On the evening of 6 November 2004, a passenger train collided with a car at a level crossing near the village of Ufton Nervet in Berkshire, England. The 17:35 service from London Paddington to Plymouth, operated by First Great Western, struck a stationary car on the crossing at about 18:12 GMT, causing the train to derail. The crash resulted in seven deaths, including the train driver and the car’s driver, and left around 120 passengers injured.

The crossing involved was an automatic half-barrier crossing on Ufton Lane. These barriers only cover the entrances to the road rather than the full width and served a low-traffic unclassified road linking the A4 with the village. The crossing was positioned on a straight section of track where trains routinely travelled at up to 100 miles per hour. Warning signals were triggered about 39 seconds before the train’s arrival, but visibility of approaching trains was limited to roughly 585 metres.

The car driver, Brian Drysdale, a 48-year-old chef, had expressed distress and suicidal thoughts in the days leading up to the crash. On the day of the incident, he left his workplace around 17:30 and drove to the crossing, positioning his car on the tracks despite signals from an off-duty police officer. The train driver, Stan Martin, an experienced railway worker with nearly 40 years of service, applied the emergency brake just a few seconds before impact, but was unable to prevent the collision.

The collision caused the car’s engine block to become trapped under the train’s leading axle, lifting the wheelset and causing the bogie to yaw. The train remained upright for approximately 95 metres before reaching a set of points, where all vehicles derailed catastrophically. Six people died at the scene—the car’s driver, the train driver, and four passengers—and a seventh passenger later died in hospital. Around 200–300 passengers were on board, with about 120 sustaining injuries, 71 of whom were admitted to hospital and 18 seriously injured.

Investigations concluded that the train, track, and crossing equipment were all functioning correctly, and that the crew were fit for duty. The inquest determined the crash was caused by the car driver’s deliberate act, and that those on the train were unlawfully killed. Recommendations from the investigation included improvements to emergency communications at level crossings and enhancements to passenger train safety features, including window retention and seating design.

In the years following the crash, the site continued to be a concern, with further fatal incidents occurring at the same crossing in 2009, 2010, 2012, and 2014, as well as a near-miss in September 2011. Eventually, a road bridge was constructed to replace the level crossing; work began in April 2016 and the bridge was officially opened in December 2016. A memorial garden nearby honours the victims and serves as a reminder of the dangers posed by level crossings and the importance of robust safety measures.