Enfield train crash: Driver tested positive for cocaine

Transport for London said the train was travelling at "low speed" when it crashed

The driver of a train that derailed at a station in north London tested positive for cocaine after the crash, investigators have said.

Erkan Mehmet hit the buffer stop at Enfield Town station during rush hour on 12 October 2021.

He had previously pleaded guilty to endangering the safety of persons being conveyed upon a railway.

Around 75 passengers were on the train when it crashed, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said.

The inquiry said the train was travelling at 10mph when it was 69m from the buffer stop.

No-one was seriously injured. One passenger had a minor leg injury and another suffered shock. Neither required hospital treatment.

Transport for London said the train was travelling at "low speed" when it crashed

The RAIB report, released on Thursday, found Mehmet "lost awareness".

"The loss of awareness was probably a result of him being significantly fatigued at the time," the report said.

"Post-accident drug and alcohol tests of the driver also yielded a positive result for a recreational drug."

A toxicology expert concluded it was likely that Mehmet had taken cocaine within one or two days before the accident, and found evidence of "historical use" of the drug.

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He had been driving London Overground trains for 13 years.

He was involved in three previous safety incidents, including one when a train stopped short of a platform and the doors opened.

Mehmet is due to be sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on Friday.

The train did not automatically brake and a warning system was not activated before the crash because it was travelling below the speed needed to trigger the system, the report said.

After "briefly" applying the brakes, Mr Mehmet took no further action for seven seconds until making an emergency brake application which occurred too late to prevent the collision, the RAIB said.

London Overground services are operated by Arriva Rail London (ARL), which employed the driver.

The RAIB recommended that ARL encouraged staff to report fatigue that could affect their ability to do their jobs safely, and urged Network Rail to improve risk assessment processes for collisions with buffers.

ARL managing director Paul Hutchings said: "We have a zero-tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol, which exceeds industry standards, and the driver involved was immediately suspended following the incident and subsequently dismissed after returning a positive test result.

"While our robust fatigue and lifestyle management procedures have always met industry standards, we recognise the recommendations made by RAIB and have already made enhancements."

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