On 9 November 2016, a tram operated by Tramlink in London derailed and overturned on a sharp bend approaching a junction.

The accident took place in the dark and during heavy rain at 06:07,[2] on a sharp left curve approach­ing the points where the route from New Addington (on which the tram was operating) converges with the line from Beckenham Junction and Elmers End.

[3][4][5] The curve is located in a cutting, which comes almost immediately after the line emerges from a series of three tunnels on a 1-mile (1.6 km) straight section of track after leaving Lloyd Park tram stop.

[17] FirstGroup, which operates the tram service on behalf of Transport for London (TfL), said it was "shocked and saddened by what happened.

[20][21] After the accident, no services operated on the line between East Croydon and Addington Village, Harrington Road or Elmers End.

[26] In November 2017, two days of strikes by tram drivers were announced following the installation of fatigue monitoring devices.

Relatives of the victims of the accident announced that they intend to call on Attorney General Michael Ellis to apply to the High Court for a fresh inquest.

[38][39] In November 2017, it was reported that a file was being prepared for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), who would decide whether or not a trial would take place.

[40] On 31 October 2019, British Transport Police and the CPS announced that neither the driver, operating company or TfL would face prosecution.

Prosecutors also stated that because the section of tramway where the crash happened was neither legally a railway nor a public place then various other potential offences would not apply.

He also said that the vending machine at the tram depot was stocked only with energy drinks, and that "Nobody is ever fully awake; I was always in a bit of a daze and that is because the way the shifts work doesn't allow the drivers to get a regular sleep pattern.

"[43] Following this, multiple sources reported on a video apparently showing a different driver struggling to stay awake at the controls.

[50] The RAIB stated that initial indications suggested that the tram was travelling at a significantly higher speed than permitted.

[51] Following the accident, The Guardian reported that on 31 October passengers had made allegations on Facebook of a tram travelling round the curve at excessive speed.

[2] Initial findings were that the tram was travelling at approximately 70 km/h (43 mph) at the time of the accident—far exceeding the speed restriction.

[53] The RAIB interim report noted that "a tram approaching the Sandilands Junction area from Lloyd Park at 80 km/h (50 mph) would need to brake at its full service rate of 1.3 m/s² for approximately 180 metres (4.3 ft/s2 for 590 ft) before the speed restriction board in order to be travelling at 20 km/h (12 mph) when the board was reached."

[2] A recommendation was made that a further speed limit should be introduced prior to the one for the curve at Sandilands Junction before the line reopened to traffic.

[21][23] The report also found that a number of passengers with fatal or serious injuries had been ejected from the tram through broken bodyside and door windows.

[2] In November 2016, Rail magazine called for the RAIB to complete its investigation and release the final report "much more rapidly than has become the norm".

[54] Within the second interim report the RAIB noted that drivers of trams approaching the curve could be expected to sight the curve and the speed restriction sign from 90 metres (300 ft) with full beam headlights and 60 metres (200 ft) with dipped beam headlights.

Although the report states that the tram's braking system was not capable of slowing the tram sufficiently between the point where the speed restriction sign became visible and the point at which the speed restriction is enforced, it also says, "There was no sign to indicate to drivers where they should begin to apply the brake for the Sandilands curve; they were expected to know this from their knowledge of the route.

The investigation also found that trams were not as safe as the ORR previously thought, having a higher accident rate than other rail transport and also buses and coaches.

[56] In response to Recommendation 1 of the final report, the Light Rail Safety and Standards Board (LRSSB) was established.

[48] In April 2017, the BBC Two programme Victoria Derbyshire reported that its own investigation into drivers falling asleep at the controls of trams on the Tramlink network revealed four such cases.

[54] During 2019, an automatic system to apply the tram brakes if the speed limit is exceeded at "high risk locations" on the Tramlink network was installed.

On tramcars, the thickness of the window safety film was increased from 100 to 175 μm (0.0039 to 0.0069 inches), to prevent passengers being ejected during an accident, and emergency lighting, independent of the tram battery, was installed.

[62] The tram driver pleaded not guilty to a charge of "failure to take reasonable care of passengers", under section 7(a) of that act.