Train driver fell asleep before crashing into buffers at busy London station
A report found the driver slept for less than normal the previous evening due to "childcare arrangements"
A train crashed into buffers at a busy London station after the driver fell asleep, an investigation has found.
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The Southern Railway carriage collided with the barriers at London Bridge station on December 13 last year, causing minor damage.
The driver, who has not been named, "experienced a microsleep due to fatigue" and slept for less than normal the previous evening due to "childcare arrangements," according to a report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB).
The RAIB also noted he had been working on many of his scheduled rest days, which is said to have increased his risk of fatigue.
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The train was travelling at 2.3mph when it hit the buffers on arrival at platform 12 shortly before 4pm.
There was minor damage to the train and railway infrastructure, but no injuries were reported.
Analysis of an onboard data recorder shows the train was travelling at 13.3mph when it entered the platform, and gradually reduced its speed.
The driver applied the emergency brake when the train was three-and-a-half metres from the buffers, but it was too late to prevent a collision.
The report found that he normally stayed in bed until 9am before an early afternoon start for work, but had to get up at 7.30am on the morning of the crash because of "unexpected changes in childcare arrangements at home."
Investigators noted the driver recalled that when the train stopped at Crystal Palace station 26 minutes before the incident, he began to "feel tried" and recognised "the need to focus and remain alert."
The report added: "Although aware that they were feeling tired, the driver felt able to continue the journey."
He was scheduled to have 12 rest days in the 22 days preceding the accident, but worked on nine of those days.
The investigation also noted that none of the protection systems fitted to the train prevented it hitting the buffers, as it was travelling below the minimum speed they intervene at.
Other safety systems could not detect the "short loss of driver alertness that occurred," the report found.
The RAIB recommended that Southern Railways’ parent company Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) improves its fatigue management process.
GTR’s safety, health and security director Samantha Facey said: "Safety is always our number one priority and we're determined to learn from every incident to improve our safety standard for our people and our customers.
"We’re committed to making sure our staff are fit and alert when they’re at work. In August, we updated and improved our fatigue risk management standard to help us manage fatigue more effectively, which includes reports from staff related to tiredness.
"We’ve also set up stronger working groups with staff representatives, and we’re now using robust scientific modelling to plan staff shifts so we can spot and prevent fatigue before it becomes a risk.
"All of this is part of our ongoing efforts to meet the recommendations in the RAIB report and to keep our passengers and staff safe."