7 April 2004 - Thames Trains Receive Record Fine
The Old Bailey sentencing of Thames Trains has delivered a record fine of £2 million for a breaches of s.2(1) and s.3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 over the Ladbroke Grove rail collision. Costs of £75,000 must also be met by the company. Thames Trains had previously pleaded guilty to the charges at a hearing on 10th December 2003 at Bow Street Magistrates' Court.
The accident occurred in October 1999, a Thames Trains Turbo passenger train passed a red signal outside Paddington station colliding head on with a First Great Western high-speed train, this and a subsequent fire claiming the lives of 31 persons and injuring several hundred. The investigation established serious deficiencies in the train driver's training for which it has been made accountable.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation into the collision at Ladbroke Grove was led by Steve Walker, Assistant Chief Inspector of Railways, who commented at the hearing:
“The
collision at Ladbroke Grove on 5 October 1999 cost 31 lives, with over 400
people suffering injuries, many of them serious. This was a major disaster
that led to a public inquiry, held by Lord Cullen, into safety on the
nation’s railways.
“HSE’s investigation into the causes of the collision revealed what Thames
Trains itself described as ‘serious omissions’ in its driver training
programme. Thames Trains’ driver, Michael Hodder, drove his train through
signal SN109 when it was showing red. This was the immediate cause of the
collision.
“While much has been done since 1999 to improve safety standards on the
railways – measures that make a similar incident less likely today – there
is no comfort to the bereaved and injured who have heard in court today that
this collision could have been avoided. Both workers and passengers alike
have a right to expect reasonable standards of safety when they travel on
the railways. Our thoughts remain with the bereaved and injured.”
Further information and sources of guidance for the rail industry can be found on the HSE web site here.
