News story: Runaway of a road-rail vehicle at Bradford

On Friday 8 June 2018, a road-rail maintenance vehicle ran away towards Bradford Interchange terminal station.

The maintenance vehicle was a mobile elevating working platform (MEWP) that was equipped with both rubber wheels for road running and steel rail wheels for operation on the railway. That night, it was intended to be used for examination work on a section of track which was under possession (temporarily closed to normal train services).

The runaway started at the Britannia Street road-rail access point, which provides a flat surface allowing road-rail vehicles to be manoeuvred on to the track. This access point is on a section of railway which slopes downwards at a declared gradient of 1 in 50 towards the station before running onto level track as it enters the platforms.

Shortly after 01:30 hrs the MEWP was being transferred from its rubber-tyred road wheels onto its rail wheels. During this manoeuvre, known as on-tracking, the machine operator was controlling the machine using a remote control unit which was connected to the machine by a cable. As the rail wheels were lowered onto the track the MEWP started to run down the gradient towards the station where it stopped about 340 metres from the access point (and before reaching the buffers at the end of the platform).

No-one was on board the MEWP as it started to run away. The machine operator and machine controller attempted to stop the runaway. They were unable to do so, but they kept up with the machine during its travel to warn other staff working in the vicinity.

Initial evidence suggests that the runaway occurred because the on-tracking was not carried out correctly and the rail wheel brakes, intended to hold the vehicle on the gradient, provided insufficient brake force to do so.

The RAIB’s investigation will identify:

  • the sequence of events that led to the runaway
  • the factors influencing the actions of those involved in the operation of the machine as it was being placed onto the track
  • the actual capability of the rail wheel brakes
  • the rail-conversion and maintenance history of the MEWP
  • the standards and design approval processes that were applied to this type of MEWP
  • any relevant management factors

Our investigation is independent of any investigation by the railway industry or by the industry’s regulator, the Office of Rail and Road.

We will publish our findings, including any recommendations to improve safety, at the conclusion of our investigation. This report will be available on our website.

You can subscribe to automated emails notifying you when we publish our reports.



Notice: Lexham Farming Partnership: application made to abstract water

The Environment Agency consult the public on certain applications for the abstraction and impoundment of water.

These notices explain:

  • what the application is about
  • which Environment Agency offices you can visit to see the application documents on the public register
  • when you need to comment by


National Statistics: Monthly sea fisheries statistics April 2018

The monthly landings statistics will be released at 9.30am on the 4th Friday of each month, or the next working day if this is a bank holiday.



News story: Digital tools for prospective students: apply for funding

The Department for Education has up to £125,000 to invest in a series of studies into ways of using data on graduate salary and employment to create digital tools that help prospective students make informed choices.

Students often make uninformed decisions about what and where to study. The department wants to create a free, accessible and commercially sustainable digital tool for students that uses existing data about graduate employment and salaries.

Up to 5 studies could be funded in the first phase. The best ideas could share £300,000 to develop their ideas further in a second phase.

Proposals must include plans for user discussions or testing to ensure solutions meet students needs, and they must use graduate outcomes data.

The competition is run under SBRI (the Small Business Research Initiative), which helps the public and private sectors come together to solve challenges facing government.

  • the competition opens on 25 June 2018, and the deadline for registration is at midday on 8 August 2018
  • it is open to any organisation that can demonstrate a route to market for its idea
  • we expect phase 1 contracts to be worth up to £25,000 and to last up to 1 month
  • successful projects will attract 100% funded development contracts
  • a briefing event and innovation day will be held on 18 July 2018 at the Open Data Institute in Leeds


Press release: Call to sign up for flood warnings as up to 80% of Lincolnshire coastal communities yet to fully register

The Environment Agency has today urged residents on the Lincolnshire coast to sign up for flood warnings, as its flagship £7m Lincolnshire coastal flood scheme wraps up for this year.

Over the course of the £7m Lincolnshire Beach Management (LBM) scheme, the EA’s contractors pumped around 400,000 cubic metres of sand onto Lincolnshire’s coastal beaches. This sand helps to protect people and their properties by reducing flood risk and damage to the sea defences along the coast. The added sand acts as a buffer between the sea and the defences, taking out the brunt of the wave energy, thereby extending the lifespan of the EA’s defences.

Restoring sand levels that are naturally lost to the sea over the year helps the EA reduce flood risk to over 20,000 homes and businesses, 24,500 static caravans and 35,000 hectares of land.

But although the EA has staff working around the clock to protect people and their property from flooding, the risk of flooding can never be completely eliminated. That’s why the EA is calling for residents in coastal communities to sign up for its free flood warning service.

The latest figures show that thousands of people who live in ‘at risk communities’ along the Lincolnshire coast are still yet to sign up – with the percentage of residents fully registered for warnings in key communities like Skegness as low as 22%.

Flood warnings give people valuable information and time to prepare for flooding, and the EA’s free service enables residents to choose how they’d like to receive warnings and alerts. Although some residents will be enrolled automatically through their telephone provider, they can sign up fully by online or by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188. People can also make a flood plan here so they know what to do to prepare, act and survive.

Mark Robinson, senior flood risk advisor for the Environment Agency, said:

The completion of our £7m LBM coastal flood scheme will help us continue to protect and reduce flood risk for tens of thousands of people and their properties. This scheme extends the life of our sea defences by protecting them from the energy of the waves as they impact on the coast.

Although we work around the clock to reduce flood risk to Lincolnshire’s coastal communities, the risk can never be completely eliminated. Our latest figures show that many people on Lincolnshire’s coast are yet to sign up for flood warnings – warnings that could give them vital information and time to prepare and act for flooding.

We urge people in Lincolnshire’s coastal communities to sign up to our free flood warning service now by visiting www.gov.uk/check-flood-risk or by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188.