1969 Derailment
| Morpeth derailment (1969) | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Date | 7 May 1969 |
| Time | 01:31 |
| Location | Morpeth, Northumberland |
| Country | England |
| Rail line | East Coast Main Line |
| Cause | Overspeed on curve |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 1 |
| Passengers | 206 |
| Deaths | 6 |
| Injuries | 46 |
| List of UK rail accidents by year | |
On 7 May 1969 a northbound sleeping car express train from London to Aberdeen derailed on the curve. Six people were killed, 21 were injured and the roof of the station's northbound platform was damaged. The train had been travelling at 80 miles per hour (130 km/h). The driver had apparently allowed his attention to wander because he was thinking about an official letter that he had been handed when booking on duty, asking for an explanation of time lost on a previous journey. The investigation into this accident led to the implementation of alerts for major speed restrictions via the Automatic Warning System. However, despite the recommendation for this system stemming from the accident at Morpeth and the common reference to the 'Morpeth warnings', the gradually stepped speed restriction for the Morpeth curve did not meet the guidelines for this system and it was not installed until at least after the 1984 derailment.
Read more about this topic: Rail Accidents At Morpeth