Untidy track caused train derailment - report

A train carrying 100 passengers derailed because a track had not been properly cleared following maintenance work, a report has revealed.

The South Western Railway (SWR) train collided with a 2.5m piece of abandoned railway which was left too close to the tracks on the approach to Walton-on-Thames.

The train derailed at about 05:40 GMT on 4 March while travelling at about 85mph (137km/h), according to the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB). No one was injured.

Andrew Hall, chief inspector of rail accidents, said maintenance work completed at night increases the risk of objects being left on the track and "this accident happened because that risk was not effectively managed".

Martin Frobisher, director of safety and engineering for Network Rail, said "safety is always our first consideration" and that since the incident it has introduced "strict new protocols to make sure this can't happen again".

The report found issues with checks carried out following maintenance work on the weekend before the accident. The principle contractor was Colas Rail.

The report said: "Checks undertaken after the work was completed did not identify that a section of redundant rail was in a potentially hazardous position before the railway was handed back for normal operation.

"This was because no person in charge had supervised the work and because a track handback engineer had not been effectively briefed," the report added.

The report also highlighted that rail rules and standards do not effectively define the responsibilities required to deliver work on complex sites.

RAIB has recommended that Colas Rail reviews its clearing up processes and that Network Rail reviews the rules relating to complex work sites.

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