28.11.13
Overhead line object causes major damage to London Midland trains
An object on a train line caused over £225,000 worth of damage to two London Midlands trains, the operator has announced.
The example shows how a simple object can lead to huge costs and significant delays.
The object was on the overhead lines and caused the pantograph from one unit to detach completely, impacting the exterior of the train as it fell down. No passengers were on board and no staff were injured, but one of the trains was out of service for over eight months as a result of the damage.
Both trains were taken to depots for repairs, including a complete replacement of both pantographs, major dent repairs and repaint work, which was carried out by Siemens.
Neil Bamford, London Midland’s engineering director, said: “This is a prime example of how one seemingly small piece of debris on the line can severely impact our passengers.
“Our partner Siemens and the fleet team have worked incredibly hard to get these two trains back into service in such a short space of time, and I am delighted with the end result.
“The repairs managed by Siemens were carried out to a really high standard and it’s great to see the trains are now back out on the network serving our passengers.”
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