The Anonymous Widower

Woking: Train Derailed On 90mph Line After Hitting Object On Track

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.

This is the sub-heading.

Disruption has hit a rail operator’s entire network after a train hit an object on a 90mph track in Surrey.

These three paragraphs describe the derailment.

The incident initially closed four tracks between Woking and Surbiton before disruption spread across the South Western Railway (SWR) network.

Network Rail said the train hit the object at about 05:50 GMT in a 90mph area near Walton-on-Thames in Surrey.

SWR said services were impacted between London, Exeter St David’s, Portsmouth Harbour and Weymouth.

It appears that no-one was hurt.

But derailments like this have happened before.

This article from The Mail is entitled Furness Passengers Able To Walk Away From Major Rail Accident.

These paragraphs detail the story.

Furness rail passengers were woken from their slumbers 50 years ago as the carriages of an express train heading for Barrow came off the rails at 80mph.

Half-dressed and dazed sleeper-car travellers from London were led to safety up a grass embankment near Warrington in 1967.

Amazingly, not one of the passengers was killed or badly injured in what could easily have been a major disaster

The Mail on Friday, September 15, in 1967 noted: “Furness and West Cumberland passengers hung on for their lives when 11 coaches of the London-Barrow express hurtled off the rails at 80mph near Warrington today.

“The coaches bounced and zig-zagged for nearly a quarter of a mile, tearing up the permanent way and completely blocking the main London-Glasgow line.

“Miraculously, only one of the 60 passengers, who included many people from Furness and West Cumberland, was injured.

“He was Rohan Kanhai, the West Indian test cricketer, who was on his way to Blackpool.

“He was taken to Warrington Infirmary with an arm injury. After receiving treatment he was allowed to continue his journey.

I remember the story for two reasons.

• Obviously, because a well-known sportsman was involved.
• But also because British Rail put the low injuries down to new couplings between the coaches, which kept the train together.

Could it be that over fifty years after the Warrington derailment, no injuries occurred because the improved design of the train kept it all in one piece and most of the damage was to the infrastructure?

March 5, 2024 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Safety, South Western Railway, Train Derailment, Warrington, Woking Station