Inspectors say leaves on the line contributed to a collision involving two trains in October 2021.
A train driver had not been effectively prepared to deal with conditions caused by leaves on the line, leading to a crash, inspectors have found.Network Rail said it had introduced new technology including high-definition cameras and drones to help combat conditions caused by autumn leaf fall.The 17:20 SWR from London Waterloo to Honiton collided with the side of the 17:08 GWR from Portsmouth Harbour to Bristol Temple Meads as both trains headed into Salisbury.
The SWR train ran 220 metres past a red stop signal, due to the driver not braking early enough, before striking the GWR service, the report found. A potentially far more serious collision between the SWR train and an earlier train travelling in the opposite direction was avoided by less than a minute, the report said.The level of wheel and rail adhesion was very low due to leaf contamination on the track, and this was made worse by a band of rain that occurred immediately before the crash, inspectors said.
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