 Just before the impact of the two trains, the speed of the InterCity 225 was estimated at 88 mph (142 km/h) while the freight train was travelling at an estimated speed of 54 mph (87 km/h).The closing speed was said to be 142 mph (229 km/h) making it the highest speed railway incident in the UK.Great Heck was affected for several months by a massive refuse fire in a privately owned waste tip that has resisted all attempts to extinguish it.