Monday Accident and Lessons Learned: Train Collision at Preston Station

A train traveling from York to Blackpool North at about 6 mph collided with the buffer stop in platform 3C at Preston station. The buffer stop is a part of the Preston platform that allows the train driver to slow down in enough time.

The camera footage from the station showed the train essentially hit the brakes quickly upon approaching the buffer stop causing the inevitable collision. Fortunately there were no fatalities, however two crew members and thirteen passengers reported injuries.

So, what happened? The report states the operator was a trainee being supervised. When approaching the platform, the trainee was trained and advised to operate the brake controller but accidentally operated the power controller instead. But was it his fault? The supervisors?

At TapRooT® we believe and teach a blame-free philosophy. Firing or reprimanding the trainee or trainer wouldn’t ultimately fix what happened or prevent it from recurring.

(Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safety-digest-102017-preston/passenger-train-collision-with-buffer-stop-at-preston-station-1-april-2017)