THE safety of every railway line in the UK will go under the microscope after a train struck an abandoned piece of track near Inverness in a potentially deadly collision.
Network Rail is conducting a nationwide review of engineering work safety after Virgin train struck a 425 foot section of rail that had been left on the track.
The move came after Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) made the call for urgent action after the collision in Scotland which it said was one of a "number of incidents" in which railway lines have been returned "in an unsafe condition" following engineering works.
The rail accident investigators are looking into an incident in which a Virgin Trains East Coast train, the first train to leave Inverness bound for London, knocked the long rail clear on February 25.
A Virgin East Coast train
The train, which had been travelling at 53 mph pushed the whole length of rail to the side of the rack - but did not derail.
The rail had been moved onto the line during engineering work which took place the previous night. But the RAIB said the Inverness incident was one of a number of cases where there was "real potential for serious harm to people on subsequent trains sevices".
The RAIB said: "In light of these incidents, and given the serious nature of the most recent incident, the RAIB advises Network Rail to take urgent steps to review the effectiveness of the steps it has already taken to address this risk, and to implement any additional measures that are required to ensure the safety of the line following engineering works."
It said Network Rail had company standards that require that on completion of engineering works, a "nominated competent authorised person" must undertake an inspection of the track to confirm that it is safe for trains to travel over at the authorised speed.
"It is not yet clear why this requirement was not effective on this occasion," the RAIB said.
Network Rail said it was investigating the Cradlehall incident and that safe hand-back is being highlighted to teams across the UK.
Alex Hynes, ScotRail Alliance managing director, said: "We launched a full investigation after this incident and have taken immediate steps to highlight the seriousness to all our employees. Those staff involved directly in the incident are currently not working in front line roles, while they assist with the investigation.
"We have emphasised to our track maintenance teams the importance of thoroughly inspecting all completed work before any trains are allowed to run and are reviewing how we manage this type of maintenance work.
"The safety of our customers should never be put at risk. We are learning from this incident and putting additional measures in place to prevent a similar incident occurring in Scotland in the future.”
Three years ago the RAIB warned Network Rail to ensure a supervisor confirms that the railway is safe and clear for the passage of trains after a passenger train was damaged when it struck an equipment cabinet door in Watford tunnel, Hertfordshire.
The RAIB concluded that the door had not been properly secured following engineering work carried out in the tunnel the previous night.
Network Rail has since told the Office of Rail and Road that it implemented the recommendation through the introduction in 2017 of the role of Person in Charge (PIC) in the latest version of its standard to manage risks during work on the track.
The PIC is responsible for all aspects of safety during and on completion of the work, providing greater clarity about who is responsible for the safety of the task.
The following year a passenger train struck a wooden sleeper on the line near Somerleyton Suffolk.
The previous day, the sleeper had fallen from a trailer which had been used to collect scrap material from the lineside.
The RAIB later reinforced the need for clarity on who is responsible for ensuring the safety of the line at the conclusion of engineering work.
And in May, last year a train came within metres of hitting a one tonne metal pile that had been left between the tracks near Kirkham, Lancashire.
The RAIB, which found a "lack of clear process" and "time pressures" had contributed to the incident again stressed the importance of having a "formal, well briefed process for checking that a site of work is clear of materials and equipment at the end of work".
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