Copmanthorpe rail crash
Encyclopedia
The Copmanthorpe train accident occurred on 25 September 2006, at Moor Lane, Copmanthorpe
, North Yorkshire
, England
, on the East Coast Main Line
, south of York. A 55-year-old man died when 221 136, Yuri Gagarin, a British Rail Class 221
Virgin Super Voyager, on the 14:25 Virgin Trains
service from Plymouth
to Edinburgh Waverley
, hit his car at 21:01. The train derailed but remained upright and came to a stop further down the line. There were no other injuries.
Moor Lane was relocated in the early 1980s to remove a level crossing
. The car had left the road and crashed through a fence onto the railway line.
The train had made its way north through Exeter St Davids
, Bristol Temple Meads
, Birmingham New Street
, Sheffield and Leeds
. It was decelerating on its approach to York
when it was involved in the collision, at approximately 100 miles per hour (160.9 km/h). It was carrying 74 passengers at the time. It was one of the most modern trains on the network and extensively crash tested. According to Arthur Leathley, spokesman for Virgin Trains, one of the reasons for there being no injuries on the train was the highly-developed crumple zone
at the front of the train, designed to absorb collision impacts. This assertion is highly questionable though as the crumple zones played no part in the impact and the energy of the collision was absorbed by the car. Many similar collisions have occurred with much older stock and have also resulted in a lack of injuries to those on the trains.
The Selby rail crash
took place 20 miles (32.2 km) away in 2001 and also involved a road vehicle on the track.
While 221 136 was being repaired Virgin Trains hired a HST
set from Midland Mainline
.
After an inquest held in November 2009, the crash was partly blamed on a lack of signage and a new fence which was less visible. Improvements have since been made.
Copmanthorpe
Copmanthorpe is a village and civil parish in the City of York in the English county of North Yorkshire, south west of York, west of Bishopthorpe and close to Acaster Malbis, Askham Bryan and Askham Richard. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 4,262. Until 1996 it had...
, North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, on the East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
, south of York. A 55-year-old man died when 221 136, Yuri Gagarin, a British Rail Class 221
British Rail Class 221
The Class 221 Super Voyager is a class of British diesel-electric multiple-unit express trains built by Bombardier Transportation between 2001 and 2002, entering service on 12 April 2002....
Virgin Super Voyager, on the 14:25 Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains
Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...
service from Plymouth
Plymouth railway station
Plymouth railway station serves the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. It is situated on the northern edge of the city centre close to the North Cross roundabout...
to Edinburgh Waverley
Edinburgh Waverley railway station
Edinburgh Waverley railway station is the main railway station in the Scottish capital Edinburgh. Covering an area of over 25 acres in the centre of the city, it is the second-largest main line railway station in the United Kingdom in terms of area, the largest being...
, hit his car at 21:01. The train derailed but remained upright and came to a stop further down the line. There were no other injuries.
Moor Lane was relocated in the early 1980s to remove a level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
. The car had left the road and crashed through a fence onto the railway line.
The train had made its way north through Exeter St Davids
Exeter St Davids railway station
Exeter St Davids station is the most important of seven National Rail stations in the city of Exeter in southwest England. Today the station is owned by Network Rail and operated by First Great Western.-History:...
, Bristol Temple Meads
Bristol Temple Meads railway station
Bristol Temple Meads railway station is the oldest and largest railway station in Bristol, England. It is an important transport hub for public transport in Bristol, with bus services to various parts of the city and surrounding districts, and a ferry service to the city centre in addition to the...
, Birmingham New Street
Birmingham New Street Station
Birmingham New Street is the main railway station serving Birmingham, England, located in the city centre. It is an important hub for the British railway system, being served by a number of important long-distance and cross-country lines, including the Birmingham loop of the West Coast Main Line,...
, Sheffield and Leeds
Leeds City railway station
Leeds railway station is the mainline railway station serving the city centre of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England...
. It was decelerating on its approach to York
York railway station
York railway station is a main-line railway station in the city of York, England. It lies on the East Coast Main Line north of London's King's Cross station towards Edinburgh's Waverley Station...
when it was involved in the collision, at approximately 100 miles per hour (160.9 km/h). It was carrying 74 passengers at the time. It was one of the most modern trains on the network and extensively crash tested. According to Arthur Leathley, spokesman for Virgin Trains, one of the reasons for there being no injuries on the train was the highly-developed crumple zone
Crumple zone
The crumple zone is a structural feature mainly of automobiles. Crumple zones have also been incorporated into railcars in recent years.They are designed to absorb the energy from the impact during an accident by controlled deformation. This energy is much higher than is commonly recognized...
at the front of the train, designed to absorb collision impacts. This assertion is highly questionable though as the crumple zones played no part in the impact and the energy of the collision was absorbed by the car. Many similar collisions have occurred with much older stock and have also resulted in a lack of injuries to those on the trains.
The Selby rail crash
Selby rail crash
The Great Heck rail crash, widely known as the Selby rail crash, was a high-speed train accident that occurred at Great Heck near Selby, North Yorkshire, England on the morning of 28 February 2001...
took place 20 miles (32.2 km) away in 2001 and also involved a road vehicle on the track.
While 221 136 was being repaired Virgin Trains hired a HST
High Speed Train
There are three types of trains in Britain that have been traditionally viewed as high speed trains:* Advanced Passenger Train - Tilting trains which never entered into regular revenue-earning service....
set from Midland Mainline
Midland Mainline
Midland Mainline was a British train operating company owned by the National Express Group and based in Derby. It was created after the privatisation of British Rail. Midland Mainline services operated from April 1996 to November 2007....
.
After an inquest held in November 2009, the crash was partly blamed on a lack of signage and a new fence which was less visible. Improvements have since been made.
External links
- BBC News OnlineBBC News OnlineBBC News Online is the website of BBC News, the division of the BBC responsible for newsgathering and production. The website is the most popular news website in the United Kingdom and forms a major part of BBC Online ....
: One dies as Virgin train hits car