Ufton Nervet rail crash

The Ufton Nervet rail crash was a train crash between a train and car near Ufton Nervet, Berkshire, England in 2004. Seven people, including the drivers of both the train and the car, were killed.

Collision
On 6 November 2004 at 18:12 GMT, the First Great Western 17:35 service from London Paddington to Plymouth, an InterCity 125 (HST) led by a Class 43 power car (43019) collided with a stationary automobile at an automatic level crossing close to the rural West Berkshire village of Ufton Nervet. The inquest concluded that the crash was caused by Brian Drysdale, a chef at the nearby Wokefield Park Hotel, attempting suicide by parking his car on the crossing.

The rear of the 220 m long InterCity 125 train came to rest about 100 m beyond the crossing with all eight coaches derailed. Six people were killed in the crash: the car's driver, the driver of the train, and four of its passengers. A fifth passenger died in hospital. About 200 people were on board at the time of the incident (official estimates are around 180–200). About half of these were injured, 12 of them seriously. 11 people were cut free from the wreckage. The high structural integrity of the Mark 3 coaches prevented a much higher death toll, plus the fact that the more lightly loaded first class coaches were at the leading end of the train.

The crash, investigation and necessary repairs blocked the main railway route between London and the West Country until the morning of 16 November, subsequently operating under temporary speed restrictions to allow the bedding in of ballast. In the meantime InterCity trains operated via Swindon and Westbury and local services were replaced by rail and bus shuttles.

Background
In the United Kingdom, automatic half-barrier level crossings (AHB) are used on roads where traffic is unlikely to queue across the crossing and where rail line-speed is not more than 100 mph. There are no means of checking that the crossing is not obstructed before the passage of a train. The half barriers close the road to traffic approaching the crossing but allow any vehicle still crossing to escape. However, this does not physically prevent road users from zigzagging around the barriers and crossing the line, usually in an attempt to save time.

Site
The crash was at a level crossing on the narrow lane linking the village of Ufton Nervet to the Bath Road (A4), about 300 m from their junction. The crossing is between Theale and Aldermaston stations. The train was not scheduled to stop at either station.

Position:

Investigation
An investigation was carried out by Thames Valley Police and British Transport Police. A preliminary report by the Health and Safety Executive indicated that the car stopped on the level crossing before any warnings and failed to react to the barrier alarm sequence. A minor deflection of the stationary car to one side by the train derailed the forward bogie, which continued to travel at about 25° to the rails until reaching the points at the start of a loop. At this point the power car derailed completely, causing the remainder of the train to derail.

In the absence of information from the investigation, local and news media speculation centred on the theory that Bryan Drysdale, the car's driver, might have parked on the level crossing in order to attempt suicide, because there was no evidence of any attempt to move or exit the car.

The Rail Safety and Standards Board published a preliminary report on 1 February 2005 which stated:
 * The automatic half-barrier equipment and its associated ancillary equipment is in good condition and properly maintained.
 * The train driver shut off power and coasted for around four seconds, which was normal for this point in the journey. He then applied the emergency brakes at or about the time of impact with the car.
 * All lighting was lost in all the coaches during the accident. As a result, passengers and crew found orientation difficult, though the provision of glow sticks alleviated this to some extent. Some passengers who attempted to break windows in order to escape from the vehicle were hampered by breakage of the window hammers, and by the difficulty of reaching the upper windows of a vehicle leaning heavily to one side.
 * No evidence has been presented that the maintenance condition of the train contributed in any way to the derailment or exacerbated its consequences.
 * No evidence has been presented to the inquiry that would indicate there were any deficiencies in the fitness for duty on the part of the staff of either Network Rail or First Great Western.

On 1 June 2005 it was announced that an inquest into the crash would be held at the Guildhall in Windsor, Berkshire. The inquest was expected to last 12 days, starting on 17 October 2005. It had been delayed due to a dispute over whether the families of the victims should be granted legal aid. The inquest finally began in October 2007. A policeman who had witnessed the crash, PC Brazier, testified at the inquest. He told the jury that he believed the crash was caused by a suicide attempt. The Forensic Accident Investigator, David Price, told the inquest that he had been able to determine that the car had been parked on the level crossing with its engine switched off, the handbrake fully applied, the vehicle's lights switched off, the steering on a partial left hand lock (which was not consistent with driving across the crossing), and that its fuel tank still contained at least 8 litres (about 2 gallons) of petrol.

On 1 November 2007 the inquest returned the verdict that the crash was caused by Brian Drysdale's (completed) attempt at suicide. A support network, the Ufton Nervet Train Crash Network, was set up for survivors and relatives of the victims.

List of the deceased

 * Brian Drysdale, 48, of Reading, Berkshire (the car driver)
 * Louella Main, 9, of Speen, Berkshire (the daughter of Anjanette Rossi)
 * Stanley Martin, 54, of Torquay, Devon (the train driver)
 * Charlie Matthews, 72, of Warminster, Wiltshire
 * Anjanette Rossi, 38, of Speen, Berkshire (the mother of Louella Main)
 * Barry Strevens, 55, of Wells, Somerset
 * Emily Webster, 14, of Doccombe, Devon

Commemoration of the deceased
Beside the level crossing a small gravelled area has been created with two wooden benches facing an engraved steel memorial plaque remembering all people affected by the collision. Also, on what would have been his 55th birthday, First Great Western named power car 43139 after the driver of the train.

2011 near miss
There was a near miss at the same level crossing on 4 September 2011. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch is investigating the cause, which may have been an error or omission by rail staff.

2012 fatality
At 1310 hrs on 22 May 2012 the 1218 hrs InterCity 125 express from Paddington to Taunton hit a motor scooter on the crossing, killing the rider, David Montague. The train driver was slightly injured and the line was closed until 1930 hrs that day. British Transport Police reports that the crossing was working correctly when the collision happened. The RAIB is investigating the collision.

Future of the crossing
In July 2012 an Internet petition was started by Liberal Democrat members of West Berkshire Council and a Hungerford resident to lobby for full barriers and closed circuit television to be installed at the level crossing. The petition closed with 148 votes of support.

On 6 July 2012, Network Rail announced that it was considering either converting the crossing to full barriers "or even consideration for a bridge", and that the latter would have the advantage that NR could safely increase train speeds on that part of the line. NR said it would decide whether to implement either of these options in "about three or four months".