Passengers fell out of seats on speeding train

Several passengers fell out of their seats when a train "lurched sideways" after passing a set of points at more than twice the speed limit, investigators have said.

The 10:12 GMT London Kings Cross to Ely service on December 11, operated by Great Northern, travelled through the points at Cambridge Junction in Hitchin, Hertfordshire at 56mph (90km/h).

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said the permanent speed restriction was 25mph (40km/h) and the associated signals displayed the expected indications.

A spokesperson for Great Northern – part of Govia Thameslink Railway – said that nothing was "more important to us than the safety of our services and passengers".

The train was routed from a line with a speed limit of 75mph (120km/h) at Cambridge Junction.

It then passed over a set of points which had a permanent speed restriction of 25mph.

The RAIB said the train lurched sideways, resulting in "several passengers falling out of their seats".

No injuries were reported and no damage was caused.

The RAIB said it had undertaken a preliminary examination into the "overspeeding" incident.

It has reviewed the circumstances of two similar incidents which took place last year at Grantham South Junction in Lincolnshire, on 25 February and 26 September.

It has also reviewed two previous RAIB investigations into overspeeding events that occurred at Spital Junction, Peterborough, on 17 April 2022 and 4 May 2023.

As the earlier investigations still have open recommendations, the RAIB decided to publish a "safety digest" for the incident at Cambridge Junction.

According to the RAIB's website, "when it is clear that the safety learning from an event has been identified by a previous investigation or relates to compliance with existing rules, we may choose to publish a safety digest rather than carry out a full investigation".

A spokesperson for Great Northern said: "We are carrying out a full investigation into the incident and sharing all our findings with RAIB."

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