Memorial service remembers Great Heck train disaster 25 years on


Ten men died and 82 people were injured at Great Heck, near Selby, on 28 February 2001

A memorial service has been held to remember the 10 people who died in the Great Heck rail disaster 25 years ago.

The service at Selby Abbey was held to mark the anniversary of the crash in which 10 men died – including the two train drivers – and 82 people were injured.

Tony Thompson, a retired British Transport Police officer, who attended the disaster said it was "really important" to remember those who were killed and were affected. "More than 1,000 people – the fire, the police, ambulance, the railway, the hospitals – were involved in the response. Some people from an emergency response perspective still suffer from some of the effects of what they dealt with on that day," he said.

In the early hours of the morning on 28 February 2001, a Land Rover towing a trailer veered off the M62 and landed on the tracks of the East Coast Mainline near the village of Great Heck.

A southbound passenger train hit the vehicle and derailed, before it was then struck by a freight train travelling on the northbound line at a combined speed of 142 mph (228 km/h).

Gary Hart, the driver of the Land Rover who had fallen asleep at the wheel, was later convicted of 10 counts of causing death by dangerous driving and served 30 months of a five-year jail term.

Steve Dunn was on the footplate of the freight train, which was carrying 1,000 tonnes of coal. His widow Mary said the service had extra resonance for her as his funeral was also held in Selby Abbey. "I was probably sitting today where I was sat for his funeral. But I think the service was lovely, it was done really nicely, really tasteful, and it gave people time to just stop and think a bit," she said.

Judith Cairncross, sister of Great North Eastern Railway senior conductor Raymond Robson, said the service "eased the stress of the last 25 years".

"It's been a lovely day and a lovely service and it helps with the memories of Raymond – not of that horrible day, because it was atrocious - but life going forward," she said.

During the service members of the bereaved families were invited to light a candle in their memory, which they were then given to take home.

Joanne Weddle-Wheatley was engaged to passenger train driver John Weddle at the time of the crash. She said: "It makes it purposeful that we can be together, laying wreaths and sounding horns, it's quite poignant to commemorate the two drivers who were lost. Over the 25 years it has been difficult at times but you have to live."

Meanwhile rail workers, survivors and families gathered at Newcastle Central station.

Survivor Thomas Kaplanis was working in first class as a waiter on the day of the crash and his spine was broken in two places. He said: "It was horrific because when the train was derailed. It crashed and obviously I came out of the train but I didn't know whether I was dead or alive to be honest. It was an horrific experience."

BBC at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-56085631 - "Selby rail crash: Disaster remembered 20 years on"

2001- GNER train from York to London King's Cross crashed at Great Heck between Goole and Selby, North Yorkshire, on the East Coast main line. ...

The Great Heck rail crash, widely known as the Selby rail crash, was a high-speed train accident that occurred at Great Heck near Selby, North Yorkshire, England on the morning of 28 February 2001. A London-bound GNER (Great North Eastern Railway) service struck a Land Rover that was obstructing the tracks and was deflected into the path of a Freightliner coal train heading for Ferrybridge power station. Ten people died, including the drivers of both trains involved and the chef and guard of the GNER service, and 82 people suffered serious injuries. The accident was (and still is) the worst UK rail disaster of the 21st century, and it deeply affected the railway industry community and the travelling public.

Following the accident GNER, who held the East Coast Main Line franchise, put out books at their stations forthe public and members of staff to record condolences. The 17 books were signed by passengers, station staff, rail industry figures and local MPs. GNER also received dozens of letters and cards. The books were then gathered by GNER and stored in their headquarters which were located on Skeldergate.

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From the BBC:

The son of a train driver killed in the Selby rail tragedy is to become a rail driver himself.

James Dunn, 18, from Nomansland, Wiltshire, was only nine-years-old when his father Steve, 39, and nine others were killed in the accident.

Mr Dunn's mother, Mary, said James had "always been interested in the railway" and that "his dad would have been thrilled" over his son's career choice.

Mr Dunn begins his training in London next month, his mother said.

She added that his father's death had made James "even more determined" to work with trains.

The tragedy at Greak Heck near Selby, North Yorkshire, occurred when a Land Rover driven by Gary Hart veered off the M62 and onto the rail line after he fell asleep at the wheel in February 2001.

This caused a 125mph London express train and a 1,800-tonne freight train, driven by Steve Dunn, to collide, killing six passengers and four railway staff.