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ECML level crossing incident 13/06/21

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43055

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Two vehicles from the unit involved have arrived at the RTC in Derby.
LNER Hitachi #Class801 801203 #Azuma (well, two vehicles of it) at the Rail Technical Centre Yard
Face with raised eyebrow
Derby
Ram
16/07/21

HiPa on Twitter
 
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800001

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They Are at Loram for repair with some work to be done by Tech Force. Earliest eta for completion 1st December.
 

3973EXL

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801203 ( 7xcarriages ) Newton Aycliffe 04/09

Some roof equipment sheeted over.
 

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Pit_buzzer

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Driver has had his day in court

Michael Rochford, who worked as a signal engineer for Network Rail, smashed his Range Rover into a fence alongside the East Coast Main Line in Rossington in June, ploughing into a high-speed LNER Azuma train.

He fled the scene of the accident and later said that his car had been stolen and that he was not behind the wheel of the vehicle following the crash on June 13.

But Rochford, who later pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, attempting to pervert the course of justice and failing to stop after an accident, was given ten months behind bars and banned from driving for four years after appearing at Sheffield Crown Court this morning.
 
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Gloster

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Up the creek
Early in the report it says he was a signal engineer, but later it says signaller. However, in either job this is not going to help his career.
 

LNW-GW Joint

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Already dismissed, it seems. And was an NR signalling engineer too, and having worked on the route in question.
Like the Grayrigg derailment for the 390, the industry should gain valuable knowledge about how the class 80x design responded to the severe stresses in this accident.
 
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dk1

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All the different stories & rumours that came out just after this happened turned out to be very different from the truth.
 

Mcr Warrior

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All the different stories & rumours that came out just after this happened turned out to be very different from the truth.
Not all, only some. A number of contributions on this very thread have since proven to be absolutely correct. Remember also that the person, who has now been convicted, initially attempted to pervert the course of justice by claiming that their vehicle had been stolen.
 

dk1

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Not all, only some. A number of contributions on this very thread have since proven to be absolutely correct. Remember also that the person, who has now been convicted, initially attempted to pervert the course of justice by claiming that their vehicle had been stolen.
His self destruction button was well & truly activated.
 

John Bishop

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Early in the report it says he was a signal engineer, but later it says signaller. However, in either job this is not going to help his career.
Well....you say that.......

”Rochfords legal representative said he had been offered jobs with rail engineering contractors despite being dismissed by Network Rail....”

That is very concerning!
 

dk1

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Well....you say that.......

”Rochfords legal representative said he had been offered jobs with rail engineering contractors despite being dismissed by Network Rail....”

That is very concerning!
Wonder whether they’d consider him now he’s been convicted?
 

baz962

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Well....you say that.......

”Rochfords legal representative said he had been offered jobs with rail engineering contractors despite being dismissed by Network Rail....”

That is very concerning
I'm not saying it's right or wrong , but I guess after his punishment ends he will need to be gainfully employed.
 

greatkingrat

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Judge Jeremy Richardson QC, the Recorder of Sheffield, expressed surprise that Rochford was allowed to hold a senior position at Network Rail despite issues in his personal life that could have caused instability, including the break-up of a previous relationship.

Does the Judge seriously think Network Rail should go round firing any of their staff who have relationship issues, just on the off chance that one of them might go and drive into a level crossing?
 

godfreycomplex

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Does the Judge seriously think Network Rail should go round firing any of their staff who have relationship issues, just on the off chance that one of them might go and drive into a level crossing?
It does look that way doesn’t it
 

43066

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Does the Judge seriously think Network Rail should go round firing any of their staff who have relationship issues, just on the off chance that one of them might go and drive into a level crossing?

I suppose that could also be read as emphasising how important it is for those in safety critical roles to be able to approach their employer if there’s something going on in the background that might affect them at work. TOCs are pretty good at that in my experience, are NR?
 

Crossover

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Well....you say that.......

”Rochfords legal representative said he had been offered jobs with rail engineering contractors despite being dismissed by Network Rail....”

That is very concerning!

I'm not saying it's right or wrong , but I guess after his punishment ends he will need to be gainfully employed.

Presumably a relatively niche area of expertise, too?
 

LOL The Irony

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Does the Judge seriously think Network Rail should go round firing any of their staff who have relationship issues, just on the off chance that one of them might go and drive into a level crossing?
Apparently so. Not really a good look for the judge though. Imagine how many people would be unemployed if emotional issues were a sackable offence.
 

_toommm_

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Not sure if there’s any truth to this claim, but there’s some more fuel to the fire from this report:


Michael Rochford, 27, was jailed for ten months at Sheffield Crown Court yesterday after the smash near at Rossington Level Crossing in June when he ploughed his Range Rover into a fast-moving LNER Azuma train, injuring a number of passengers on board.

Now it has emerged that sacked Network Rail worker Rochford was one of two Doncaster Rovers fans filmed mocking a severely disabled Rotherham United fan in a match at the latter’s New York Stadium last month.

The clip, which sparked outrage among supporters from both clubs, shows two men laughing, jeering and mimicking the ‘stimming’ movements of an autistic Millers supporter.

Stimming is when a person makes unusual and repetitive gestures such as rocking or flapping in noisy environments to help them cope with stressful situations.

The Free Press has seen evidence confirming that the man on the left of the clip is Rochford. It is understood the other man is his brother.

In the footage, he can be seen grabbing his crotch and laughing and jeering before exiting the ground.
Both men have since been banned by Doncaster Rovers.

Last week, the family of the disabled supporter said they had been overwhelmed with messages of support since the sick footage emerged from the game, which Rovers lost 2-0.

In an open letter, shared by Doncaster Rovers, they wrote: “We would like to thank South Yorkshire Police, Rotherham United, Doncaster Rovers and both sets of fans for their overwhelming support and kindness following the sad incident which occurred during the local derby.
“We never knew that there was so much love and understanding out there and we would like to wholeheartedly thank everyone who has shown their support.
South Yorkshire Police have opened a hate crime investigation into the incident.

Yesterday, a court heard how Rochford had spent the afternoon drinking and was ‘racing’ at the time of the crash which saw passengers on the train suffer whiplash injuries and a pensioner living nearby narrowly avoiding injury after debris from the smash rained down into his garden.

He fled the scene of the accident and later lied to police, saying that his car had been stolen and that he was not behind the wheel of the vehicle following the crash on June 13.

He later pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, attempting to pervert the course of justice and failing to stop after an accident after CCTV footage showed him leaving a pub near the scene shortly before the crash with the London King’s Cross to Newcastle Azuma at around 8pm.

Rochford of Heatherfields Crescent, Rossington was also banned from driving for four years and the court heard that the smash had caused more than 15 hours of delays on the UK rail network and had cost nearly £345,000.

Sentencing, Judge Jeremy Richardson told a tearful Rochford: “You drank heavily and took leave of your senses. You could have caused a major catastrophe on the railway line when many people would have lost their lives.”
 

C J Snarzell

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He doesn't appear to be a very nice chap at all does he?

I love it how defendant's in court always allude to having personal issues in their lives which seems to give them justification for their behaviour.

Thankfully no one died here or suffered severe injuries. At least Mr Rochford will not work near a railway line again.

CJ
 
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