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{{Short description|1953 London Underground crash}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2017}}{{Infobox public transit accident
| date= 8 April 1953 : 1856▼
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| line = [[Central Line]] ([[London Underground]])▼
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| injuries= 5▼
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<!-- Details -->
| time = 18:56
| location = [[Stratford station]], [[London]]
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| country = England
| operator = [[London Transport Executive|London Transport]]
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| type =
| cause = Driver error
<!-- Statistics -->
| bus =
| trains = 2
| vehicles =
| passengers = ~900
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| pedestrians =
| deaths = 12
| damage =
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<!-- Footnotes -->
| footnotes = [[List of rail accidents in the United Kingdom|List of UK rail accidents by year]]
}}
The '''Stratford tube crash''' occurred on 8 April 1953, on the [[Central
==Collision==
A signal (A491) in the tunnel between Stratford and Leyton had been damaged, and this and the preceding signal (A489) were showing a permanent red aspect. Trains were being worked slowly past the failed signals under the "Stop and Proceed" rule, under which trains should proceed with extreme caution, typically less than 10 mph. However, one train collided with the back of another which was waiting at signal A491, and the first and second coaches of the colliding train were partially [[telescoping (railway)|telescoped]]. The Inspecting Officer considered that the extent of the damage suggested the speed was in the region of 15-20 mph, and when the driver had passed signal A489, he had simply coasted down the steep down gradient, not expecting to find another train before the next signal. The driver claimed to have been travelling slowly and that his vision had been obscured by a cloud of dust, but it was felt his memory could have been affected by [[concussion]].▼
The Central line was extended from Liverpool Street to [[Stratford station|Stratford]] in November 1946,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Croome |first=Desmond F. |title=Rails through the clay: a history of London's tube railways |last2=Jackson |first2=Alan A. |date=1993 |publisher=Capital Transport |isbn=978-1-85414-151-4 |edition=2nd |location=Harrow Weald |pages=286}}</ref> and was extended further to Leytonstone in 1948.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Croome |first=Desmond F. |title=Rails through the clay: a history of London's tube railways |last2=Jackson |first2=Alan A. |date=1993 |publisher=Capital Transport |isbn=978-1-85414-151-4 |edition=2nd |location=Harrow Weald |pages=287, 291}}</ref>
▲A signal (A491) in the tunnel between Stratford and [[Leyton]] had been damaged, and this and the preceding signal (A489) were showing a permanent red aspect. Trains were being worked slowly past the failed signals under the "Stop and Proceed" rule, under which trains should proceed with extreme caution, typically less than {{convert|10
12 people were killed, with 5 people suffering serious injuries and 41 people slightly injured.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2016-04-13 |title=Plaque unveiled to remember victims of Stratford Tube crash |url=https://www.newhamrecorder.co.uk/news/21441251.plaque-unveiled-remember-victims-stratford-tube-crash/ |access-date=2023-07-26 |website=Newham Recorder |language=en}}</ref>
==Investigation==
The Inspecting Officer considered that the extent of the damage suggested the speed was in the region of {{convert|15|-|20|mph|abbr=on}}, and when the driver had passed signal A489, he had simply coasted down the steep down gradient, not expecting to find another train before the next signal. The driver claimed to have been travelling slowly and that his vision had been obscured by a cloud of dust, but it was felt his memory could have been affected by [[concussion]].<ref name="mcmullen-19533" />
== Memorial ==
A memorial plaque to the accident was unveiled at Stratford Station on 8 April 2016 by [[Lyn Brown]], Member of Parliament for [[West Ham (UK Parliament constituency)|West Ham]].<ref name=":0" /> Members of the families of those killed in the crash were also in attendance along with [[Mike Brown (transport executive) | Mike Brown]], [[Commissioner of Transport for London]].<ref name=":0" />
==References==
{{Reflist}}
* [http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/eventsummary.php?eventID=109 Railways Archive account, including official Accident Report]▼
*
▲*
*{{cite book | first1=L.T.C. | last1=Rolt | year=1982 |orig-year=1955 | title=Red for Danger | publisher= David and Charles |author-link1=L. T. C. Rolt |last2=Kichenside |first2=Geoffrey M. |edition=4th |location=Newton Abbot |isbn=0-7153-8362-0 |pages=281–282 }}
{{London rail accidents}}▼
{{1953 railway accidents}}
{{Railway accidents in the United Kingdom, 1900–1999|state=collapsed}}
▲{{London rail accidents}}
[[Category:Disasters on the London Underground]]
[[Category:1953 in England]]▼
[[Category:Railway accidents in 1953]]
[[Category:1953 disasters in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1953 in London]]
[[Category:Stratford, London]]
[[Category:April 1953 events in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:History of the London Borough of Newham]]
[[Category:Rail accidents caused by a driver's error]]
{{London-transport-stub}}
{{Rail-accident-stub}}
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