A council has apologised after drivers were hit with fines for not moving their vehicles from a station car park following last week’s fatal Bedford train crash.
The tragic crash impacted commuters on the East Midlands Railway (EMR) service after one train smashed into the back of another on the same line shortly after 5pm last Friday.
Due to delays, some passengers were unable to return to their cars for hours while crews worked to clear the line.
However, upon arriving back at the car park at Bedford railway station, they were shocked to find fixed penalty notices slapped on their windscreens.
One motorist was quick to criticise the council for issuing fines, saying the car park at the station adjacent to the station in Ashburnham Road was owned and operated by local authority.
He said: “Police were telling people NOT to go to the station! How were we supposed to collect our cars? Or extend parking?
The parking, which had been paid for, expired at midnight after Friday’s crash, with a fine being issued to him at 9am on Saturday.
The man had earlier been evacuated from a train on the Bedford line behind the crash site.
Motorists parked at Ashburnham Road were left furious after receiving tickets
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A spokesman from Bedford Borough Council said: “We are aware of this matter and apologise for any incorrect tickets issued.”
Railway investigators are still working to determine the circumstances surrounding last week’s crash, in which driver Shaun Burton, 60, died at the scene.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said in an interim report that Mr Burton’s train proceeded past a red signal near the scene of the crash in Elstow, near Bedford, at 5.15pm on Friday.
It added that it is not yet possible to say what alert the driver received from an onboard system designed to sound a horn when a red light is being approached, and activate the emergency brake if that is not acknowledged by them pressing a button.
The crash took place last week
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Some 162 people were injured, 102 of whom needed hospital treatment. Around 53 of those remain in hospital, including eight in a critical condition.
Images from a forward-facing CCTV camera on Mr Burton’s train show a signal near the scene of the crash “was displaying a red aspect as the train approached and then passed it”, the RAIB said.
Preliminary analysis of a data recorder recovered from the wreckage shows it was travelling at 76mph when its brakes were applied nine seconds before the crash.
The train’s speed had reduced to 49mph when the impact happened.
The location of last week’s fatal crash
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Mr Burton’s train was fitted with automatic warning system (AWS) equipment triggered by magnets on tracks.
This sounds a bell or chime in the driver’s cab when it is approaching a green signal and a horn when coming up to a non-green signal.
In the case of the latter, drivers are required to acknowledge the warning by pressing a button. After this happens, a visual indicator appears in the driver’s cab as a reminder.
The train’s emergency brake is applied if the warning is not responded to quickly enough.
Shaun Burton was pronounced dead at the scene | HANDOUT VIA BRITISH TRANSPORT POLICE
The RAIB statement said the stationary train involved in the collision had come to a stop “unexpectedly” after a fault with its AWS equipment caused its brakes to apply.
This resulted in the signal behind it automatically changing to red, investigators said. Approaching trains should stop at red signals.
The RAIB said its investigation will consider “the actions of those involved and any factors that may have influenced them”.
It will also look at the “positioning, visibility and conspicuity” of the signal passed by Mr Burton.