It is now one year since the tragic derailment on London Tramlink at Sandilands and to commemorate the anniversary two memorials have been unveiled as the local community remembers the events.
Two memorials have been unveiled; one at New Addington where many of the victims came from and the other close to the bridge at Sandilands near to where the derailment occurred.
The exact anniversary of the day has been marked by a number of special memorial services including one at New Addington attended by families of the victims, those from the emergency services who attended the scene in the aftermath and local politicians including the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. Tramlink services were also suspended through Sandilands between 0920 and 0940 as a mark of respect.
Mike Brown, London’s Transport Commissioner, said: “We will forever remember those who lost their lives or were injured in the tragedy at Sandilands. As we mark the first anniversary, our thoughts remain with all those affected. We continue to offer all the support we can, and to work with the Croydon community that has shown such strength during a truly awful time. Since the incident we have been working continually to introduce additional safety measures on the tram network and ensure that such a tragedy never happens again.”
Investigations into the derailment continue with the RAIB working towards publishing the report once everything has been looked into in depth. Whilst this report is awaited a number of safety changes have been made across the Tramlink network including additional speed restrictions, enhanced signage and a new in-cab driver protection device. Transport for London are also working to test options to strengthen the glass fitted to trams and to develop an in-cab driver alert system for monitoring and managing tram speed.
Over the past year more than £1 million has been paid out for counselling, rehabilitation, compensation and other activities to support those affected.