Chiltern makes Banbury station changes after pram rolls into train, injuring baby

Chiltern Railways has made changes to Banbury station after a two-month-old baby suffered a head injury when their pram rolled into the side of a moving train.

The baby was hurt when a CrossCountry service from Reading to York entered platform 2 on June 8. The train was travelling at an estimated 35mph when the baby’s parent briefly let go of the pram as she picked up luggage before boarding.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said the platform sloped towards the track, but the “small degree” meant it was “unlikely to have been apparently” to the parent.

While platform signage stating ‘Sloping Platform Apply Brakes’ were in place, RAIB said their design meant they were not clear enough and that the pram or other passengers may have obscured them. There were also no supplementary signs at eye level.

Banbury station is owned by Network Rail (NR) but managed by Chiltern Railways, which is responsible for passenger safety and routine repairs.

Chiltern managers had no information relating to the degree of slopes at Banbury or the ability to measure crossfall slopes themselves, and hadn’t undertaken any surveys “because they did not believe any recommendations would have been taken forward by Network Rail”, thinking it would only be addressed during major work on the platform.

A 2015 assessment by NR in response to another pram ‘roll off’ incident elsewhere found ticket and vending machines should be relocated.

“The assessment does not state which organisation should carry out the recommendations. Network Rail managers have subsequently stated that they believed the recommendations were made to the station operator,” RAIB said.

“Chiltern Railways was unable to provide any evidence that they had reviewed or considered taking action to address these recommendations and believed that this may have been due to the turnover of management staff.”

There have also been no additional assessments to address the slopes at Banbury since 2015.

Since the incident, Chiltern has installed signs in the lift and is reviewing the platform surface signs. While the lift signs highlight the “aerodynamic risk from passing trains”, the instructions “include appropriate actions to help prevent similar accidents from reoccurring”.

Improved signs have now been fitted to platforms, while some vending machines have been moved from the platforms to the overbridge and main station.

A Chiltern spokesman said: “The safety of our customers when at our stations or on board our services is our top priority.

“We have since installed additional signage at Banbury Station which reminds customers to remain vigilant and safe on the platforms.” 

A Network Rail spokeswoman added: “The safety of passengers is Network Rail's top priority and we take it very seriously. The findings of the report will be reviewed, and we will work closely with industry colleagues to help prevent these kind of incidents occurring again in the future.”