Train driver fell asleep before crashing at London station, investigation finds

The driver was too late to prevent a collision

A train collided with buffers at London Bridge station after its driver fell asleep at the controls, an investigation has revealed.

The low-speed incident occurred at 3.45pm on December 13 last year.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) found the Southern Railway driver experienced a "microsleep due to fatigue".

The unnamed driver had slept less than usual due to childcare and frequently worked rest days, increasing his fatigue risk.

The train was travelling at just 2.3mph when it struck the buffers on arrival at platform 12.

There was minor damage to the train and railway infrastructure, but no reported injuries.

Analysis of an onboard data recorder shows the train was travelling at 13.3mph when it entered the platform, and gradually reduced its speed.

The train and buffer stops (shown on the left of the picture) after the collision at London Bridge (Network Rail)

The driver applied the emergency brake when the train was three-and-a-half metres from the buffers, but it was too late to prevent a collision.

He normally stayed in bed until 9am before an early afternoon start for work, but had to get up at 7.30am on the morning of the crash because of “unexpected changes in childcare arrangements at home”, the RAIB said.

Investigators noted the driver recalled that when the train stopped at Crystal Palace station 26 minutes before the incident, he began to “feel tried” and recognised “the need to focus and remain alert”.

The report added: “Although aware that they were feeling tired, the driver felt able to continue the journey.”

He was scheduled to have 12 rest days in the 22 days preceding the accident, but worked on nine of these.

Many train operators rely on drivers volunteering for paid extra shifts to run timetabled services.

The low-speed incident at London Bridge Station occurred at 3.45pm on December 13 last year (PA Wire)

The investigation also noted that none of the protection systems fitted to the train prevented it hitting the buffers, as it was travelling below the minimum speed they intervene at.

Other safety systems could no detect the “short loss of driver alertness that occurred”, the report found.

The RAIB recommended that Southern Railways’ parent company Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) improves its fatigue management process.

GTR’s safety, health and security director Samantha Facey said: “Safety is always our number one priority and we’re determined to learn from every incident to improve our safety standard for our people and our customers.

“We’re committed to making sure our staff are fit and alert when they’re at work.

“In August, we updated and improved our fatigue risk management standard to help us manage fatigue more effectively, which includes reports from staff related to tiredness.

“We’ve also set up stronger working groups with staff representatives, and we’re now using robust scientific modelling to plan staff shifts so we can spot and prevent fatigue before it becomes a risk.

“All of this is part of our ongoing efforts to meet the recommendations in the RAIB report and to keep our passengers and staff safe.”