The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has released its report into a train derailment at Grange-over-Sands back on the 22nd March 2024.

At around 06:05, a Northern Class 195 was travelling at 56mph when it derailed on approach to the station.

The derailment occurred because of a void that had opened in the embankment, leading to the rails under the train losing support.

Four train crew and four passengers were onboard the train, but thankfully, no one was injured.

The accident caused damage to the train and the infrastructure, and the investigation found that the void had been created because water had moved the embankment material and carried it away,

The water came from a pipe partially buried underneath the railway and this pipe had been damaged during routine maintenance 2 days before the derailment.

The damage had been reported to the railway control room, but due to ineffective communication, no action was taken to stop the leak.

Network Rail installed the pipe back in 2016 to assist with flood management, but engineering staff were unaware that it was in use and carrying water when it was damaged.

The RAIB says that the underlying factor in the accident was the flood management in the area was still relying on a temporary pumping arrangement.

The RAIB has made five recommendations. The first three recommendations are made to Network Rail.

The first of these aims to reduce the risk associated with temporary drainage solutions which remain in place for longer than anticipated.

The second asks Network Rail to review how it can improve the ability of tamper operators to detect buried services.

The third aims to reduce the likelihood that buried services are struck during maintenance by ensuring staffing levels are adequate to comply with Network Rail’s own procedures.

The fourth recommendation is made to the Environment Agency, and other local stakeholders, and aims to encourage timely decision-making in relation to the future of this area so that the management of flood water does not manifest in another risk to the railway.

The final recommendation is addressed to Eversholt Rail Leasing Limited, the owner of the train involved, and aims to reduce the risk of a derailed train being struck by a train on the adjacent line due to a failure of communications and warning systems.

“Derailments of passenger trains are thankfully rare. The elements that came together and led to the derailment at Grange-over-Sands include some factors that have been seen in previous RAIB investigations. In this case Victorian infrastructure, increasing rainfall, a known flood water management problem which multiple parties had not fully resolved over years, ineffective communication and a short-term fix effectively becoming the permanent solution, all played a part. As the railway’s infrastructure will continue to age, and given the challenges of climate change, the importance of avoiding the other factors is ever more vital if such derailments are to remain a rarity.”

Andrew Hall, Chief Inspector of Rail Accidents