Signals passed at danger (SPAD) have long been a serious concern for the rail industry and have resulted in several high-profile accidents.
When two passenger trains collided in Salisbury in October last year, a major incident was declared by the emergency services and 15 people, including one of the drivers, were taken to hospital.
Preliminary findings by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) attributed the incident to the South Western Railway train involved in the crash passing through a stop signal, which occurred as a result of low adhesion between the wheels and the track.
In its 2019/20 report, the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) noted SPAD levels were at their highest since 2008. Perhaps surprisingly, empty coaching stock (ECS) make up almost 20% of SPADs nationally, despite accounting for just 4% of train services, and in period ten of 2020, there was a spike, predominantly made up of ESC-related SPADs.
Why do so many empty trains pass signals at danger? The RSSB Mitigating Against Empty Coaching Stock SPADs report 2021 found that 52% of all incidents were due to the driver failing to check the signal aspect. This was twice that of the next-biggest reason for ECS SPADs – a misread signal.
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