The Rail Accident Investigation Branch’s final report into the Salisbury crash on 31 October 2021 confirms that rail adhesion was very low on the approaches to Fisherton tunnel.
It adds that the driver of the South Western Railway Class 159 which collided with a Great Western Railway Class 158 at Salisbury Tunnel junction did not apply the train’s brakes sufficiently early on the approach to the signal protecting the junction and that the train’s braking systems were unable to mitigate the very low adhesion.
Investigators found that Network Rail’s Wessex Route had not effectively managed railhead contamination in the area with either active or reactive measures. This was regarded as an underlying factor. A further possible factor identified was that South Western Railway was not effectively preparing its drivers for assessing and reporting low adhesion conditions.
Since the accident, NR has reviewed its training and competence framework for off-track staff at network level and is reviewing its adhesion management standards.…
