Purley station rail crash
Purley station rail crash | |
---|---|
Details | |
Date | 4 March 1989 13:39 |
Location | Purley |
Country | England |
Line | Brighton Main Line |
Operator | Network SouthEast |
Cause | Signal passed at danger |
Statistics | |
Trains | 2 |
Deaths | 5 |
Injured | 88 |
List of UK rail accidents by year |
The Purley station rail crash was a train collision that occurred just to the north of
Collision
On 4 March 1989 the 12:50
Aftermath
The first calls to the emergency services came from members of the public.
The railway was closed until 6 March, although the damaged vehicles that lay on the embankment side were not all removed until 9 March. The crossover was replaced, and normal operations were restored on 27 March.[3]
Trial, report and appeals
Before the Ministry of Transport report was published, Robert Morgan – the driver of the Littlehampton train – pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to 12 months in prison plus six months suspended.[8]
The report, published in 1989, found no fault in the Littlehampton train or signalling system, and concluded that the driver had failed to keep the train's speed under control, missing the preceding caution signal and passing the danger signal protecting the Horsham train.
Morgan's sentence was later cut on appeal to four months, and on 12 December 2007 his conviction for manslaughter was overturned by the
Legacy
A memorial garden was created at the station to commemorate the accident.[17]
References and notes
Notes
References
- ^ Cooksey 1989, pp. 1, 3.
- ^ McCrickard, John P (6 October 2016). "January 1989 to December 1989". Network South East Railway Society. Archived from the original on 26 June 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
- ^ a b Cooksey 1989, p. 1.
- ^ Cooksey 1989, p. 9.
- ^ Cooksey 1989, p. 10.
- ^ Cooksey 1989, pp. 11–13.
- ^ Cooksey 1989, p. 11.
- ^ Cooksey 1989, p. 20.
- ^ Cooksey 1989, p. 28.
- ^ Cooksey 1989, diagram 2.
- ^ Cooksey 1989, p. 2.
- ^ a b Cooksey 1989, p. 26.
- ^ Cooksey 1989, pp. 19–20.
- ^ Cooksey 1989, pp. 28–29.
- ^ "Rail crash convictions overturned". BBC News. 12 December 2007. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
- ^ "Man cleared of manslaughter dies in sailing accident". Daily Echo. 26 March 2009.
- ^ Till, Joanna (2 February 2011). "Memorial to Purley train crash victims is now a fitting crash tribute". This is Croydon Today. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
Bibliography
- Cooksey, A. (27 October 1989). Report on the Collision that occurred on 4th March 1989 at Purley (Report). Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Retrieved 14 September 2012 – via The Railways Archive.
Further reading
- Hall, Stanley (1991). Danger on the Line. Ian Allan.
- Vaughan, Adrian (2000). Tracks to Disaster. Ian Allan.
- Mitchell, Victor E.; Smith, Keith (January 1994). Caterham and Tattenham Corner. London Suburban Railways. Midhurst: Middleton Press. figure 13. ISBN 1-873793-25-1.