South Western train derailed at 85mph after hitting ‘hazardous’ piece of track

Unsupervised workers left a section of ‘redundant rail’ on the line, an accident report found

The front coach of the Basingstoke to Waterloo service derailed after colliding with a piece of track (RAIB/South Western Railway)

A South Western passenger train derailed at 85mph after striking a “hazardous” section of “redundant rail” that had been left on the track by workers, a rail accident report has found.

The incident occurred as the train was approaching Walton-on-Thames in Surrey at around 5.40am on 4 March last year.

A Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) investigation said that the front coach derailed after colliding with a piece of rail before the train came to a standstill after 500 metres.

None of the 100 passengers onboard the Basingstoke to Waterloo service were injured when the train derailed, but several hundred metres of railway infrastructure was damaged.

According to the report, the piece of track had been left in a “hazardous position” by a maintenance team who had completed work in the area the previous weekend.

The rail investigator said a lack of a supervisor and track hand back engineer who had “not been effectively briefed” meant that a section of rail was “left foul of the running line”.

All lines were consequently closed pending track repairs until 4am on 5 March.

The passenger train hit a “hazardous” section of “redundant rail” (Rail Accident Investigation Branch)

In 2018, the RAIB issued “Urgent Safety Advice” to Network Rail regarding the safety of the line after engineering work following a passenger train striking redundant rail on the track.

Andrew Hall, chief inspector of rail accidents, warned that the accident happened because “risk was not effectively managed”.

He said: “This most recent accident at Walton-on-Thames resulted in a passenger train derailing at speed. Although no one was hurt on this occasion, the train could easily have deviated from the line of the track and struck other trains or objects.”

“Maintenance work is often carried out at night, which makes ensuring the line is subsequently safe for the passage of trains particularly challenging. The risk is very clear.”

Mr Hall added: “This, following other similar recent incidents, should serve as a stark reminder of the importance of effectively managing the risk of objects being left on the track after overnight maintenance.”

Following the investigation, RAIB recommended Colas Rail review its processes related to collecting redundant material when working on the line and instructed Network Rail to review the coordination standards relating to tasks in complex work sites.

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