Scrap Rail Caused Train Derailment – Network Rail
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
These three paragraphs introduce the story.
Scrap rail left on tracks following engineering works was the cause of a derailment in Surrey, according to Network Rail.
The company said a train hit the object at about 05:50 GMT on Monday in a 90mph area near Walton-on-Thames.
A Network Rail Wessex safety bulletin said it was the first train on the fast line following the weekend works.
I wrote about this incident before in Woking: Train Derailed On 90mph Line After Hitting Object On Track.
Someone is going to get their knuckles rapped or posterior spanked after this serious incident.
The Anonymous Widower 
Following the recent damage (which did look like impact damage from on-track machinery) to the brick base of that footbridge west of Woking, someone really needs to take a firm grip of NR and its contractors, before there’s a serious safety incident involving members of the public.
It’s beginning to look uncomfortably like the dying days of Railtrack…
Comment by balhamist | March 10, 2024 |
When I worked on dangerous chemical and other plants in the 1960s, you made sure you tidied up, so that there was no chance of someone tripping over or falling.
These days, it could be mandated, that photos are taken to show the site was left safe.
Comment by AnonW | March 10, 2024 |
Good idea – simple & workable.
Comment by balhamist | March 10, 2024
Very poor.
When you travel by train you often see old frogs and odd bits of rail that have been left betweent the tracks and not removed [for recycling]. In this case they appear to have been left on the rails!
It would be simple to use an engineering train with an electro-magnetic pick up to collect these.
Comment by R. Mark Clayton | March 10, 2024 |
There are numerous procedures to jump through following completion of engineering works with at least three independent people being involved in signing paperwork in this case saying that the track is safe for the passage of trains and clear of all obstructions.
NRs policy is to get to root cause and avoid a hostile environment with staff/contractors who may well hide the facts so unless there is deliberate negligence there is generally knuckles rapped is the outcome.
Comment by Nicholas Lewis | March 10, 2024 |
When I did the consultancy for British Rail about analysing signalling cable theft, I heard some serious tales.
One was that the gangs would cut fibre optic cables, in the vane hope that BR would put copper ones back in, that they could nick.
Let’s assume Network Rail or the contractors have done good job, but they have left a few scrap rails at the side of the track or in between the rails to be collected.. So the low-life come along and find nothing worth having. So to get their own back they put a rail across the tracks. They might even realise that it will damage the track and will bring the workers back with more chance to nick something valuable.
The chance of getting caught will be small.
Comment by AnonW | March 10, 2024 |
Thank you for a sober and accurate description of the situation – much better than wading through the interminable Rule Book. Of course if anyone wants to trawl through GERT8000 they’re welcome.
Comment by fammorris | March 11, 2024 |