AGENDA ITEM: B1
MEETING:
RSSB Board Meeting
DATE:
05 March 2015
SUBJECT: Chief Executive’s Report
SPONSOR: Chris Fenton
INDEX
1. Safety Performance
2. RSSB products and services
- Safety and Risk
- Standards
- knowledge
- Innovation
- Schemes
3. RSSB (Internal)
1.
Safety Performance
1.1
Safety Information
1.1.1
Summary safety information is included in Annex A. The headlines since the
last board meeting are:


During December 2014 and January 2015 there were no workforce
accidental fatalities. There was one passenger fatality and four public
accidental fatalities.
During December and January, there were 53 signals passed at danger
(SPADs). This is eight more than in the same two months in the previous
year. (Note that this figure is provisional until all cases have been agreed
with the relevant parties.) Of the 53 SPADs, 11 were risk-ranked potentially
significant (16-19), and 2 were risk-ranked as potentially severe (20+).
1.2
RAIB Investigations and publications
1.2.1
RAIB initiated eight investigations:

Freight train derailment near Heworth, (23/10/2014)
Cyclic top combines with worn suspension to derail two-axle wagon

Freight train derailment at Ashburys, (13/11/2014)
Cracked wheel raises questions about wagon maintenance

Passenger train collision with fallen signal near Newbury, (17/11/2014)
Fallen signal raises issues of asset monitoring and maintenance

Runaway and collision between engineering vehicles at Bryn, (27/11/2014)
RAIB considering design, conversion and commissioning of OTM, along with
braking issues

Passenger train collision with trolley, near miss with staff at Heathrow,
(28/12/2014)
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Work planning, staff management and competence in another incident
redolent of Tebay
1.2.2
1.2.3

On-board fire in Channel Tunnel shuttle, (17/01/2015)
Fire on lorry raises questions about vehicle checks and event management

Freight train damages station platform at Moston, (28/01/2015)
Work planning, staff management and competence in another incident
redolent of Tebay

Electrical arcing and fire beneath a passenger train near Windsor,
(30/01/2015)
Junction box design and assembly provide the investigation focus
RAIB published four reports:

Derailment at Liverpool Street, (23/01/2013)
Track maintenance issues led to incident that highlighted communications
post-event

Collision at Jetty Avenue UWC, (14/07/2013)
RAIB consider instructions given to drivers, along with the sighting distance
available and a lack of action on previous recommendations

Track worker fatality at Newark North Gate, (22/01/2014)
Tragedy raises questions about site safety, safe systems of work, COSS
competence and the role of the lookout

Double SPAD at Greenford, (20/03/2014)
Traditional working combine with incorrect TPWS set-up, staff training and
GSM-R issues also highlighted
There were no other reports published by RAIB.
Further details relating to the RAIB reports and investigations is available on the
RSSB board members extranet page.
2.
RSSB Products and services
2.1
Safety and Risk
2.1.1
European Incidents Learning
Learning from overseas incidents was discussed at a number of board meetings
last year. Since then RSSB has taken a more proactive approach to helping the
industry learn from such incidents. At each SSRG subgroup (along with other
groups such as the Infrastructure Safety Liaison Group (ISLG)) a paper
covering recent accidents and incidents is presented and the members are
asked to select which incidents they wish us to track to the final investigation
report. Once obtained, the results of the investigation concerned will be
reported back to the group that requested it; at this point, the group will be
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AGENDA ITEM: B1
asked to consider an official response to the findings. All this information will be
entered onto a spreadsheet on SPARK which can be accessed by RSSB
members.
2.1.2
Recent incidents
There have been two recent incidents in Switzerland and Canada which fall
outside of this papers reporting period. Full details will be reported at the next
board meeting.
2.1.3
French railway safety
During January RSSB played host to the SNCF International Committee of
Experts (our involvement has been previously reported to the board) who are
advising the SNCF board on their approach to safety post Bretigny and in the
lead up to the structural reform of the French national railway over the coming
months.
RSSB also played host to a visit of the director general of EPSF, the French
Safety regulator. She is considering issues around signing off the safety
management systems for the revised bodies within the new structure which
consists of a single holding company (SNCF ‘Tête’) and two operating
companies (SNCF Mobilité (Railway Undertaking) and SNCF Reseau
(Infrastructure Manager)).
2.1.4
Update on the development of R2 - the replacement for RSL/RAVERS
The development of the R2 application is progressing to plan. The full
functionality of the application is due to be presented to the industry at a
workshop on the 17 April 2015. After this the application will move into the User
Acceptance Testing phase. The original transition plan was a staged approach
over a 6 month period starting on 6 August 2015. However due to technical
issues it will not be possible to run the new R2 application in parallel with the old
RSL/RAVERS application. The new plan will see a 1 month period for
familiarisation and validation for R2 starting on 6 August with all users
transitioning to use of R2 at the same time on 7 September. The penalty
payment structure in the contract has been retained in relation to late delivery of
the application.
The 7th September 2015 will be the date that the individual contracts Atos has
with companies for RSL/RAVERS will end and the new payment structure for
R2 via the RSSB membership levy will begin.
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2.1.5
Safety Performance Report
At the end of January RSSB published its high-level Overview of Safety
Performance for the calendar year 2014.
Some key messages presented were that the risk associated with train
accidents resulting in passenger and workforce fatalities remains low, with no
such accidents occurring for the seventh consecutive year. However the
industry is by no means complacent. Major areas of focus for the industry are
the risk at the platform train interface, level crossing safety and the risk from rail
related road driving activity.
The report is available at http://www.rssb.co.uk/Library/risk-analysis-and-safetyreporting/SafetyPerformance-Overview-2014.pdf
2.1.6
Queensland Rail visit
At the request of Queensland Rail, Mike Carr visited their system to share
knowledge and experience of GB rail SPAD prevention and mitigation
measures. The visit included presenting the key note address to their SPAD
Prevention Conference, attending their SPAD Prevention Outcome Group,
Operations Meeting, the Australasian Railway Association SPAD Working
Group and a series of site visits including cab rides. The visit was funded by
Queensland Rail and also enabled Mike to identify some good practice
opportunities for GB rail.
2.2
Standards
2.2.1
Management
A new organisational structure for the Standards Directorate will take effect from
2 March 2015. Project management will be consolidated into one team led by a
Head of Projects and stakeholder support will be merged with Standards
Management.
2.2.2
Together with the new structure, a new cross directorate Project Review Group
will be set up to review and monitor progress and provide a forum for projects
managers and professional heads to highlight any potential issues and
successes associated with key projects. The group is likely include relevant
senior managers from the directorate as well as key external stakeholders who
can choose to participate as observers, thereby promoting greater transparency
and engagement with our members in how we deliver value to the industry.
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2.2.3
Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSIs), Railway Group Standards
(RGSs) and other standards.
On January 1st 2015 several revised Technical Specifications for
Interoperability (TSIs) covering structural subsystems came into force. Whilst
the technical content some TSIs have been refined, the most significant is their
applicability to the full European Railway System in terms of geographical and
technical scope. RSSB and Network Rail jointly assessed the implications of
the scope extension to identify any potential conflicts between TSIs, RGSs and
Network Rail’s company standards and concluded that there are no major areas
of concern. A paper summarising the results of the exercise was presented to
ISCC in January and the conclusions were supported.
2.3
Knowledge
2.3.1
R&D Budget Authorisations
There have been 7 new R&D budget authorisations by the RSSB executive
since those reported to the January board meeting.
Date
T#
Title
Budget
Cross industry
group
23/12/2014
T1090
£115,000
DfT rail board
05/01/2015
T1068
£193,800
06/01/2015
T1055
Gathering information for the East Anglia
franchise process on social, economic
and environmental issues
Supporting a fair culture - creating
appropriate plans after incidents
Improving accessibility and safety for
mobility scooter users travelling by rail
06/01/2015
T1076
Standardising pictograms in train cabs
£108,000
08/01/2015
T1073
Loading requirements for track systems
£174,500
09/01/2015
T1065
Identifying and developing good practice
in the making of on-train announcements
in the event of an incident
£155,600
Rail Industry
Skills Forum
National Rail
Accessibility
Forum
Train Operations
Risk Group
Infrastructure
Standards
Committee
People on Trains
and Stations Risk
Group
£127,000
TSLG also authorised one new project for the strategic portfolio:
Date
T#
02/12/2015
T1088
Title
Vision case for Woking to Waterloo
informed by systems thinking
RSSB Board Meeting Final: 05 March 2015
Budget
£60,000
Cross industry
group
Whole system
portfolio group
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AGENDA ITEM: B1
2.3.2
R&D summary
Key achievements of the R&D programme during quarter 3 have been:
a. Delivery of T1021 Getting the most from complementary policing, other rail
staff and private security; sharing good practice which is now being
promoted across the industry through roadshows supported by the RDG
policing and security subgroup. Costs associated with crime on the network
are in the region of £825m per year, so crime reductions and efficiencies in
crime prevention enabled by this work are significant.
b. Delivery of T756 Research into traffic signs and signals at public road level
crossings, which has provided knowledge and proposed improvements as a
contribution towards long term strategy to address the most significant
remaining source of train accident risk. During the course of the project, the
Law Commissions of England and Wales, and of Scotland recognised the
value of this project and opted to leave signs and signals out of the scope of
their major national review of level crossings, in favour of waiting for the
outcomes of this project.
c. Nine knowledge searches have been delivered to requestors. These include
‘advanced materials for railways’
which pointed out new materials
technologies which could have significant applications in the rail industry,
namely nano-composite structures for lighter and stronger vehicles, fibrereinforced polymers with improved mechanical properties for train body or
infrastructure parts, self-healing polymers and nano-coatings, selfmonitoring carbon nanotubes and carbon nano-paints, graphene-based
super-capacitors for energy storage, and piezoelectric nano-fibres for
energy harvesting. This work informed the RSSB/EPSRC new materials
call, and has also been used by DfT.
d. Work with the academic sector through RRUKA continues to form a
successful part of the R&D portfolio. Six new PhDs have started during
quarter 3 in subjects including timetable optimisation, robotics and tribochemistry at the wheel rail interface. The strategic partnership with the
University of Huddersfield has delivered its first three projects, and the
winning applicants to the RSSB/EPSRC collaborative call on new materials
are due to be announced imminently. Publication of a new edition of the
RRUKA capability statement aligned with the RTS is intended to facilitate
further collaboration between industry and academia.
e. SPARK, the Sharing Portal for Rail Knowledge has reached a milestone
20,000 records sourced from RSSB and knowledge sharing partners
around the world. With over 5400 users, the portal has established
momentum as the place to seek out rail related research knowledge.
2.4
Innovation
2.4.1
Progress Summary- See Agenda Item A3
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2.4.2
Health & Wellbeing, and Sustainable Development
The rail industry embodied carbon tool (www.railindustrycarbon.com) is now
live, and training has started to get key stakeholders using the tool to act as a
focal point for their organisations. An RDG-chaired working group is developing
a policy position to address the rising cost of electricity to the industry.
Contracts are being let to baseline research on environment and socioeconomic impacts to inform the East Anglia franchise competition.
2.4.3
Workforce Development
The team are managing the delivery of T1016 Driver Training Review which has
led to eight delegates from Southeastern Trains obtaining a train driver licence
through a pilot driver training course. This has been delivered in collaboration
with Southeastern Trains and facilitated by Network Rail. The course is 17
weeks shorter than the current industry average, enabling driver shortages to
be addressed far more rapidly. If adopted by all TOCs and FOCs, savings are
projected to be in the region of £25-30m per annum. Further pilot courses are
being planned for 2015.
2.4.4
Predictable and Optimised Braking (in all conditions)
The competition closed on 18 December 2014 with 17 compliant entries
received. Assessment of the entries has been completed with a
recommendation to take forward six or seven projects, subject to contractual
arrangements.
2.4.5
Independently Powered Electric Multiple Unit (IPEMU - in collaboration with
Network Rail)
The IPEMU (battery powered train) electric/electric hybrid has successfully
completed its test running at Network Rails test track (RIDC Melton), to prove
the reliability of the technology, and has now been tested in passenger service
between Harwich and Manningtree receiving significant positive media
attention.
2.4.6
Innovation in Franchising
RSSB continues to support the development of the TPE & Northern franchise
competitions. Work has also commenced on East Anglia which is the next
competition in the franchise programme. This has involved contributing to the
competition prospectus and planning a series of innovation consultation
workshops during February 2015 which will be jointly facilitated by Passenger
Focus and the Transport Systems Catapult (TSC). An industry day is now
planned for 5th March 2015 in Norwich and Invitation to Tender (ITT)
development work will commence following a period of consultation.
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Work continues with the TOC community through engagement with Virgin West
Coast, Abellio, First Group and Arriva. Mobilisation of the Innovation Board
Administrator team who will initially support the East Coast franchise has
started with the first appointment having being made.
2.4.7
Remote Condition Monitoring (collaboration with Network Rail)
All 26 contracts have now been issued. Three innovations have successfully
completed their feasibility studies:
 Monitor Optics Systems' crack propagation feasibility study laboratory tests
 Zircon Software human incursion study
 Red Viking Rail live simulation of their flood detection feasibility study.
All three suppliers are now preparing draft demonstrator proposals in
preparation for the next phase of the competition process.
2.4.8
COMPASS
The COMbined Positioning Alternative Signalling System (COMPASS)
competition was launched on 30 January 2015 and the collaboration event, held
on Tuesday 10 February 2015, was attended by over 70 participants. The
closing date for submissions is Friday 27 March 2015. The system aims to
speed up the implementation of degraded mode working in the event of
signalling failure.
2.5
Schemes
2.5.1
Following board approval of the future Supplier Assurance Strategy at its last
meeting, the first joint meeting of the RISQS and RISAS boards took place on 3
March. The purpose of the meeting was to develop joint sponsorship
arrangements for the project to deliver the first stage of the new strategy in April
2017.
2.5.2
The planned development of CIRAS has recorded two major milestones over
the past few weeks:

The Mayor of London has publically committed to the formal adoption of
the scheme across the whole of Transport for London (TfL) (buses, light
rail, taxis, cycle hire, ferries and cable car) from 1 April 2015. A major
implementation effort is now underway to support this.

Network Rail and TfL have agreed to mandate that all SENTINEL
sponsors of personnel required to work on or near the line are required to
directly subscribe and participate in the scheme from 1 April 2015. This
will require some 1100 additional companies to join the scheme and
implementation of this requirement is also underway.
The impact of the above developments has been incorporated into the 2015-16
scheme business plan and will result in an average 25% reduction in the
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subscription rates for all existing members. The annual scheme stewardship
report to the next board will contain further information on these important
developments.
2.5.3
The National Audit Office (NAO) are about to publish an investigation report into
“Whistleblowing” in the UK and have spent some considerable time with CIRAS
to understand our model and how it differs from “Whistleblowing” arrangements
practiced in the NHS, public sector, finance and retail sectors. The NAO have
agreed to present their findings to the first CIRAS conference on 1 May 2015
and have also requested that the Head of CIRAS joins a new committee to
oversee their report recommendations.
3.
Internal
3.1
Members and Stakeholders
3.1.1
Membership Applications
Abellio ScotRail
Abellio ScotRail Ltd will replace the majority of the existing First ScotRail
franchise with effect from 01 April. A small portion of First ScotRail’s services
have been taken on by the Serco Caledonian Sleeper service who became
members on 08 January 2015.
In accordance with their operating licence Abellio ScotRail have applied for
membership in the TOC category ‘A’.
The directors are asked to ADMIT Abellio ScotRail Limited as a member with
effect from 01 April 2015 when the franchise change takes effect.
3.1.2
Members Levies 2015/16
Invoices for the 2015/16 members levy were sent to members at the end of
February 2015.
3.1.3
JSD became a member with effect from 12 February 2015 and MTR became a
member with effect from 19 February 2015.
3.2
Directors
3.2.1
Neil McDonald will be resigning from the RSSB board on 13 March 2015.
Efforts are underway to secure a replacement Freight Operators representative
on the board.
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3.3
Finance Overview
3.3.1
Redacted for publishing. The 2014/15 company budget anticipated a company
loss of £3.2m. This is expected to be closer to £1.4m due to lower than
expected activity in the Core and R&D elements of the business. The Innovation
directorate has substantially over performed against budget but, due to the
matching of grant income to expenditure, this has no effect on the bottom line.
More detail is provided in the accompanying 2015/16 budget paper. The lower
activity levels in R&D have led to a lower recharge from the Core business and
a similar adjustment is needed for the Innovation directorate. Taking all these
factors into account (plus expected year-end adjustments) a surplus of around
£1.5m in the Core business is now expected and a deficit in R&D of around
£2.6m.
3.4
Communications
3.4.1
A staff survey has been circulated to all staff for completion by 27 February
2015. Output from the survey will be provided to the board in due course.
3.4.2
A detailed Communications update is available via the RSSB board members
extranet page.
3.5
Organisational Design
3.5.1
Eileen Pevreall joined the organisation as Director of Information and
Technology on 26 January 2015.
3.5.2
Jan Muldowney is joining on 9 March as Head of HR. Jan has many years of
HR experience at organisations including Siemens and B&Q, she is a Fellow in
the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. She will report to Liz
Nuttall.
3.6
RSSB staff safety issues
There have been no safety issues since the last report to directors.
3.7
Office move
3.7.1
Work is progressing to finalise the design of the fit-out for the new offices at the
Helicon. Significant effort is being put into ensuring that the audio visual design
and equipment builds on lessons learned at Angel Square while simultaneously
providing maximum flexibility of use.
3.7.2
Redacted for publishing. The total budget (including fit out, AV, furniture and
professional fees) for the move is being scrutinised by a cost consultant and
once finalised will be monitored in order to ensure that we are getting value for
money. The estimated cost of the move is circa £2m.
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3.8
Contracts over £250k
3.8.1
None.
3.9
Railway Documentation and Drawing Services Ltd (RDDS) – annual prices
review and risk assessment
3.9.1
Charges review
The directors of RDDS (Elizabeth Fleming and Anson Jack) have reviewed the
budget and costs of the business in conjunction with Serco, who supply the
services under contract. In accordance with the governance requirements of
RDDS the board of RSSB is the body that approves the proposed price review
for the year commencing 1 April 2015.
There is no proposed increase in the fixed charge – which has been held
constant over recent years. This is a direct cost on the RSSB expenditure
budget at £70,000.
The formula for adjustment of ‘call off’ changes used in recent years would
generate a price increase of 1.9%, but the directors of RDDS and Serco have
agreed that the adjustment will be kept to 1.5% which is in line with RSSB
membership fees.
RSSB Directors are asked to approve the standstill in fixed charges and the
1.5% increase in call off charges for 2015/16 for RDDS documents
3.9.2
Risks affecting the RDDS library
Messrs Serco have drawn attention to the lack of fire and water protection in the
building used to store the RDDS documents and sought our explicit recognition
of this risk or advice as to what to do. It is understood that a decision was taken
not to provide additional measures when RDDS was owned by British Rail in
order to reduce costs. While the responsibility for storing and managing the
library is placed on Serco through the Business Services Agreement of 1996,
the costs associated with operating it (including mitigations and insurance if in
place) are passed on to RDDS. RDDS is a wholly owned subsidiary of RSSB.
Accordingly, the directors of RDDS have asked Serco to prepare a report on the
options for addressing the risk to the document library. This may create a cost
risk, but also an opportunity to develop more up to date means of holding and
distributing the documents to those entitled to them.
4.
Recommendations
The board are asked to:


NOTE this report and DISCUSS individual items as appropriate
ENDORSE individual items as appropriate.
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Annex A - Key safety reports to January 2015
* Public accidental fatalities include trespass and non-trespass, but exclude fatalities at
level crossings (which are shown separately).
RIDDOR-reportable major injuries to each person type reported in SMIS. The majority
of passenger injuries occur in stations
Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR)
reportable cases only. Includes derailments at level crossings after striking road
vehicles. Does not include buffer stop and ‘open door’ collisions. Passenger lowspeed collisions predominately occur at stations.
Statutorily reportable collisions (excluding roll back and open door collisions),
derailments, buffer stop collisions and trains striking road vehicles. PHRTAs are
normalised per million train miles.
SPADs on or affecting Network Rail managed infrastructure.
RSSB Board Meeting Final: 05 March 2015
The dark blue bars refer to trains striking barriers where a previous incident had
caused the barriers to encroach onto the running line, such as a road vehicle striking
the barriers.
Page 1 of 8
1.
Summary of safety performance for December 2014 and January 2015
1.1
Fatalities
During December 2014 and January 2015 there were no workforce accidental
fatalities. There was one passenger fatality and four public accidental fatalities:

On 13 December 2014, a pedestrian was struck by a passenger train while
sitting on Hipperholme footpath crossing (London North East) in the very early
hours of the morning. The person was reported to have been listening to a
mobile device with a friend and not expecting trains.

On 15 January, a trespasser was struck by an oncoming passenger train at
Reading West Station (Western) while crossing the tracks between platforms.

On 16 January, a trespasser was electrocuted by the conductor rail at Hilsea
station (Wessex) while walking along the tracks.

On 17 January, a passenger fell from the platform onto the tracks and was
struck by a passenger train at Southall station (Western).

On 22 January, a trespasser was struck by a passing passenger train at
Penkridge station (London North West) while sitting on the tracks.
There were 48 suspected suicides during December and January. The average
monthly figure over the past 12 months has been 25.1. Suicide figures are subject to
change as more information (eg, coroners’ verdicts) is made available.
1.2
Reportable train accidents: collisions, derailments and trains striking road
vehicles
There were four reported train accidents during December and January.

On 2 December 2014, a freight train derailed at West Sleekburn Junction
(London North East). There were no reported injuries.

On 12 December 2014, a passenger train had a low-speed collision with
another passenger train at Glasgow Central (Scotland). There were no
reported injuries.

On 13 December 2014, a freight train derailed at Hindlow (London North
West). There were no reported injuries.

On 21 December 2014, an empty coaching stock passed a signal at danger
and subsequently derailed at Perth (Scotland). There were no reported
injuries.
There were no reportable train accidents during January 2015.
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1.3
SPADs risk ranked 20+
There were two SPAD risk ranked 20+ during December 2014 and January 2015;
there are no risk ranking forms outstanding for December and January.
SPAD risk ranking 21 – On 2 December a passenger train passed VS134 signal at
danger on the Up Chatham Main line at Herne Hill by approximately 50m. The driver
stated the incident as having occurred due to a combination of apparent existing
wheelflats and poor railhead conditions. VS134 is a signal protecting a bi-directional
plain line and the distance to the conflict point where a collision could have occurred
is 246m. The signal is protected by TPWS, and the risk ranking overrun probability is
9 (the highest being 10). In terms of the potential consequences, should a head-on or
a side-on collision have occurred, the SPAD risk ranking consequence score was 12
(the highest being 18). This score arises because (a) the permitted speed of the
SPAD train was 60mph and for the conflict train was 20mph (potential collision speed
in the calculation – 40mph), (b) the collision would have involved two multiple unit
passenger trains and (c) the passenger trains were both 11-25% loaded with
passengers.
SPAD risk ranking 23 – On 18 December a passenger train passed S697 signal at
danger on the on the Down Temple Mills line at Stratford station (platform 12) by
approximately 144m. The driver changed ends started the train in the opposite
direction which was ahead of the signal. S697 is a signal protecting a bi-directional
plain line and the distance to the conflict point where a collision could have occurred
is 300m. The signal is protected by TPWS; the train started ahead of the signal,
therefore TPWS was not involved. The risk ranking overrun probability is 9 (the
highest being 10). In terms of the potential consequences, should a head-on or a
side-on collision have occurred, the SPAD risk ranking consequence score was 14
(the highest being 18). This score arises because (a) the permitted speed of the
SPAD train was 40mph and for the conflict train was 25mph (potential collision speed
in the calculation – 32.5mph), (b) the collision would have involved two multiple unit
passenger trains and (c) the SPAD train was ECS, and the potential conflict train was
peak loaded.
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2.
Overseas accidents (December 14–January 15)
Loading
Canada: Derailment in Raymore, Saskatchewan – loading a possible cause, 12
December 2014
At around 09:45 (local time) on 12 December 2014,
35 wagons in a Canadian National (CN) freight
derailed at Raymore, Saskatchewan.
One wagon was carrying dangerous goods, but
remained intact and did not leak.
There were no reported injuries.
Initial investigations suggest that a load of steel
plates shifted near the locomotive prior to the
incident, which may have created the forces required for the derailment. CN officials are
looking into the claim, but do not believe the condition of the track or rolling stock to have
been causal.
An investigation has been launched.
Environmental / earthworks
US: Freight train derailment dumps coal into Stoner Creek, 15 December 2014
At around 03:30 (local time) on 15 December 2014,
three wagons in a 100-wagon consist derailed in
Paris, Texas.
As the photograph shows, they fell down the
embankment, sending coal into the creek at its foot.
There were no reported injuries, and the derailed
vehicles had been recovered by the evening.
The most likely cause of the derailment is currently thought to be soil under the tracks giving
way.
US: Level crossing collision near Odessa kills ten, 14 January 2015
On 14 January 2015, a bus carrying 15 people struck a train near Odessa, Texas, having
fallen from an elevated roadway to the track below. At least 10 people were killed and five
were injured (four critically). There were no reported injuries to the train crew.
The bus had been traveling from Middleton Prison in Abilene to El Paso. Twelve inmates
and three officers were aboard.
According to a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety, the accident
appears to be weather related. ‘It seems that there was an ice patch there on the overpass,’
said Sergeant Elizabeth Barney, who added that the bus crashed into the moving train.
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Platform-train interface
Australia: Toddler injured as pushchair rolls on to line in Melbourne, 4 December
2014
On 4 December 2014, a small child was injured when her pushchair rolled from the platform
and on to the line at Diamond Creek station in Melbourne. The incident occurred while the
child’s grandfather was using the ticket machine. A number of passengers ran to his aid as
he jumped down to save his granddaughter.
US: Woman killed after being dragged by Metro-North train in NY, 19 December 2014
At 20:38 (local time) on 19 December 2014, a woman was killed when she got caught
between two carriages of a Metro-North service, which then dragged her along the platform
at New York’s Grand Central station. She was discovered lying beneath the platform after
the train had left and was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead on
arrival, having suffered a fractured pelvis.
An investigation has been launched by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police, but
it is not yet clear whether the woman was attempting to board or alight.
Dangerous goods
US: Freight derails in Martin, dangerous goods spilled, two reported injuries, 27
January 2015
At around 02:40 (local time) on 27 January 2015, a freight train derailed in Martin, South
Carolina, spilling a hazardous liquid. Two members of the train crew were reported injured.
Staff at a nearby factory were also evacuated before the leak was contained. The cause of
the derailment has yet to be determined.
US: Freight derails in Iowa, ethanol enters Mississippi River, 4 February 2015
At around 11:20 (local time) on 4 February 2015, a
Canadian Pacific freight derailed near Dubuque, Iowa.
There were no reported injuries, but at least 14 of the
15 wagons involved were carrying ethanol, some of
which slid down the bank into the adjacent Mississippi.
It is not known how much ethanol leaked into the river,
but later reports suggest most of it dissolved.
Two locomotives also derailed and three of the
wagons caught fire. One report suggests that that are of the DOT-111 type which featured
in the Quebec accident of July 2013, and which are currently being phased out or upgraded.
Level crossings
US: Level crossing collision in Mebane kills one, 16 December 2014
At 12:45 (local time) on 16 December 2015, a passenger train struck a minivan at East
Washington Street level crossing, Mebane. The 80-year old van driver – the vehicle’s only
occupant – was killed instantaneously. There were no injuries to anyone on board the train.
Witnesses suggest that the van stalled on the crossing and its driver was unable to get it off
the line before the train came along.
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The crossing is reportedly one of the more dangerous
in the area, two other accidents having occurred there
since 2009.
US: Five rail passengers and car driver killed in NY crossing collision, 3 February
2015
At around 18:30 (local time) on 3 February 2015, an
eight-car Metro-North service (formed of a 100-mph
Bombardier M7 class electric multiple unit) struck an
SUV at a level crossing in Valhalla, just north of New
York City. The car was pushed 120 metres by the
impact. The speed of the train at impact was 58mph.
The SUV and leading carriage caught fire, both being
gutted by the flames. The SUV driver and five rail passengers were killed; fifteen more were
injured.
An earlier road accident on the Taconic State Parkway, which runs parallel to the line, had
led to the road's closure in one direction. Traffic sought alternate routes, one of which went
over the level crossing.
The SUV was trapped on the level crossing when the barrier came down on its rear. The
driver had got out to check the damage, but then drove forward into the path of the train,
even though the motorist behind had reversed to make room. As a result of the collision,
400 feet of the electrified ‘bottom contact’ third rail was torn from its fixings, piercing first the
SUV and then the front carriage of the train. Despite nearly being impaled by this rail, the
train driver took an active role in assisting passengers.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating. They currently believe fuel from
the road vehicle may have combined with sparks from the dislodged third rail to cause the
fire.
The member brief concerning this incident was circulated to the board on 11 February 2015
and can also be found on Opsweb.
Fire / smoke
US: One killed and 86 injured in Washington Metro train smoke incident, 12 January
2015
At around 15:15 (local time) on 12 January 2015, a Washington Metropolitan Area Transit
Authority (WMATA) Metro train stopped after encountering heavy smoke in the tunnel near
L'Enfant Plaza station. A second train stopped behind the first around ten minutes later. The
passengers on both – and the station platforms – were exposed to smoke, the inhalation of
which led to the death of one passenger; 86 further passengers were taken to local
hospitals for treatment.
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National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators inspected the area and found
severe electrical arcing damage to the third rail and electrical cables. Records show that, at
about 15:06, an electrical breaker at one end of a section of third rail tripped.
Ten minutes later, the WMATA Operations Control Centre began activating ventilation fans
in an effort to exhaust smoke from the area. The electrical breaker at the other end of the
third rail section remained closed, supplying power until the Control Centre remotely sent a
command to open it at around 15:50.
The investigation continues, the NTSB now reviewing track, signal and power inspection
maintenance records, the WMATA’s emergency response and evacuation procedures, and
employee training records (inter alia).
UK-France: Eurotunnel services delayed after fire, RAIB investigates, 17 January
2015
At 12:23 (French time) on Saturday 17 January 2015, a Eurotunnel freight shuttle was
travelling from England to France, when the on-board alarm system detected a fire, which
the driver reported to the control centre. Shortly after, the control centre received a second
fire alarm from a detector located within the tunnel and the power supply to the overhead
line was lost. Without power, the driver made a controlled stop at a cross-passage
approximately 10 miles from the French portal, to allow the 38 passengers and four
members of staff to escape to the adjacent service tunnel.
Evacuation began at 12.30 and was reported complete seven minutes later. By 13:35, all
other trains had exited the tunnels and firefighting operations were under way.
Two lorries were confirmed to be alight. The situation was under control by 16:40, but it still
required several hours of dousing to cool the shuttle down afterwards.
By 03:45 on Sunday 18 January 2015, commercial operations had resumed in the south
tunnel. The incident train was authorised to be removed from the north tunnel, and had
been hauled away by 14:45.
As the train stopped in the French section of the tunnel, the official investigation will be led
by the Bureau d’Enquetes sur les Accidents de Transport Terrestre (BEA-TT), with RAIB
supporting. The joint inquiry will aim to establish the sequence of events and factors that led
to the fire, understand how the event was managed, and identify any safety lessons.
Cause TBA
Canada: Derailment in Banff sends fly ash into local creek, 26 December 2014
At 14:00 (local time) on 26 December 2014, a
Canadian Pacific freight carrying fly ash and grain
derailed in Banff National Park, sending seven wagons
down into a creek. There were no reported injuries, but
though the resulting spillage is reportedly non-toxic,
there are possible issues for local wildlife, the ash
having the potential to cause sedimentation and
decrease the water’s acidity levels.
Parks Canada does not expect there to be any longterm problems, but is monitoring the situation closely. Crews are also set to install a
temporary dam to prevent the ash and grain from contaminating a nearby river while the
clear-up continues.
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The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating.
Australia: Track worker killed by train in Guildford, WA, 10 February 2015
At 10:45 (local time) on 10 February 2015, an infrastructure worker was struck and killed by
a Perth-bound service in Guildford, Western Australia.
The deceased was part of a Public Transport Authority (PTA) team carrying out
maintenance on a nearby footpath level crossing.
Both the PTA and the Office of Rail Safety and WorkSafe will be investigating.
NEWS UPDATES
US: North Dakota Industrial Commission approves crude oil conditioning order
On 9 December 2014, North Dakota's Industrial Commission approved an order requiring
Bakken crude oil to be conditioned before it is shipped by rail.
Under the order, crude oil cannot have a vapour pressure that exceeds 13.7 psi (1 psi below
the national standard of 14.7). The order requires compliance with a series of temperature
and pressure parameters and includes third-party testing, separators and emulsion heater
treaters. A recent statewide inspection of heater treaters found that roughly 56% were
already in compliance of the order, 31% were running at temperatures below allowed
thresholds and 13% were applying no heat at all to the crude oil.
The news came amid reports that crude production in North Dakota was dropping.
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