Railway safety and crime

Seven attempted cable thefts hit Nottinghamshire in past month

18.04.16: Thieves have tried to steal cable from Nottinghamshire railways in seven separate incidents in the past month, causing delays and cost on the railways. British Transport Police (BTP), Network Rail and East Midlands Trains are now appealing...

Manchester accident shows dangers of trams in pedestrian areas – RAIB

13.04.16: More awareness is needed of the risks of pedestrians and trams sharing space, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has said in a report into a collision which seriously injured a pedestrian in Manchester last year. The type M5000 t...

RAIB calls for obstacle deflector retrofit on Electrostars after Kent derailment

06.04.16: The investigation into a passenger train derailment caused by cows in Kent last year has led to calls for obstacle deflectors to be retrofitted onto train units. The derailment occurred at 21.40 on 26 July when a London Southeastern train s...

BTP halts plan to scrap Sexual Offences Unit for London Underground

05.04.16: Plans to scrap the dedicated police unit for tackling sexual offences on the London Underground despite a rise in complaints have been halted after protests by feminist campaigners and unions. British Transport Police (BTP) initially said o...

UPDATE: BTP appeal to public after train crash at Plymouth station

04.04.16: 5 April 10.15am UPDATE British Transport Police (BTP) have appealed to witnesses and anyone with information on the Plymouth train crash to contact them as part of a joint investigation into the accident with the Rail Accident Investigation...

The simplicity of station defibrillators

24.03.16: While not cheap, defibrillators can be a life-saving piece of kit at stations. Natalie Loughborough, customer service director at Northern Rail, explains the many benefits of these simple and safe to use devices for operators. When people s...

RAIB opens investigation following Grimston Lane level crossing fatality

22.03.16: The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has launched an investigation into the death of a pedestrian on a level crossing near Felixstowe last month. The fatality occurred at around 12.25pm on 23 February when the pedestrian was s...

Warning issued over out-of-date Underground safety advice after derailment

17.03.16: A train derailment on the London Underground may have been due to out-of-date signal documentation given to staff, prompting the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) to issue urgent safety advice. The derailment occurred at 1.30am on 2...

Deterring cable theft through DNA

14.03.16: James Brown, managing director at Selectamark Security Systems plc, discusses the successful work of the rail industry in reducing cable thefts. The use of DNA markers and warning signs saying it is in use have been key factors in ensuring...

UK one of ‘safest rail networks’ in Europe, despite capacity challenges – RSSB

09.03.16: UK rail safety standards are among the best in the world, the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) said as they released new figures showing that there have been no passenger or workforce deaths in train accidents for the eighth year in a row....

Wootton Bassett SPAD occurred after driver bypassed brake demand – RAIB

08.03.16: A safety breach at Wootton Bassett junction last year involved a crew member on a steam locomotive using an AWS isolating cock to bypass a brake demand, according to an interim report from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB). The...

Prioritising the cyber threats to ICS in rail

03.03.16: Dr John Easton, a lecturer working with the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education at the University of Birmingham, discusses the growing threat to the railways from cyber-attacks. Hardly a week goes by when there isn’t...

Using technology to reduce accidents at the platform edge

01.03.16: Kevin Thompson, RSSB SMS specialist, discusses how a new app will help encourage greater consistency in assessing risk on station platforms. In the last five years, 19 people have been killed and over 7,000 injured around the edge of statio...

RAIB investigation after train collides with boom at Barrow-on-Soar

01.03.16: A collision at Barrow-on-Soar in which a member of the railway staff was seriously injured after an East Midlands passenger train collided with a wagon boom is being investigated by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB). The acciden...

Analysing the root causes of Spain’s high-speed derailment

29.02.16: Chris Langer, scheme intelligence manager at CIRAS, looks at all the factors which led to the fatal derailment near Santiago de Compostela nearly three years ago. On 24 July 2013, a high-speed train travelling at around 190km/h, on its way...