By Eniola Amadu
Great Western Railway (GWR) has been fined £1m after admitting health and safety failings in connection with the death of passenger Bethan Roper, who suffered fatal head injuries after leaning from a train window in 2018.
Ms Roper, 28, from Penarth in Wales, was killed on 1 December 2018 when her head struck a tree branch while travelling on a GWR service near Twerton, Bath.
She had been returning home from a Christmas shopping trip and was intoxicated when she boarded the train, an inquest later heard.
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) brought the prosecution, arguing that GWR had failed to address known risks associated with droplight windows despite warnings.
A risk assessment conducted by the operator in September 2017 identified droplight windows as a significant passenger safety hazard, but the measures it outlined were not implemented before Ms Roper’s death more than a year later.
At Bristol Crown Court, GWR pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching health and safety law. Alongside the £1m fine, the company was ordered to pay £78,000 in costs.
Richard Hines, ORR’s chief inspector of railways, said the fatality was “a preventable tragedy.”
He added: “Her death highlights the need for train operators to proactively manage risks and act swiftly when safety recommendations are made to keep their passengers safe.”
The inquest into Ms Roper’s death in 2021 heard that a warning sign above the droplight window — reading “Caution do not lean out of window when train is moving” — had proved inadequate as a deterrent.
The incident bore similarities to an earlier case in 2016 when a passenger died in Balham, south London, also after leaning out of a droplight window.
That incident led to the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) making safety recommendations in 2017.
In a statement, GWR described Ms Roper’s death as a “tragic incident” and expressed sympathy for her family and friends.
The company added: “We accept the judge’s decision and remain committed to continuously improving passenger and colleague safety across our network. In sentencing, the judge recognised our strong safety record both before and after this incident.”
Following Ms Roper’s death, the rail industry has taken steps to remove or modify trains fitted with droplight windows. Measures now include engineering controls to prevent passengers from opening such windows when trains are moving.
The ORR has welcomed these changes, stating that they represent an important step in reducing risks to passengers.
Ms Roper worked for the Welsh Refugee Council, served as a Unite union convener, and chaired the Cardiff West branch of Socialist Party Wales.
