Purley Station Rail Crash - Aftermath

Aftermath

As the accident was in London, the first calls to the emergency services came from members of the public. The driver of a light engine running on an adjacent track saw the collision and contacted the signalbox. The signalling equipment had been damaged in the collision and alarms had been raised in the box. The signalmen in the box spoke to railway control at Waterloo, but due to confusion about the location of the trains police in East Sussex were first contacted. The collision had tripped circuit breakers controlling the DC traction current but safety could not be assured as the supervisory circuits had been damaged. The incident was attended by police, fire brigade and ambulance service, and a police helicopter was used to fly doctors to the site. Passengers that were able to walk were evacuated via Purley station and the last casualty was taken to hospital at about 15:15, although the search continued until 17:00.

The railway was closed until 6 March, although the damaged vehicles that lay on the embankment side were not all removed until 9 March. The crossover was replaced and normal operations restored on 27 March.