Last time two trains collided

We all know that LU has in incredible safety record, but I cannot actually ever remember hearing of an LU train hitting another.

When was the last time it happened?

I'm thinking of instances other then a sidewswipe caused by a derailment, and on passenger carrying track, as opposed to depot's and suchlike.

On the operational network, 2014...

Was that the S Stock on the Wimbledon branch?

So it looks like 1984 was the last time there was a rear end collision, a year when there were two such incidents. An impressive record considering the number of trains that run on a daily basis.

So it looks like 1984 was the last time there was a rear end collision, a year when there were two such incidents. An impressive record considering the number of trains that run on a daily basis.

Today is actually the eighth anniversary of that incident.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/547c8feae5274a428d00015b/R092011_110615_Highgate.pdf

The brakes on the rail grinder had indeed failed safe, but had then been released manually in order to tow it away northbound (wrong line) back to Highgate sidings. (It was, of course, coupled to a train with working brakes before its own brakes were released). But during towing, the emergency coupling failed and the unbraked train rolled away down the hill towards central London. It must have passed several train stops but, with no working brakes, they had no effect.

The runaway started just north of Highgate station, at which time there was a southbound passenger train standing at Archway - (the report doesn't say, but it must have entered service there, using the reversing siding, as the southbound line from Highgate was blocked by the broken down train). By the time it got to Tufnell Park the runaway was 46 seconds behind. The driver of the passenger train was then instructed to run non-stop (and given a clear road!) until further instructions (or presumably Morden, if that came sooner!).

By Camden Town the passenger train had gained a little on the runaway (despite slowing to observe the speed restrictions - derailing would not have made a bad situation worse) and was diverted to the City branch with just enough time to switch the points to route the runaway towards Charing Cross. At this point the previous Charing Cross branch train had just left Warren Street

A set of points near Mornington Crescent were deliberately set against it to slow it down, and this, plus the short uphill section into Warren Street, was enough to bring it to a stand there, where someone was able to get aboard and secure it. (Had the slight rise at Warren Street not been enough to stop it, it is downhill from there almost all the way to Kennington)

The question is whether the passenger train could have been driven in automatic mode fast enough to stay ahead of the runaway - if the automatic system had insisted on pausing at each station it would probably have made the difference - the available margin to change the points between the trains at Camden Town was a matter of seconds.