Clapham Junction rail crash memorial

The Clapham Junction rail crash was a multiple train collision just outside Clapham Junction railway station in London that occurred at 08:10 on 12 December 1988. A crowded passenger train crashed into the rear of another train that had stopped at a signal, and an empty train, travelling in the other direction, crashed into the debris. Thirty-five people died and five hundred were injured.

The collision was caused by a signal failure due to a wiring fault. New wiring had been installed, but the old wiring had been left connected at one end, and loose and uninsulated at the other.