The following statement was given this afternoon by Andrew Hall, Deputy Chief Inspector, Rail Accident Investigation Branch.


"A team of RAIB inspectors arrived on site on Sunday evening and were joined yesterday by additional inspectors and our support team. We are working alongside partner organisations including the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) and BTP. Our investigation is progressing well.
"Yesterday our focus was on evidence retrieval, we have been working with Police scene officers to examine the train. We have also undertaken a close examination of the track and signalling in the area and started to talk to those involved. Analysis of downloads from the trains’ data recorders, electronic data from the signalling system and CCTV imagery is ongoing.
"From the initial evidence we have collected, we know that that the passage of the Great Western train travelling from Eastleigh across Salisbury Tunnel Junction was being protected by a red signal. At this junction, trains coming from Eastleigh merge with those from Basingstoke, so the South Western service coming from Basingstoke was required to stop at that signal.
"Unfortunately, it did not stop and struck the side of the Great Western train at an angle such that both trains derailed and ran alongside each other into the tunnel just beyond the junction.
"Initial evidence indicates that the South Western train driver applied the brakes as it approached the junction and the red signal, but the train was unable to stop before passing the signal.
"This evidence suggests that the most likely cause of this was wheelslide, almost certainly a result of low adhesion between the wheels and the track. We are continuing to pursue this as a line of investigation amongst others.
"In consultation with other parties, we continue to work with the railway recovery engineers to ensure that the site is handed back in the shortest time possible. We intend to begin releasing parts of the site back to Network Rail later today.
"Later this week we’ll be releasing the initial findings of the investigation, these will be publicly available on our website."


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RAIB initial report on Gov web site.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/c...nt=immediately



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Work has started to remove the two trains from the crash site.

Seemingly they tried a class 59 (59003) to pull coaches out.

There are supposed to be some videos about the recovery but I've not seen any yet.

Some photos of recovery by crane here: https://planetradio.co.uk/greatest-h...ouple-of-days/


Tony

Thanks for the link Philip, the clear diagram and explanation put everything into perspective.

Indeed it does.:)

Here is a video of 59003 straining to pull carriages out, but to no avail.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsHXWUMsLdM


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Wow, that's a very brute force way of doing it! :eek:

I'm sure they have their reasons, but you'd have thought that putting the carriage upright with airbags and 'pack & stack' would have been a start.

Hmmm.

G'day,
Brunel would have had the solution.
After all, isn't he reputed to have said; My Engines bigger than yours, GET OUT of my way.
I was watching a DVD last nite featuring the Severn Tunnel prang in 1991.
That also proved to be a challenge to resolve.
Steve.

Services affected by the Salisbury train crash are set to fully resume on Tuesday, Network Rail has said.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-englan...shire-59261419


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Colas gets Salisbury back on tracks.

Colas Rail UK, the specialist rail infrastructure support and freight operators, have released pictures of their successful efforts to re-rail damaged passenger units involved in the recent accident at Salisbury in the South West of England. The operations involved a heavy-duty rail borne crane deployment and working in complex and confined circumstances.

Full article.

https://www.railfreight.com/railfrei...week%202021-48

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