The railway industry has stood in solidarity to remember the victims of the UK’s worst rail disaster of the 21st century at Great Heck in North Yorkshire.
20-years-ago the railway family was in mourning when an InterCity 225 passenger train, operated by Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) hit a stationary car on the railway track on the East Coast Main Line.
The train, from Newcastle to London King’s Cross, derailed into the path of an oncoming freight train on February 28th at Great Heck in North Yorkshire.
Ten people lost their lives, including train drivers Stephen Dunn and John Weddle, as well as GNER train staff Ray Robson and Paul Taylor, and Barry Needham who was working on the Freightliner train.
Passengers Steve Baldwin, Chris Terry, Alan Ensor, Clive Vidgen and Robert Shakespeare also tragically died, and 82 others were seriously injured.
On Sunday (February 28) remembrance events were held at Newcastle station and Great Heck in the morning, and a live-streamed memorial service from Selby Abbey in the afternoon.
One of the Office of Rail and Road inspectors, Nigel Bunce, who was called to the scene, has shared his personal experience of the incident and investigation.
He writes: “This was a truly awful accident and my thoughts will always remain with all those in the railway family; the passengers that sadly lost their lives, and with the many that were injured on this tragic day 20 years ago.”
You can read his full article here.
LNER Tweeted: “Today we remember all those who died and were injured in the Great Heck rail disaster, 20 years ago on 28 February 2001.”
Mick Whelan, general secretary of ASLEF, who said: “Our thoughts are with all those who died, and were injured, at Selby twenty years ago.”
Photo credit: LNER
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