Northern knew train had fault but kept it in service... then it left station with five doors open

An investigation into a train which left a station with five doors still open found Northern knew the carriage had a fault but left it in service.

The rail operator was aware the train had an 'unidentified intermittent defect' before the incident at Styal station. But Northern still permitted it to remain in service, a report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch said.

No-one was hurt in the 'unsafe train movement' on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. People were moving towards the train and a passenger was standing in an open doorway when it started to move, investigators said.

The train travelled for about 10 seconds, reaching a speed of around 3mph before a safety system kicked in and closed the doors automatically.

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Investigators found that immediately before the incident the train had 'experienced technical difficulties which meant that the driver was unable to release the brakes and take power'. To try rectify the fault safeguards which prevent the train from departing with the doors open were 'bypassed'.

The train then moved off without the driver getting confirmation the doors were closed.

The report said: "The investigation identified that the process used by Northern Trains Ltd for assessing trains before being released into service had permitted the train to be in service with an unidentified intermittent defect. "Northern Trains Ltd's processes for authorising the isolation of engineered safeguards on trains in service did not effectively control the risks created by such isolations.

"Also, Northern Train Ltd's training did not provide the driver with the necessary skills for managing stressful situations."

A spokesperson for Northern said: "We treat all incidents related to rail safety incredibly seriously and implemented a number of changes to our operating procedures following this particular incident. We are digesting the RAIB report and its recommendations in full to see what further steps we can take to improve the safety of our operations."