'Train split' inquiry starts

GNER said they are investigating why it happened

A rail expert believes an inquiry into why a train on the East Coast main line split in two will concentrate on the state of the couplings.

GNER is investigating how two carriages on a train from Aberdeen to King's Cross came apart near Grantham, Lincolnshire, on Saturday afternoon.

The train had picked up passengers from Newcastle, Durham and Darlington stations during its journey to London.

The incident happened at 1355 GMT when the emergency cord was pulled and coaches G and F drifted 14 feet apart while the train was moving at a slow speed.

A spokesman for GNER said no-one was hurt.

No comment

All passengers in the back coaches got into the front coaches and travelled to Grantham, where they changed trains and carried on to London.

Philip Haig, editor of Rail Magazine, said: "At the moment it looks likely that it was the coupling between the two coaches that broke.

"As it broke, and the two parts separated, the brakes are automatically applied at this point so it will bring both parts of the train to a halt.

"The key question is why did the coupling split?"

A spokesman for GNER said an inquiry was under way and they would not comment further on the incident at this time.