The driver was speeding by 31mph, which caused the train to ‘lurch sideways’, investigators found

Passengers on a Great Northern train fell from their seats after a train driver sped through Cambridge Junction. The London King’s Cross to Ely train travelled at 56mph through a junction with a speed restriction of 25mph on December 11, 2025.

The incident happened at 10.39am when the 10.12am Great Northern service travelled at too high a speed across Cambridge Junction, north of Hitchin station in Hertfordshire, according to the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB).

The excessive speed caused the train to “lurch sideways” with “several passengers falling from their seats onto the floor”, according to RAIB. No injuries or damage were reported.

RAIB concluded that this incident occurred because the newly-qualified driver who had been approved to drive unaccompanied 11 days earlier, expected the train to go via the higher speed route over the flyover towards Cambridge. The RAIB said the information provided by the signalling system did not change that expectation.

A spokesperson for Great Northern said: “Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our services and passengers, and we welcome the findings published by the RAIB. While there were no injuries as a result of this incident, we take it extremely seriously.

“We are working closely with RAIB, Network Rail and the Office of Rail and Road to fully understand the learnings and to ensure any appropriate actions are identified and implemented.”

The spokesperson continued: “We will continue to review our own processes, including driver training and route risk management, and we will play an active role in the wider industry work already under way to reduce the risk of over speeding at complex junctions.”