Near miss for Eurostar trains

Two Eurostar trains have reportedly come within a few hundred yards of a head-on crash in London following a “routing error”. The BBC News website reports that the two trains, both carrying around 400 passengers, ended up facing each other on a stretch of track about two miles south of London’s Waterloo Station. Network Rail has reportedly stated that a “serious operational error” was to blame for the incident, which took place on Monday afternoon – and that a signalman has been relieved of his duties while an investigation is launched. A spokesman for Eurostar, who praised one driver for stopping his train as soon as he realised a mistake had been made, reportedly claimed that passengers had not been put at risk: “Although there was no danger to passengers at any time, this was a serious error that is under full investigation.” Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad