conditions" had contributed to the accident.

Also, the "failure of equipment that warned level-crossing operators that a train was approaching and the lack of any system for informing the train crew that this equipment was not working", were causal factors.

The RAIB made 10 recommendations, many of which have now been implemented by Dean Forest Railway.

These include additional training for crews, making changes to the warning system at the level-crossing and appointing a qualified person to act as health and safety director.

The heritage railway, which operates out of Norchard, attracts thousands of visitors a year.

Because of his injuries, 69-year-old accident victim Victor Laubach has had to quit his music tuition business because he can no longer play the horn and the guitar.

But he said he held no grudge against the driver who hit the gate.

"It was one of those accidents which can only be described as pure human error," he said.

"The person who was driving the train involved in the accident was simply a little too enthusiastic, shall I say, and unaware of how well the braking system worked.

"That is in the report itself and I have no problem with that report."