Several passengers suffered minor injuries when a train “lurched sideways” after passing a set of points on the East Coast Main Line at more than twice the speed limit, investigators have said.
The 07:08 Middlesbrough to London King’s Cross LNER service travelled through the points near Grantham at 56mph (90 km/h) on 26 September.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said the permanent speed restriction was 25 mph (40 km/h) and the associated signals displayed the expected indications. It added it would publish safety advice following the incident.
LNER said safety was its “top priority” and it would review any recommendations made.
The maximum speed on the East Coast Main Line through Grantham South junction is 115mph (184 km/h).
On 26 September, the train was routed on to another line by the points, which meant the speed limit was reduced to 25mph ((40 km/h).
The RAIB said the speed of the train caused it to lurch sideways and follow-up inquiries “led to the seriousness of the event being understood”.
It said it had undertaken a preliminary examination and reviewed asimilar incidentat the same location as well as two previous investigations into similar “overspeeding” events at Spital Junction, Peterborough, inApril 2022andMay 2023.
On 4 May 2023, a Grand Central service from Sunderland to London approached Spital Junction at about 65mph (104 km/h) – where the speed limit was also 25mph.
Following that incident, the RAIB said some people on the train suffered minor injuries as it went over the points.
An investigation found the train operator Grand Central did not “effectively control” risks.
The branch made four new recommendations to both Grand Central and Network Rail.
At the time, a Network Rail spokesperson said it was acting on recommendations, reviewing how to make signalling clearer, and how changes were communicated so they are fully understood.
On Monday, RAIB said, as the previous investigations still had open recommendations, it would publish a “safety digest” for the incident near Grantham in the next few weeks.
According to thebranch’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”.
An LNER spokesperson said: “The safety of our customers and colleagues is our top priority.
“We have supported RAIB in their preliminary examination and will review any recommendations made in their safety digest, alongside continuing to work with partners in the industry.”
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