The scene of the OCtober 2021 collision near Salisbury. Courtesy RAIB
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.
