Driver killed in UK train collision passed red signal, say investigators

• A train driver passed a red signal and braked seconds before a fatal collision near London, according to rail investigators.
• Over 100 were injured and the driver died. Investigators are also probing a fault in the stationary train’s warning system.
• Investigators are still analysing data on the moving train's automatic warning system and crashworthiness to understand what happened.

LONDON – A train driver killed in a collision between two trains near London passed a red danger signal and braked only seconds before the crash, British rail investigators said on June 24.

A London-bound train crashed into another that was stationary on the same track on June 19, wounding over 100 people and killing the driver of the rear train, 60-year-old Shaun Burton.

Of those injured, “40 remain in hospital, with four of those still in a critical condition,” British Transport Police told AFP on June 24.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said in initial findings released by the government that according to onboard CCTV, an automatic signal on the line “was displaying a red aspect” as the moving train “approached and then passed it”.

The RAIB independently investigates accidents and works with the transport ministry to improve safety.

Data from a black box at the back of the moving train revealed its brake was activated “around nine seconds before the collision, while the train was travelling at approximately 122kmh,” investigators said.

It then slowed to around 78kmh before hitting the other train.

Investigators said the red signal should have triggered an “audible and visual warning” in the driver’s cabin.

The automatic warning system is designed to sound a claxon onboard when a train approaches a signal that is not green, which the driver must acknowledge by pressing a button.

“If a warning is not responded to within a short timeframe, the train’s emergency brake is applied,” the report said.

It also said the train in front had stopped because of a fault with its automatic warning system that had caused it to apply brakes.

But investigators said they were still analysing data from the black box on the front of the moving train so they could not comment on the functioning of its automatic warning system and the driver’s response.

The probe was set to examine the “positioning” and “visibility” of the red signal.

The investigators also said they would look into the “crashworthiness performance of both trains during the collision” following the horrific injuries.

Transport minister Heidi Alexander said on X that “there is still much to establish” and “we will leave no stone unturned to understand what happened”.

The train drivers union ASLEF’s general secretary Dave Calfe said on X that “it was important to understand how and why” the train passed a red signal. AFP