Investigation begins after Grand Central passengers were 'thrown from seats' on Hartlepool to London train

An undisclosed number were hurt when the Grand Central train “lurched sideways” while travelling towards the Spital Junction, near Peterborough, last month.

Several passengers were thrown from their seats, sustaining minor injuries in the process.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch, which independently investigates accidents on the railways, has now said: “At around 13:00 hrs on 4 May 2023, the 09:54 hrs Sunderland to King’s Cross service, operated by Grand Central, passed over three sets of points at Spital Junction on the northern approach to Peterborough station at a speed of around 65 mph (104 km/h).

“This was above the maximum permitted speed over the junction which is initially 30 mph (48 km/h) reducing to 25 mph (40 km/h).

“The excessive speed over the points led to the train lurching sideways. This resulted in a number of minor injuries being sustained by passengers, with some being thrown from their seats.”

The train had to then make an unscheduled stop at Peterborough Station.

Subsequent inspections found no damage to the infrastructure of the railway or train.

Grand Central’s chief operating officer Sean English said: “We are aware of the incident that occurred at Spital Junction on 4 May and are currently investigating the situation further.

“Meantime, we have further briefed all our train drivers on the various restrictions on their relevant routes.”

The Mail last week reported how the train operator had apologised to passengers for a string of ongoing rail cancellations which are causing problems on the line in both directions.