Train near Salisbury ‘derailed SEVEN MINUTES before second intercity smashed into it in tunnel’

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Passengers were stranded on a derailed train for seven minutes before a speeding inter-city service smashed into it leaving at least 17 people injured, a rail worker revealed tonight.

Signals should have turned red to stop the approaching train well in advance – but had seemingly suffered a ‘major’ flaw, MailOnline was told.

Emergency services rescued more than 100 people, including a three-week-old baby, from the two trains which collided in a tunnel as both approached Salisbury station in Wiltshire at around 6.45pm last night.

One driver was cut free and suffered a suspected broken ankle. Officials declared it a ‘critical’ incident.

Witnesses told of hearing a sound ‘like a bomb going off’ as the crash, one of the most serious in recent years on the UK rail network, unfolded. One woman who was on board told of her terror as she was thrown around the crashing train.

Lucy Gregory told the BBC: ‘We were just pulling into Salisbury station and the train felt a bit juddery.

‘I’d just stood up and put my coat on and my phone in my pocket when there was this massive impact and I fell across the table.

‘The table came off the wall and I ended up underneath another table. They smashed the windows and we got out of the window. It was really scary.’

Police gave a press conference early this morning but could only say ‘a small number’ of those injured had been taken to hospital.

The drama unfolded in Fisherton Tunnel, a major junction joining two lines as they approach Salisbury from the south and from the east.

Firstly the 17:08 Great Western Rail service from Portsmouth Harbour to Bristol Temple Meads, which entered the junction from the south, hit an object the tunnel – possibly material that fell from the tunnel roof, sources said – and the rear carriage derailed. The train had been due into Salisbury at 6:28pm but bad weather was causing delays across the rail network.

Seven minutes later at around 6.45pm, the 17:20 South West Rail train from London Waterloo to Honiton in Devon, which was due into Salisbury at 6.47pm, sped into the junction from the east. For some reason signals had not alerted the driver of the obstruction – or had failed to stop his train if he missed the red lights.

The SWR train smashed into the stationary GWR service in the tunnel, derailed itself and skidded along the inside of the tunnel at 45-degrees, apparently being held up by the tunnel wall. Its driver was trapped in his mangled cab and needed to be cut free by emergency workers. Only the last carriage remained upright.

Tamar Vellacott told reporters that she was walking with her young children around half a mile from the scene when they heard the crash.

‘It was a noise we’ve never heard before, my young ones started panicking thinking it was a bomb and we said maybe a lorry had crashed on the London Road and not to panic,’ said the 25-year-old.

‘There was no screeching like brakes, just a long rumbling sound like thunder. It did spook us though, so we decided to get in our car and drive home. Three police cars passed us at speed.’

Last night a rail engineer with more than 10 years’ experience and who had seen information about the crash said only a ‘major’ signalling error could have caused the crash.

Speaking to MailOnline on condition of anonymity, they said that when the GWR train collided with an object and derailed onto the opposite track, there should be an ‘automatic obstruction warning’ to stop any train entering that same mile-long stretch.

‘The system says that the line is not safe for the passage of another train because there is an obstruction on the line,’ they said.

‘According to my system, the signalling system was aware seven minutes before impact. It should’ve automatically stopped the train.

‘It should’ve automatically set all signals to red. If the driver didn’t see the signal, the system should’ve made the train stop.’

The engineer added that the incident could not have been avoided if the oncoming train was too close to the derailed GWR, but that this could not have been the case.

‘There has been a major flaw within the signalling system within Network Rail.’

The engineer added they had seen ‘similar breaches in procedures’ elsewhere on the rail network, warning that it could lead to another incident.

The incident is set to be investigated by the Office for Rail and Road and the Rail Accident Investigations Branch.

The whistleblower added: ‘I’ve realised for a number of years there has been numerous failures within [Network Rail].’ The worker said they had feared an incident like this would happen ‘for the past two years’.

Dozens of emergency workers, including 50 firefighters, raced to the scene of the crash.

Footage showed shocked survivors being led from the derailed trains along the tracks, with firefighters and rail staff lighting their way with torches.

Crash survivor Corinna Anderson told the BBC she saw a newborn baby being rescued from the GWR train that had derailed first.

She told the BBC: ‘I did hear and see that on the Temple Meads train there was a three-week-old baby that was rescued off the train by the fire service and thankfully she is doing ok.

‘As I climbed off my train I saw the fireman cradling the baby in his arms and then I saw the mother get given the baby and they were escorted away for medical attention.’

Sailor Morgan Harris, who was travelling from London Waterloo back to his base in Yeovil, said he was thrown from his seat due to the impact of the huge crash.

The 20 year old Able Seaman said: ‘It was all going along normally then, all of a sudden, there was this massive bang and all of the lights went out.

‘There was sparks and flames from where we had come off the track, and there was a load of ash coming from outside.

‘Our train was on its side… I was thrown out of my seat and banged against the table.’

Passenger Dimitri Popa, from Romania, was travelling on the train from London to Sherborne when the terrifying crash occurred.

The 17 year old said: ‘It all happened so fast… I was just sitting in the first carriage and there was a huge crash.

‘Then I saw the flames and got pretty scared, and all the lights went out.

‘The carriage was 45 degrees to the right.

‘We didn’t know where we were or anything… we were all just so shocked.’

British Transport Police said a casualty centre has been set up at St Mark’s Church in the city.

The reverend of the church said 120 train passengers were taken to the site, with some ‘visibly shaken’ and injured.

Reverend Andy Bousfield was ‘just settling down for a quiet evening’ when he heard police cars and a helicopter, and later got a call from an officer asking if he could open up the church.

He said: ‘I was settling down for a quiet evening and the phone rang about the same time as I heard police cars go past and a helicopter overhead.

‘It was a police officer phoning to say he was outside the church and asking if they could use it.. I said ‘I can be there in five minutes’.

‘Within 10 minutes people started coming in.

‘The first people seemed to be absolutely fine, there were a few with injuries, some of them were shaken and just wanted somewhere to sit down.

‘We just popped the kettle on and in fact some of the neighbours popped around with biscuits and milk* It’s a real pulling together.

‘We’ve had a lot of calls from members of the church asking if they can help.

‘There was about 100, 120 people.. it was a lot of cups of tea.

‘It was quite nice that the community came together at the last minute for an emergency.’

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said investigations into the crash would be undertaken in order to help prevent similar ‘serious’ incidents in future.

‘My thoughts go out to those affected by the serious rail incident near Salisbury,’ Mr Shapps tweeted.

Transport minister Chris Heaton-Harris added: ‘I am aware of a rail incident that took place near Salisbury.

‘Emergency Services are on the scene and I am in close communication with Network Rail & operators.

‘Our thoughts are with those affected by this serious incident.’

Transport Salaried Staffs Association general secretary Manuel Cortes said: ‘We will have to await further details, but this is a very sobering reminder about why safety on our railways is always paramount.

‘The thoughts of our entire union are with the loved ones of everyone caught up in what may well turn out to be a tragic event.

‘No doubt that over the coming days and weeks we will find out why this accident happened. A full investigation will now need to follow.’

The British Transport Police issued a statement and said officers would remain on scene throughout the night.

‘We were called to Fisherton Tunnel in Salisbury at 6.46pm tonight following reports of a train derailment which involved two passenger trains colliding.

‘Officers are continuing to respond to the incident alongside our emergency service colleagues and the line is expected to be shut for some time.

‘Thankfully there have been no fatalities however a number of people have been injured and a casualty centre has been opened at a nearby church.

‘Most of these people are walking wounded however a small number, including the driver, have been taken to hospital where their injuries are being assessed.

‘A major incident has been declared and this has been a large scale, multi-agency response working closely alongside our colleagues in Wiltshire.

‘We will remain on scene throughout the night working to establish the full circumstances of how this incident came to happen.’

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch tonight said it had deployed inspectors to the site of a collision for a preliminary examination of the scene.

An Office of Rail and Road spokesperson added: ‘We’re supporting Network Rail and the train operators, plus RAIB and the British Transport Police, with respect to the collision between two trains near Salisbury Tunnel Junction and liaising with emergency services responding to the incident.’

A Network Rail spokesperson said: ‘At around 7pm this evening, the rear carriage of the 1708 Great Western Railway service from Portsmouth Harbour to Bristol Temple Meads derailed after striking an object on its approach to Salisbury station.

‘The derailment knocked out all of the signalling in the area. Subsequently, the 1720 South Western Railway service from London Waterloo to Honiton then collided with the Bristol train.

‘There are reports of injuries and the emergency services are on site along with railway first responders.’

Disruption to services in the area was expected to last for days.

MailOnline have approached British Transport Police and Network Rail for comment on the whistleblower’s claims.