The points

Everyone is making it clear that a set of points is the main focus of the initial investigation. This makes a lot of sense, although in this case the fact that they are on a straight stretch of track and used infrequently may lead you to have some doubt.

Everyone is also referring to the Potters Bar train crash, which was caused by a set of points where bolts had either worked loose or had not been installed properly. Unfortunatly the cause of this has still not been established. From a BBC documentary last year it appeared to me that the police had formed the opinion that track maintainers were at fault, and concentrated their investigation on getting the company prosecuted for manslaughter. The trouble with this was it seemed to prevent following other lines of inquiry, including the possibility that vibration caused the bolts to loosen and understanding why that should be and how it could be prevented. It will be a real shame if this latest accident could have been prevented if more could have been learnt from Potters Bar.

The following is taken from the BBC website on 26 February 2007

"The RAIB [Rail Accident Investigation Branch] has already made clear it is focusing on the set of points just before the crash site. At this location trains can switch from one of the two tracks to the other. It normally happens only when one line needs to be closed for some reason.

The investigation is examining the state of these points. Was the track itself defective? Were the points set correctly? Already some have suggested the nuts, bolts and bars that hold the tracks at the correct distance apart may have come loose. This was the cause of the Potters Bar train crash in 2002, in which seven died.

Rail bosses have insisted the network is safe. Network Rail says the points this time are of a different type, but so far it is not clear if loose parts were to blame. If there was a mechanical defect, the maintenance regime for the track will come under sharp scrutiny.

Network Rail says a monthly maintenance check of the points was carried out on 3 February. There should also have been at least one weekly visual check since then. Every 13 weeks a major maintenance check takes place, and every year points are dismantled and rebuilt to ensure they are working correctly. Track workers are being interviewed and maintenance records examined.

Other factors may have played a part. Virgin Trains has suggested the embankment down which the train slid may have become sodden in the rain and given way under the weight of the derailed carriages.

Network Rail had been hoping changes to the way it maintains the tracks might prevent a crash like this happening.

After the spate of disasters in the late 90s, the Hatfield derailment in 2000 and Potters Bar, the contracting out of daily track repairs to private companies was ended. The work came in-house.

There is evidence that the reliability and safety of trains has improved since. But if Network Rail's basic procedures are found to be at fault, the company, and the rail industry could go through another uncomfortable period of criticism.

This is from the Guardian Website on 26 February 2007

The Cumbria rail crash which killed one woman and injured scores of passengers was probably the result of a failure in track maintenance, an interim report is expected to say today.

It is believed that the Rail Accident Investigation Branch will draw attention to the fact that nuts were missing from points on a section of track where the high-speed Virgin Pendolino train derailed, killing a grandmother and seriously injuring 11 other passengers.

Industry sources told the Guardian that nuts were found lying next to the set of points on the stretch of track just before the Glasgow-bound train crashed. It emerged yesterday that the points, used to switch trains from one track to another, were only used during maintenance, raising the suspicion that the bolts had somehow been dislodged during recent engineering work on the track.

Speculation across the rail industry suggested that a tamping machine, used to bed down stones that line the rail tracks, passed through the crash area in Grayrigg on Tuesday or Wednesday of last week and may have damaged the points, though this was dismissed as rumour by Network Rail, the private company that owns the British rail infrastructure.

Railways expert Christian Wolmar said: "From what I understand, they have found these points in a similar condition to those at Potters Bar, with some missing nuts and the stretcher bar, which keeps the rails properly apart, apparently loosened."

Network Rail moved to reassure travellers yesterday. Its chief executive, John Armitt, confirmed that a precautionary check of 700 points across the country had found "nothing out of the ordinary".

Mick Cash, of the RMT union, said the crash highlighted the union's concerns about the number of workers and sub-contractors from private companies who have access to rail tracks. The RMT estimates that 92,500 people have security passes for the rail network. "There are often complaints from our guys that so many people get access to tracks that no one knows who is doing what. Network Rail knows which employees were working near the site. The big question is whether in the last three weeks work has been carried out in the vicinity and if so, who by?"

British Transport Police have found no evidence of terrorism or vandals attacking the line. The train's driver, Iain Black, was spoken to by officers after undergoing an operation on his neck. Two data recorders on the 5.15 Friday service from Euston will be analysed today.