A REPORT has been released after a train derailed near Chester during Storm Arwen.

At about 11.13pm on Friday, November 26, 2021, an empty passenger train collided with part of a fallen tree on the line at Balderton, near the Flintshire-Cheshire border.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has published its findings following an inquiry into the incident.

The train derailed while travelling at 46 mph (74 km/h). The train involved, reporting number 5D77, consisted of a class 150 diesel multiple unit which was being operated by Transport for Wales between Wrexham General and Chester.

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The collision caused the leading axle of the train to derail. There were no injuries, but minor damage was caused to the train and to local signalling equipment.

Before this collision, train 5D77 had already collided with trees obstructing the railway on two other occasions after leaving Wrexham. All these collisions occurred while Storm Arwen was causing high winds that affected much of the UK, including the intended route of the train.

The report states that if an ‘extreme’ or multiple ‘adverse’ weather thresholds are exceeded, or forecast, relevant route control staff are required to convene an “extreme weather action teleconference (EWAT)” -  which gives a forum to co-ordinate weather-related responses from various parts of the rail industry and to provide a venue for ‘structured expert judgement’ where this is needed to support decision-making.

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The report states that the wind speeds expected for the day of the accident within the North West route escalated from ‘adverse’ to ‘extreme’ when the forecast was updated on the morning of the accident.

Although Network Rail regulations required an EWAT to be convened in these circumstances, North West route control staff did not convene one because they believed that an EWAT held the previous day had sufficiently considered the weather-related risks.

As an alternative, they instigated hourly monitoring of both forecast and observed weather conditions. Network Rail states that this did not show wind speeds breaching thresholds in those areas where the maximum permitted line speeds were greater than the emergency speed restrictions that would have been required by its procedures.

The investigation found that “it is unlikely that holding an EWAT would have prevented this accident” because the most likely mitigation would have been a 50mph speed restriction and the train was travelling at less than that speed when the accident occurred.

The investigation branch said the accident demonstrates the importance of railway companies:

  • Considering all relevant meteorological parameters, including wind direction, when determining and applying weather-related risk mitigation
  • Promptly adjusting mitigation measures required for safety of the line during extreme weather events, to take account of any incidents that have occurred due to the weather.