2016 Croydon tram derailment

2016 Croydon tram derailment
The derailed tram at Sandilands Junction
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Details
Date	9 November 2016 06:07 GMT
Location	Close to Sandilands tram stop, Croydon, London
Coordinates	51°22′27″N 0°04′32″W / 51.3743°N 0.0755°W / 51.3743; -0.0755
Country	United Kingdom
Line	Tramlink
Operator	FirstGroup for Tramlink
Incident type	Derailment
Cause	Excessive speed on curve due to driver error (microsleep)
Statistics
Trains	1
Passengers	69
Crew	1
Deaths	7
Injured	62 (19 serious)
Legend to Beckenham Junction and Elmers End Addiscombe Addiscombe Road All routes Sandilands Sandilands Tunnels Lloyd Park Direction to New Addington

On 9 November 2016, a tram operated by Tramlink in London derailed and overturned on a sharp bend approaching a junction. Of 69 passengers, there were seven fatalities and 62 injured, 19 of whom sustained serious injuries.^[1] This was the first tram incident in the United Kingdom in which passengers died since 1959.

The service was running from New Addington to Wimbledon via Croydon, and was on the approach to Sandilands tram stop soon after 06:00. The speed limit dropped from 80 km/h (50 mph) to 20 km/h (12 mph) at the junction but the driver did not slow down significantly.

A Rail Accident Investigation Branch investigation found that the driver of the tram had lost awareness before the crash, possibly as a result of microsleep. It also criticised the lack of signage in advance of the sudden change in speed limit.

An inquest returned verdicts of accidental death on all seven victims. In March 2022, the Office of Rail and Road announced that it was to prosecute the driver of the tram, Tram Operations Limited and Transport for London over the accident. In June 2023, the driver was cleared after a trial at the Old Bailey.