Great Western Railway (GWR) has been fined GBP 1 million and ordered to pay more than GBP 78,000 in costs after pleading guilty to breaches of health and safety law, following an investigation and prosecution by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).
The case concerns a fatal incident near Twerton, Bath, on 1 December 2018, in which 28-year-old Bethan Roper died after sustaining a head injury when she placed her head outside a droplight window and struck a tree branch. Droplight windows, fitted to trains with slam doors, can be lowered to open.
Previous warnings ignored
The ORR investigation found that GWR failed to take sufficient action to address known safety risks associated with droplight windows. A similar fatal incident occurred in 2016 near Balham, south London, leading the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) to issue safety recommendations in May 2017.
Although GWR was already aware of previous incidents, the company did not complete a written risk assessment for droplight windows until September 2017. That assessment identified the hazard as one of the most serious passenger safety risks, but some of the mitigation measures outlined were not implemented before the 2018 accident.
Industry-wide safety reforms
Following Ms Roper’s death, further safety recommendations were introduced across the rail industry to prevent passengers from leaning out of droplight windows. Since then, all rolling stock with such windows has either been withdrawn from service or fitted with engineering controls to prevent them from being opened while trains are moving.
“Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Bethan Roper. Her death was a preventable tragedy that highlights the need for train operators to proactively manage risks and act swiftly when safety recommendations are made to keep their passengers safe,” said Richard Hines, ORR’s Chief Inspector of Railways.
“Our investigation found that GWR fell short in its responsibilities, and this prosecution reflects the serious consequences of that failure. We welcome the actions taken since by GWR and the wider industry to reduce the risks. Safety must always remain the first priority across Britain’s railways.”
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