What happened on the Bath train?
On 1 December 2018, near Twerton in Bath, a young woman was killed after striking her head on a tree branch while her head was outside a droplight window on a moving train.
Bethan Roper, 28, from Penarth in Wales, worked for the Welsh Refugee Council, was a Unite union convener, and chaired the Cardiff West branch of Socialist Party Wales. She had been returning home from a Christmas shopping trip in Bath and was intoxicated when she boarded the service, according to an inquest held in 2021.
The safety breach and charges
The Office of Rail and Road found that the train operator was aware of the droplight window risk but had not yet implemented steps identified in a risk assessment drawn up two months before the fatality. The regulator prosecuted the operator for two counts of breaching health and safety law. GWR pleaded guilty and was fined 1 million pounds and ordered to pay 78,000 pounds in costs.
Regulator response
Richard Hines, ORR’s chief inspector of railways, said the death was a preventable tragedy that highlights the need for train operators to proactively manage risks and act swiftly when safety recommendations are made to keep passengers safe.
About Bethan Roper
Ms Roper lived in Penarth and worked for the Welsh Refugee Council. She was a Unite union convener and chaired the Cardiff West branch of Socialist Party Wales. An inquest in 2021 heard she had been returning from a Christmas shopping trip in Bath and was intoxicated when she boarded the train.
What this case means for rail safety
The outcome reinforces the ongoing focus on droplight window safety and the duty of rail operators to implement risk assessments and safety recommendations promptly. The regulator will continue to scrutinise how operators translate risk reviews into concrete protections for passengers.
Bottom line
The 1 million pound fine reflects the seriousness of failing to manage known safety risks. Passengers rely on rail operators to turn risk assessments into effective safeguards and to act quickly when advised to mitigate hazards.
