Exhausted train drivers falling asleep at controls
TRAIN drivers on a busy line nodded off at the controls because their depot rest area was too noisy for them to sleep, a report reveals.
Two drivers went through stop signals after “momentarily” dozing and were halted by an emergency braking system.
In one case a freight loco was left standing in the path of an oncoming highspeed train – luckily empty – which was also automatically stopped.
One worn-out driver involved in a potential disaster had not slept for 19 hours.
The report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch warned the rest area where they were supposed to be able to nap mid-shift was “unfit for purpose”.
It said there was too much noise at the depot at Acton, West London, and drivers But we’re sure the top-graded chef who comes with the house could throw together a decent chow mein in the state-ofthe-art kitchen. If not, James could pop next door where Gordon Ramsey is rumoured to be planning to move. Late Late Show host James will be moving wife Julia and their children Max, four, and Carey, one, from the £18,000-a-month LA home where they have been living since arriving in the US two years ago. It comes after TV network CBS extended his initial three-year contract by two years, and reportedly upped his pay to £1.5million a year. Lady Gaga is the latest star to sign up for Carpool Karaoke – tweeting: “Had a lil fun with @ JKCorden today!” The singalong is likely to air this month. facility was not conducive to napping because of the noise, its location and the unsuitability of the furniture.”
However the report added that even though both drivers were fatigued neither had reported unfit for duty, which was “causal“to the incidents.
Simon French, Chief Inspector of Rail Accidents, said: “An admission of tiredness should not be seen as a weakness – it may be the unavoidable consequence of the demands placed on a driver.”
Mick Whelan, general secretary of the train drivers’ union ASLEF said: “We have been campaigning for years on fatigue and the effects of shift working.”
DB Cargo has renewed its rest facilities and altered rosters since the incidents. The firm’s head of safety Lee Bayliss said: “Fatigue is an issue we take very seriously.”