Transport for London and the operators of the Croydon tram line have admitted health and safety failings over the 2016 crash which left seven passengers dead.
FirstGroup-owned Tram Operations Limited (TOL), TfL, and tram driver Alfred Dorris all face criminal charges over the derailment near to the Sandilands stop on November 9, 2016.
At Croydon magistrates court on Friday, Dorris entered the dock as all three defendants faced the charges for the first time.
TfL and TOL indicated to the court that they will plead guilty to health and safety failings, while Dorris said he will deny the charge against him. The prosecution is being brought by regulator the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).
Victims Dane Chinnery, 19, Philip Seary, 57, Dorota Rynkiewicz, 35, Robert Huxley, 63, and Philip Logan, 52, all from New Addington, and Donald Collett, 62, and Mark Smith, 35, both from Croydon all died in the derailment, which also left 51 passengers injured.
An inquest last year heard the tram toppled over and spun off the tracks in darkness and heavy rain after approaching a curve at 73kph (45mph), when the speed limit was 20kph (12mph).
TfL and TOL are both accused of “failing to discharge a general health and safety duty to a person other than employee”, while Dorris is accused of “Failing while at work to take reasonable care for the health and safety of yourself and of other persons who may have been affected by your acts and omissions at work”.
District Judge Nigel Dean released Dorris, 48,from Beckenham, on unconditional bail until a hearing at Croydon crown court on July 8. TfL and TOL will be sentenced at a later date.
TfL said its indicated guilty plea will enable court proceedings to “come to a conclusion as promptly as possible”.
Chief operating officer Andy Lord said in a statement: “The Sandilands tragedy will never be forgotten and our thoughts remain with everyone affected.
“We have worked closely with the RAIB and the ORR since November 2016 to introduce a new safety regime and implement all the recommendations from the organisations across the tram network.
“This has made the network safer for everyone and we continue to work tirelessly to ensure that such a tragedy could never occur again.
“We agreed to all of the RAIB’s safety recommendations and accepted liability to ensure civil claims could proceed as soon as possible.
“At the first hearing of the ORR’s prosecution, we have indicated a guilty plea to the charge under the Health and Safety Act. This will also enable these proceedings to come to a conclusion as promptly as possible.
“We have delivered robust and lasting safety improvements since 2016 and we continue to review our operations and work with the wider tram industry to ensure that we have the safest possible network.”
ORR’s Chief Inspector of Railways Ian Prosser CBE said afte the hearing: “We conducted an extensive, detailed and thorough investigation and took the decision to prosecute all three parties for what we believe to be serious health and safety failings relating to the Croydon Tram derailment on 9 November 2016, which killed seven passengers with many more seriously injured. All our thoughts are with those people.”
