| Kirkby station buffer stop incident - 13 March 2021 Posted by grahame at 00:36, 14th March 2021 |     |
A few hours ago (evening of 13th March), a MerseyRail train hit the buffers at Kirkby. Just beyond the buffer stops ia a bridge the line used to continue through which is (or rather was until a few hours ago) occupied by an extended walkway built out at platform level onto the trackbed for passengers to walk through to connect to their onward Northern train. From early reports, it would seem that although massive damage has been done and the driver was taken to hospital, there are no casualties. Thank goodness it wasn't a solid wall as at Moorgate, though I have no idea how fast the train was going. Wishing the driver and anyone else hurt a speedy recovery; awaiting official information in due course as to what went wrong.
| Re: Kirkby station buffer stop incident - 13 March 2021 Posted by grahame at 01:27, 14th March 2021 | |
From the Liverpool Echo
A train shockingly derailed at Kirkby station this evening after hitting a buffer stop, operator Merseyrail has now confirmed.
Investigators today launched a probe into how the train managed to leave the tracks in such dangerous fashion just after 6.30pm, leaving behind very significant damage.
It has now emerged the driver of the Merseyrail service was taken to hospital by ambulance as a precautionary measure.
Twelve passengers were on board the 6.35pm travelling from Knowsley toward Liverpool, along with two crew members.
They were described as "walking wounded" with minor injuries.
The passengers all managed to walk off the train following the smash, and were checked at the scene by paramedics.
They did not need additional medical treatment, but the train driver was taken to hospital.
The train struck the buffer stop, a device designed to prevent railway vehicles going past the end of a physical section of track.
Investigators today launched a probe into how the train managed to leave the tracks in such dangerous fashion just after 6.30pm, leaving behind very significant damage.
It has now emerged the driver of the Merseyrail service was taken to hospital by ambulance as a precautionary measure.
Twelve passengers were on board the 6.35pm travelling from Knowsley toward Liverpool, along with two crew members.
They were described as "walking wounded" with minor injuries.
The passengers all managed to walk off the train following the smash, and were checked at the scene by paramedics.
They did not need additional medical treatment, but the train driver was taken to hospital.
The train struck the buffer stop, a device designed to prevent railway vehicles going past the end of a physical section of track.
And a thread split coming in the morning.
I question the accuracy of a couple of elements here ... and thank the author for telling us what a buffer stop is. But yet that very seriously reminds us of the need for clarity and explanation for newcomers.
| Re: Kirkby station buffer stop incident - 13 March 2021 Posted by onthecushions at 22:03, 15th March 2021 | |
Quote from Twitter:
"507006 last night is not the 1st time a train has smashed through the buffers at Kirkby Station - Remember 508101 in 1987 & 507029 in 1991 & 507032 in 1997."
OTC
| Re: Kirkby station buffer stop incident - 13 March 2021 Posted by IndustryInsider at 06:18, 16th March 2021 | |
Of course, previous incidents would have been pre-TPWS and before data recorders were installed. I’ll be interested to see what the RAIB has to say about it.
| Re: Kirkby station buffer stop incident - 13 March 2021 Posted by grahame at 07:04, 1st April 2021 | |
A few hours ago (evening of 13th March), a MerseyRail train hit the buffers at Kirkby. ....
From Liverpool Echo
The driver of the Merseyrail train which derailed at Kirkby station causing massive damage has been arrested, the ECHO can reveal.
Police and a number of government agencies are investigating the March 13 incident, which saw a Saturday evening service leave the tracks.
The impact, which happened when the train collided with a buffer stop, caused a significant amount of damage with smashed up concrete and other debris. Part of the platform in Kirkby collapsed.
Now, the ECHO has learnt that a 58-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of endangering the safety of the railway.
He was the driver of the 6.35pm Merseyrail service, who was left "shaken up" after the crash and was taken to hospital as a precaution.
Police and a number of government agencies are investigating the March 13 incident, which saw a Saturday evening service leave the tracks.
The impact, which happened when the train collided with a buffer stop, caused a significant amount of damage with smashed up concrete and other debris. Part of the platform in Kirkby collapsed.
Now, the ECHO has learnt that a 58-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of endangering the safety of the railway.
He was the driver of the 6.35pm Merseyrail service, who was left "shaken up" after the crash and was taken to hospital as a precaution.
I am uneasy with the suspicion being in public prior to full reports and analysis - however, the above is just echoing the news feed.
Thread Split needed ...
| Re: Kirkby station buffer stop incident - 13 March 2021 Posted by Electric train at 10:31, 1st April 2021 | |
A few hours ago (evening of 13th March), a MerseyRail train hit the buffers at Kirkby. ....
From Liverpool Echo
The driver of the Merseyrail train which derailed at Kirkby station causing massive damage has been arrested, the ECHO can reveal.
Police and a number of government agencies are investigating the March 13 incident, which saw a Saturday evening service leave the tracks.
The impact, which happened when the train collided with a buffer stop, caused a significant amount of damage with smashed up concrete and other debris. Part of the platform in Kirkby collapsed.
Now, the ECHO has learnt that a 58-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of endangering the safety of the railway.
He was the driver of the 6.35pm Merseyrail service, who was left "shaken up" after the crash and was taken to hospital as a precaution.
Police and a number of government agencies are investigating the March 13 incident, which saw a Saturday evening service leave the tracks.
The impact, which happened when the train collided with a buffer stop, caused a significant amount of damage with smashed up concrete and other debris. Part of the platform in Kirkby collapsed.
Now, the ECHO has learnt that a 58-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of endangering the safety of the railway.
He was the driver of the 6.35pm Merseyrail service, who was left "shaken up" after the crash and was taken to hospital as a precaution.
I am uneasy with the suspicion being in public prior to full reports and analysis - however, the above is just echoing the news feed.
Thread Split needed ...
Arrested or placed under caution?
Its posible the driver was placed under arrest, that should not infer that charges will follow
| Re: Kirkby station buffer stop incident - 13 March 2021 Posted by TonyK at 16:46, 3rd April 2021 | |
Arrested or placed under caution?
Its posible the driver was placed under arrest, that should not infer that charges will follow
The difference is that he can't walk away if he was arrested, and can be put under bail conditions. Chances are that the practical difference in this case is marginal. Arrested or not, it is the start of an investigation which might not end in proceedings.
| Re: Kirkby station buffer stop incident - 13 March 2021 Posted by grahame at 21:45, 9th February 2022 | |
Arrested or placed under caution?
Its posible the driver was placed under arrest, that should not infer that charges will follow
The difference is that he can't walk away if he was arrested, and can be put under bail conditions. Chances are that the practical difference in this case is marginal. Arrested or not, it is the start of an investigation which might not end in proceedings.
It did indeed end in proceedings. From ITV
A train driver who crashed at almost three times the speed limit was texting seconds before the train derailed at Kirkby Station, police have revealed.
Phillip Hollis, 59, pleaded guilty at Liverpool Magistrates' Court to endangering the safety of passengers following the collision in Knowsley on 13 March, 2021.
British Transport Police (BTP) say the former Merseyrail employee was driving a train from Liverpool which travelled into the station at 40mph, instead of the speed limit of 15mph.
Despite Hollis, of Spellow Lane, Liverpool, applying the emergency brakes, the train crashed into the buffer stop and derailed.
Phillip Hollis, 59, pleaded guilty at Liverpool Magistrates' Court to endangering the safety of passengers following the collision in Knowsley on 13 March, 2021.
British Transport Police (BTP) say the former Merseyrail employee was driving a train from Liverpool which travelled into the station at 40mph, instead of the speed limit of 15mph.
Despite Hollis, of Spellow Lane, Liverpool, applying the emergency brakes, the train crashed into the buffer stop and derailed.
They say it was "sheer luck" that none of the 14 passengers, including the driver and guard, were seriously injured during the incident.
"Hollis told police that his bag had fallen off a cupboard in the cab and he'd stood up to retrieve it along with a bottle of Lucozade, before sitting back down and seeing the buffers approaching", the spokesperson said.
"However, when Hollis's phone was seized and analysed, detectives found he'd sent a WhatsApp message at 6.51.34pm, 26 seconds before the crash.
"He was interviewed again by detectives and admitted his phone should have been turned off in the cab."
"Hollis told police that his bag had fallen off a cupboard in the cab and he'd stood up to retrieve it along with a bottle of Lucozade, before sitting back down and seeing the buffers approaching", the spokesperson said.
"However, when Hollis's phone was seized and analysed, detectives found he'd sent a WhatsApp message at 6.51.34pm, 26 seconds before the crash.
"He was interviewed again by detectives and admitted his phone should have been turned off in the cab."
| Re: Kirkby station buffer stop incident - 13 March 2021 Posted by stuving at 19:13, 11th August 2022 | |
The RAIB report into this accident was published today. The details that led to the driver's conviction are already known, of course, but the report adds a couple more.
| Re: Kirkby station buffer stop incident - 13 March 2021 Posted by TaplowGreen at 22:09, 11th August 2022 | |
The RAIB report into this accident was published today. The details that led to the driver's conviction are already known, of course, but the report adds a couple more.
Suspended sentence. A lucky chap indeed.
| Re: Kirkby station buffer stop incident - 13 March 2021 Posted by Electric train at 16:35, 13th August 2022 | |
The RAIB report into this accident was published today. The details that led to the driver's conviction are already known, of course, but the report adds a couple more.
"The accident occurred because the driver of the train did not apply the brakes in time, as he was distracted from the driving task by his mobile phone and by his bag falling onto the cab floor".
A little bit remonisant of the Southall crash 19 September 1997 "The HST driver said he was aware of the isolated AWS but admitted to a lack of focus, referring to putting items in his bag before the incident twice in his tape-recorded conversation with signallers at the nearest trackside telephone"
The HST Driver was charged with Manslaughter, the charges were later dropped
