The 1984 Morpeth derailment: a first-hand account in Right Track 48
The incident was caused by an overspeed on a curve, similar to the one at the same location in 1969 (see Right Track 35). This time, the train was going in the opposite direction, and the driver wasn’t distracted but had consumed more alcohol than he should have done.
The Morpeth accident—along with the Cannon Street buffer stop collision of 1991 (see Right Track 47)—led to the creation of the drug and alcohol policies we have in place today. Knowing aspects of GB rail’s history helps us all understand why things are the way they are.
With this in mind, RSSB’s Joe Wilson takes us back to the Ladbroke Grove accident of 1999 to show that some of the SPAD problems then are still with us now. Issues around train protection and driver training remain, but our mitigations are constantly being shaped to meet current trends. Yet, a major lesson of Ladbroke Grove is that change can increase risk if we’re not careful, be that to our training, our signalling, or our organisation. But, does all change bring risk? No.
Diversity is a change the rail industry has failed to embrace with the speed it needs. Network Rail’s Hayley Rance covers this in our interview feature. But, we are making progress. Lucy Powell describes RSSB’s part in the recent Pride in London event, while Ashlynn Hudson-Wellburn from the National Railway Museum discusses a new project aimed at preserving the voices of rail’s LGBTQIA+ history. Together we are stronger, safer, better.
