Why did two trains collide in Salisbury?

Investigation suggests ‘wheel slide’ was key factor in ‘rare’ crash

Salisbury train crash scene
Police at the scene of the train collision in Fisherton Tunnel in Salisbury
(Image credit: Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)

Leaves on the line may have been the cause of a train crash in Salisbury that left a train driver with life-changing injuries, investigators have said.

Inspectors from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said an initial probe found “low adhesion between the wheels and the track” contributed to a South Western Railway (SWR) train colliding with a Great Western Railway (GWR) train at Fisherton tunnel, close to the centre of Salisbury, on Sunday.

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