The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has announced that Great Western Railway (GWR) has been fined £1m and ordered to pay more than £78,000 in costs after pleading guilty to breaches of health and safety law.
The fine followed an investigation and prosecution by the ORR after a fatal incident near Twerton on 1 December 2018.
This is when 28-year-old Bethan Roper suffered a fatal head injury after placing her head outside a droplight window of a moving GWR train and striking a tree branch.
Droplight windows, found on trains with slam doors, can be lowered to open.
In 2016, a passenger died in a similar incident near Balham, south London. Following that accident, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) issued safety recommendations in May 2017.
Following Ms Roper’s death, further safety recommendations were issued across the rail industry, to prevent passengers from leaning out of droplight windows.
As a result of these measures, all rolling stock operated by train companies that had droplight windows has since either been withdrawn from service or fitted with engineering controls to prevent windows being opened while trains are moving.
ORR’s chief inspector of railways, Richard Hines, said: “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Bethan Roper.
“Her death was a preventable tragedy that highlights the need for train operators to proactively manage risks and act swiftly when safety recommendations are made to keep their passengers safe.
“Our investigation found that GWR fell short in its responsibilities, and this prosecution reflects the serious consequences of that failure.
“We welcome the actions taken since by GWR and the wider industry to reduce the risks. Safety must always remain the first priority across Britain’s railways.”
Achievements and innovations in safe urban mobility will be recognised and celebrated at the fourth annual CiTTi Awards on 25 November 2025 at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Visit www.cittiawards.co.uk to learn more about this unmissable event for the UK’s transportation sector!
