Lorry crash closes M5 southbound in Somerset - 16 July 2014

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

I'm posting this here simply as an interesting comparison as to what the equivalent effects would be if, just for example, a freight train were to derail between Bridgwater and Taunton.

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Lorry crash closes lane on M5 southbound in Somerset


One of the lorry drivers is being treated at Musgrove Park Hospital for "serious arm injuries"

One lane of the M5 will remain closed overnight after two lorries crashed, leaving one of the vehicles overturned and blocking the carriageway.

The crash happened on the motorway between Bridgwater and Taunton at just after 03:00 BST.

Fire crews said a broken down lorry on the hard shoulder had been struck by another lorry, which then overturned.

One of the drivers, a man in his 50s, is being treated for "serious arm injuries", police said.

At 13:25 one lane reopened southbound but the Highways Agency said there were reports of continuing traffic delays while works takes place to reopen lane two.

"A fully signed diversion is in place along the A38 from Junction 24," a spokesman said.


The overturned lorry blocked all three lanes of the southbound carriageway

"Drivers are advised to make sure they have sufficient water in their cars and are reminded not to park on the hard shoulder so emergency vehicles can maintain access to the site," he said.

Ch Insp Rhys Hughes said motorists were advised to seek alternative routes and avoid the area wherever possible.

He said: "I appreciate the closure will have caused problems for commuters this morning and I thank the public for their continued patience while we deal with this incident."

So, between 03:00 and 13:25 the whole of the M5 southbound was blocked, and only since then has one lane out of the three been open.  I'm merely interested to compare what the travelling public's reaction would have been, had an equivalent closure been caused on the railway.

[ChrisB]

Depends whether an alternative route was opened? If it just took an extra hour for an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) to go from Exeter via Salisbury to Westbury to regain the route, I think pax would have been understanding.

[LiskeardRich]

At least there is an ok road to divert between Bridgwater and Taunton.

Has it say happened between Okehampton and Launceston for example on the A30, the diversionary route there is narrow country roads.

[Bob_Blakey]

The scenario mentioned by Chris has of course actually occurred; on the 17th August 1986 a cement train derailed immediately south of Cogload Junction blocking all lines between Taunton and Bridgwater/Castle Cary. I remember it well as my journey to Singapore, where I was based at the time, was seriously disrupted and I made the flight from Thiefrow with 15 minutes to spare.
http://www.tauntontrains.co.uk/MEMORIES-ACCIDENTS.htm carries some interesting pictures and explanation of the cause.

[Electric train]

This M5 crash was 3:30 in the morning resulted in a few injuries .................... just imagine 3:30 in the afternoon there would possibly been a couple of deaths.  This crash did not make it onto the National news despite the motorway being closed for over 12 hours, if this had been the Railway then a 12 hour closure would have been on the National news.

A couple of deaths on the M5 would result in some coverage on the National news, a single death on a Train would have had a major item on the Nation news.

Who is the service provider that road users can claim compensation from in the same way Rail users can claim from their service provider

[ChrisB]

Road deaths happen daily, hence it's not news.....

[Chris from Nailsea]

Rail deaths happen almost daily, hence it's not news ...

From Yahoo News UK^▸ (United Kingdom):

Railway suicide death toll rising

The number of deaths by suicide on the railways rose last year. But Samaritans and Network Rail (NR^» (Network Rail - home page)) have also said that their partnership has saved lives.

The two organisations have announced that their partnership, which includes rail staff going on Samaritans-run courses, is being renewed for another five years.

There were 278 suicides on the railways last year compared with 268 in 2012. The number in 2011 was 224 and in 2010, when the partnership began, it was 232.

Samaritans said that since the partnership started, rail staff have approached and potentially saved the lives of more than 200 vulnerable people at railway locations. It added that British Transport Police also reported more than 700 approaches to passengers.

Samaritans said: "It is important to remember that looking at the number of deaths alone does not give a full picture of whether suicides are increasing or decreasing. For this, rates based on the population must be considered. The rail network is also increasingly busy. A million more passenger trains a year run across Britain than 10 years ago. Every day 22,000 train services operate across the network."

Samaritans chief executive Catherine Johnstone said: " Given the challenging economic circumstances over the last five years, the creation of the partnership was very timely. It seems clear from the very large number of interventions by rail staff that rail deaths would have been considerably higher had the partnership not been in place."

Ian Stevens, NR's suicide prevention programme manager, said: "Any death on the railway is a tragedy but the impact is felt not only by those who knew the person but by the train driver and station staff and those who are involved in the aftermath. We want to do everything we can to stop this from happening, and if it does, to help our people deal with it. Samaritans have helped us enormously to develop our work in this area."

Mick Cash, acting general secretary of the RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) transport union, said: "We are pleased that the extraordinary work of rail staff in trying to prevent suicides is recognised today. It is another illustration of just what an important role our station and train crew staff fulfil. Every suicide is a personal tragedy with wide-ranging repercussions, specifically for train drivers and other members of staff who witness these deaths first hand. Support for staff in both identifying potential suicide risks, and in dealing with the aftermath, is absolutely essential as today's latest figures illustrate only too clearly."