Friday, November 5, 2021
Passengers are being warned to expect disruption for at least another 10 days as investigations continue into a train crash.
Lines through Salisbury in Wiltshire are set to remain closed until 15 November, following the collision between two trains on Sunday evening.
As well as the investigation work, track needs to be replaced and repairs carried out around the crash site. Cranes have been brought in to remove the two damaged trains from the tracks.
Great Western Railway (GWR) said the repair work would take some time to complete and people have been urged to avoid all but essential travel in the area. The crash on Sunday saw a South Western Railway (SWR) train running from London to Honiton, in Devon, and a GWR service travelling from Southampton to Cardiff, collide at the Fisherton Tunnel.
Both trains had passed a Y-shaped junction, close to the entrance of the tunnel, before the collision. The SWR train ran 220 metres past a red stop signal before striking the GWR service, with investigators saying “wheel slide” meant the train did not stop as it should, with “low adhesion” causing it to slip through.
The first two train carriages were removed from the scene on Thursday, with two more expected to be taken away on Friday morning. They were lifted from the track onto the road above by a large crane. The driver of the SWR train Robin Tandy, 74, suffered “life-changing” injuries in the crash, with 14 passengers out of the 92 on board requiring hospital treatment.
SWR said it hoped the early assessment by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch, showing the driver reacted correctly to the signals, would help “stop speculation”. The crash has caused major disruption on the railway line and a section of the A30 London Road will also remain shut to allow machinery to access the area.
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