2015 Wootton Bassett rail incident

Wootton Bassett rail incident
34067 Tangmere was the locomotive hauling the charter train
Location of Wootton Bassett Jn in Wiltshire
Details
Date	7 March 2015 17:25 UTC
Location	Wootton Bassett Junction, Wiltshire
Coordinates	51°32′07″N 1°54′20″W / 51.53528°N 1.90556°W / 51.53528; -1.90556
Country	United Kingdom
Line	Great Western Main Line and South Wales Main Line
Operator	West Coast Railway Company First Great Western
Incident type	SPAD
Cause	Traincrew error: mishandling of AWS and braking system on train.
Statistics
Trains	Two
Passengers	717
Crew	~45
grid reference SU 066 818

On 7 March 2015, a steam-hauled charter train passed a signal at danger and subsequently came to a stand across a high-speed mainline junction near Wootton Bassett Junction, Wiltshire, England. Another train, which had right of way, had passed through the junction 44 seconds earlier and no collision occurred nor was any damage done.

As a result of this signal passed at danger (SPAD), Network Rail banned the train's operator, West Coast Railway Company (WCRC), from operating trains anywhere on the British railway network. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) opened an investigation into the incident, which it called a "dangerous occurrence". The incident was rated the most serious SPAD in the United Kingdom since December 2010. Following improvements made by WCRC, the ban was lifted. A subsequent incident led to a further ban, which was later lifted.

In December 2015, the Office of Rail and Road initiated a prosecution against the driver of the train and WCRC for offences under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The case was heard in June 2016. Both WCRC and the driver of the train pleaded guilty. WCRC was fined £200,000 plus costs. The driver received a sentence of four months' imprisonment, suspended for eighteen months.

In May 2016, the RAIB published a report on the incident, which largely blamed the incident on the train crew tampering with a safety system that would otherwise have safely brought the train to a halt.