LONDON — 1988 · Major Tragedy
Clapham Junction Rail Crash
At about 08:10 on 12 December 1988, just south of Clapham Junction station, a packed commuter train from Poole ran into the rear of a Basingstoke train standing at a signal. The derailed wreckage was pushed onto the adjacent line and struck by an empty train travelling in the opposite direction. Thirty-five people died and almost 500 were injured. The inquiry chaired by Anthony Hidden QC found that an old wire left in place during re-signalling work had caused the signal to show green wrongly. Criticising excessive working hours and the lack of independent checks, the report questioned British Rail's safety culture.
- Date
- 1988
- Place
- Wandsworth, England, London, UK
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Closed
- Coordinates
- 51.4590, -0.1680 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 12 December 1988Thirty-five people died in a crash involving three trains.
- 1989The Hidden inquiry exposed the wiring fault and lack of checks.
- 7 November 1989The report was debated in the House of Commons.
- LaterBritish Rail was fined £250,000 for breaches of health and safety law.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Clapham Junction rail crash en.wikipedia.org ↗
- Hansard — Clapham Junction Accident (Report), 7 November 1989 api.parliament.uk ↗
- Wikipedia
- Hansard (UK Parliament)
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.