Rail speed limits imposed due to severe weather were broken by three trains on a single morning, investigators said. Blanket restrictions were introduced across most of the rail network in north-west England and Scotland on February 21 as Storm Franklin brought strong winds and heavy rain.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said an Avanti West Coast service travelled at up to 125mph from Wolverhampton, West Midlands to Warrington, Cheshire, despite a 50mph limit being imposed on the route. The driver was informed by the operator that the speed limit was only in place on a different section of the West Coast Main Line, between Penrith, Cumbria and a level crossing near Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway.
In fact, this was the only stretch of line in the region where the temporary limit did not apply. A London-Scotland Caledonian Sleeper train was recorded travelling at 67mph at a location 10 miles south of Penrith, where the 50mph limit was in place.
