Crashed London tram traveling at 3 times speed limit

By Michael Sercan Daventry

LONDON

A commuter tram that derailed in south London killing seven passengers was travelling at more than three times the speed limit, investigators said Wednesday.

Dozens more were injured when the early morning tram came off the rails on Nov. 9 as it approached a sharp curve near a junction.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said the tram’s data recorder showed it had been travelling at approximately 70 kilometers per hour (43 miles per hour) in an area where the maximum permitted speed was 20 km/h (12 mph).

“At this stage, no evidence has been found of any track defects, or obstructions on the track, that could have contributed to the derailment,” the agency said in a report published on its website.

“Detailed examination of the tram has not yet been possible. However, the RAIB’s initial investigation has not indicated any malfunction of the tram’s braking system.”

After leaving the previous stop in Croydon, a suburb of south London, the tram had been travelling at the permitted speed of 80 km/h (50 mph), the report said. The two-coach tram’s brakes were applied but not enough to slow it before the curve.

It was dark and raining heavily at the time of the accident and on-board CCTV was not functioning, investigators added.

The tram’s driver Alfred Dorris, 42, was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following the accident and has since been bailed pending further enquiries. He had more than eight years’ experience as a tram driver, The Sun newspaper reported.