[68] It was the highest reading of four samples taken from Newson's body; the lowest was 20mg/100ml. She died. There was no evidence to indicate either condition: to positively diagnose akinesis with mutism would depend on a microscopic examination of the brain, which was not possible because of decomposition, and transient global amnesia leaves no traces. [41] A large electric fan was placed at the top of the escalators in an attempt to remedy the situation, but soot and dirt was disturbed and little draught was created; the machine was soon turned off. Get in touch ian.molyneaux@reachplc.com. In total, the rescue and clean-up involved 1,324 firefighters, 240 police officers, 80 ambulance crew members, 16 doctors and several nurses. By the time of the Moorgate crash, 12 of the 19 locations had the equipment installed. The drag was 11 metres (36ft) long, of which 5.8 metres (19ft) was on the tracks in front of the platform, and 5.2 metres (17ft) was inside an overrun tunnel that was 20.3 metres (67ft) long, 4 metres (13ft) high and 4.9 metres (16ft) wide. Sixty-one witnesses gave evidence. This system is effective against any unauthorized vehicles that could potentially threaten scheduled services. It was obvious from an early stage that the main problem was the disentanglement of a heap of people, many of whom appeared to be in imminent danger of suffocation. [36] At 10:00am a medical team arrived from The London Hospital and set up a makeshift operating theatre on a platform near the triage team. [22] The second coach was forced under the rear of the first, which buckled at three points into the shape of a V with a tail, and had its rear forced into the tunnel roof. We were right at the very front of the train about 10 to 12 feet behind the driver's cab. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. He had covered both the notebook and manual in plastic to protect them, something the subsequent investigation thought "underlined the fact that Motorman Newson conducted himself in a most conscientious manner in respect of his job on the railway". The post-mortem on Newson showed no medical reason to explain the crash. [25] It was, and remains, the worst peacetime accident on the Underground.[26]. Over the years, the London Underground, or the Tube as commuters prefer to call it these days, has expanded to cover the whole of London and selected parts of the Home Counties. A memorial has been unveiled for the 43 people who died in the Moorgate Tube crash in 1975. [60][72], McNaughton published his report almost a year later, on 4 March 1976. The depth at which they were operating, and the shielding effect of the soil and concrete, meant their radios could not get through to the surface. After an inquiry, the accident was blamed on the driver who died in the crash. At the time, we didn't know how many people there were or what condition they were in.". 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[80] Medical evidence presented to the inquiry raised the possibility that the driver had been affected by conditions such as transient global amnesia or akinesis with mutism, where the brain continues to function and the individual remains aware, although not being able to move physically. Forty three people were killed and 74 were injured. The front and back of the first carriage was forced up into the roof of the tunnel while the middle section remained on the track. [24], Forty-two passengers and the driver died; seventy-four people were treated in hospital for their injuries. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. Following the crash, extensive investigations found no mechanical fault with the train, track or signalling. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. It appeared that Newson had not reacted at all. [65] David Paul, the coroner, was unhappy that a government inquiry had already begun, as evidence was in the public domain, and could affect the inquest's jury. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. You May Also Like: Five Strange Trains Around the World. It was the bizarre lack of any action on the part of the driver, Leslie Newson, that caused the crash. When tested, all of the trains vital components and systems were working as intended. [37], Platform 9 was 21 metres (70ft) underground, and fire and ambulance crews had to carry all the equipment they needed through the station and down to the scene of the accident. From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. The passengers on the platform waiting for the train at Moorgate reported that the train continued onwards at a speed between 30-40 mph without stopping. Boards are the best place to save images and video clips. [16] Although pupils from the nearby City of London School for Girls would normally have been on the service at that time, the pupils had a day's holiday as the school was in use for external examinations. SourcesNational ArchivesRail MagazineBBC On This Day. The horrific incident killed 43 people and left 74 passengers injured. Have a story you think we should be telling? [2], Moorgate station, in the City of London, was the terminus at the southern end of the Northern City Line, five stops and 2.6 miles (4.2km) from the northern end at Drayton Park. London, UK ID: G2Y1XY (RM) [40] The lamps and cutting gear used by the fire brigade raised the temperature to over 49C (120F) and oxygen levels began to drop. Instead the blame fell wholly on the 56-year-old driver, Leslie Newson. A man examines the destruction of the Moorgate train crash. London Underground introduced the Moorgate protection system which automatically stops a train if it is travelling too fast. 2023 Getty Images. Last edited on 28 February 2023, at 20:08, "An overview of the rail industry in Great Britain", Office of Rail and Road, "A brief history of the Underground", Transport for London, "Remembering the 1975 Moorgate tube crash". [18], On arrival at Moorgate at 8:46am, the train, which comprised two units of three connected cars, did not slow. The station was named at one time "Moorgate Street". Available for both RF and RM licensing. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options await you. On February 28, 1975, a Northern City line train crashed into the end of the line wall at Moorgate in what would become the worst peacetime accident on the London Underground. "Many of the victims were writhing in agony and were screaming for individual attention. Once there we found a carriage half at the platform and half into the tunnel but on a slant up into the ceiling. He appeared calm and sat upright as he looked directly ahead as if he was unaware that he was passing through a scheduled stop when the train collided with the barrier. [91][pageneeded], In the south-west corner of Finsbury Square, 410 metres (450yd) north of Moorgate station, a memorial lists those who died. The last of the 43 fatalities removed from the scene was the trains driver, a 56-year old father of two, Leslie Newson. [47] Benton also died of crush syndrome, in hospital on 27 March 1975, despite initially good progress. [94], In 1977 the BBC One programme Red Alert examined whether an accident like Moorgate could happen again. The courage of those two individuals will remain in my mind forever. Following the Moorgate accident, signalling was changed to give an approach-controlled delayed yellow aspect when the line was clear to the buffer-stops and red plus a subsidiary aspect (two white lights at 45 degrees) when the line or platform was partly occupied. Select from premium Moorgate Tube Crash of the highest quality. [15], The first return trips of the day between Drayton Park and Moorgate, which started at 6:40am, passed without incident. 2023 Getty Images. [66] An analysis of Newson's kidneys by the toxicologist Anne Robinson showed his blood alcohol level at the time of the post-mortem was 80mg/100ml. Find Moorgate Tube Crash stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. A small assessment team comprising a casualty officer and a medical student was sent from the hospital; 15 minutes later a resuscitation unit was sent, although the hospital staff were still unaware of the scale of the problem. The Moorgate tube crash occurred on 28 February 1975 at 8:46 am on the London Underground 's Northern City Line; 43 people died and 74 were injured after a train failed to stop at the line's southern terminus, Moorgate station, and crashed into its end wall. The force of the impact crushed the first two and a half cars of the train into half their proper lengths. Newson was the last body to be extracted and firefighters found his cab, which is usually 91 centimetres deep, had been crushed to just 15 centimetres. McNaughton said he was perplexed as to the causes of the crash, but that he would proceed with the next part of his inquiry, which was to undertake further enquiries and to consider measures so the accident could not be repeated. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. Everything was covered with a thick layer of the residue which was easily disturbed. Steve made his way through a two foot gap between the tunnel wall and the side of the train. By the time it made an approach to Moorgate Station, there were 300 passengers on board. London Fire Brigade carried out a six-day rescue operation involving 1,324 firefighters, Get FREE email updates for everything London Underground. [9] Weekly checks were made on the stock's brakes, doors and compressors; all equipment on the train was examined on a six-week basis and the cars were lifted from their bogies for a thorough examination once a year. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. [27], On 7 March 1975 Anthony Crosland, the Secretary of State for the Environment, instructed McNaughton to undertake an investigation of the crash. The train carried approximately 300 passengers; it was a Friday and, as it was the peak of rush hour, most of the travellers were commuters. That sounds like a man who is getting the feeling of how to run a train into a wall".[79]. The tunnel had been designed to accommodate larger main line rolling stock and so was wider than the standard tube tunnel width of 3.7 metres (12ft). [92][93] On 28 February 2014 a memorial plaque was unveiled by Fiona Woolf, the Lord Mayor of London, on the side of the station building, in Moor Place. He informed the coroner that "it is generally accepted that as much as 80mg/100ml may make its appearance in a decomposing body after four days in a [relatively] high temperature". Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. [34] By 9:30am Moorgate and many of the surrounding roads had been cordoned off to allow space for the co-ordination teams above ground to manage the flow of vehiclesparticularly for ambulances taking casualties to hospitals. Conditions were sweltering, with poor ventilation and temperatures of over 49 degrees. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. The station is a terminus, yet the train failed to stop at its southern end and crashed into the end wall of the tunnel. Something went wrong, please try again later. Joining the firemen, police, and ambulance crews were 16 doctors and scores of volunteers and helpers. Save up to 30% when you upgrade to an image pack Moorgate is an interchange between the Underground network and suburban overground services. In 1978, engineers put in a new protection system that would apply brakes to an oncoming train if the driver failed to do so. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. London Undergrounds recommendations to the approach to a station on the Underground network is to reduce operating speed to 15 mph. Find the perfect moorgate train crash stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. It took 13 hours after the crash to remove the last of the 74 injured passengers from the scene. [84], When platform 9 reopened there had been changes introduced to aid drivers. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. Moorgate Crash (Flickr set) | District Dave's London Underground Site The Administration team are: Dstock7080, londonstuff, tom, rincew1nd and whistlekiller2000, The Moderator team are: antharro, Dom K, goldenarrow, metman, MoreToJack and superteacher. The crash forced the first carriage into the roof of the tunnel at the front and back, but the middle remained on the trackbed; the 16-metre-long (52ft) coach was crushed to 6.1 metres (20ft). Forty-three people were killed. At 8.46am, the tube failed to stop at the southern terminus and collided with the wall, crushing its carriages. Newsons post-mortem examination revealed that there were no signs of cardiac problems nor of a condition such as epilepsy. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. In July 1978, approval was given for Moorgate protection, Moorgate control or Trains Entering Terminal Stations (TETS) to be introduced at all dead-end termini on manually driven lines on the Underground system. All it needed was to be put back into position. Unearthed photos show the devastating aftermath of the Moorgate tube crash. The Moorgate tube crash occurred on 28 February 1975 at 8:46 am on the London Underground's Northern City Line; 43 people died and 74 were injured after a train failed to stop at the line's southern terminus, Moorgate station, and crashed into its end wall. Explore Recent Photos; Trending; Events; The Commons; Flickr Galleries; World Map; Camera Finder; Flickr Blog; Prints. Steve added: " None of the crews working down there wanted to leave. The sights, smells and carnage I will never be able to forget, but I, along with others, will always be proud to say that I played a small part in a major rescue and recovery incident.