RAIB Grange over Sands, 22 March 2024

Transcript

00:00At around 6.05 on 22nd March 2024, a passenger train travelling at 56mph derailed on the

00:12approach to Grange Oversand station after a void opened in a section of embankment on

00:17which the train was travelling, leading to the rails under the train losing support.

00:23The train was carrying four train crew and four passengers. Nobody was injured but significant

00:28damage was caused to both the train and the railway infrastructure.

00:33Around two days before the derailment, a pipe was damaged during routine maintenance, causing

00:38it to leak water into the embankment. It was this water which dislodged and carried the

00:42material away.

00:45Network Rail had installed the pipe in 2016. It had been fitted into the gaps between the

00:50sleepers as a temporary measure to assist in managing flood water in the surrounding

00:54areas.

00:56The nature of the embankment's construction meant that water leaking from the pipe was

01:00prevented from leaving its seaward side and was redirected to landwards. This allowed

01:05piping to form, transporting sand and silt away from the embankment. As a result, a void

01:11formed underneath the track and material continued to be carried away. Eventually, the material

01:17over the void collapsed under the passing train.

01:21The damage to the pipe was immediately reported to the relevant railway control room by the

01:25maintenance staff on site, but due to ineffective communications, no action was taken to stop

01:31a pump which was supplying water to it.

01:34As a result of the investigation, REIB has made five recommendations. Three recommendations

01:40are made to Network Rail. These aim to reduce the risk associated with temporary drainage

01:46solutions remaining in place for longer than anticipated, review ways in which tamper operators

01:52could be assisted in discovering buried services, and reduce the likelihood that buried services

01:58are struck during track maintenance by ensuring staffing levels are sufficient to comply with

02:03procedures.

02:04A further recommendation addressed to the Environment Agency, working in conjunction

02:09with Westmoreland and Furness Council, the Marine Management Organisation, Network Rail

02:15and other local stakeholders, aims to encourage timely decision-making in relation to the

02:20future of this area so that the management of floodwater does not manifest in another

02:25risk to the railway.

02:27A recommendation is also made to Eversholt Rail Leasing Ltd, the train's owner, working

02:32in conjunction with Northern Trains, the train's operator, and CAF, the train's manufacturer.

02:39This final recommendation aims to reduce the risk of a derailed train being struck by a

02:43train on the adjacent line due to an interruption of the power supply to cab communication and

02:48warning systems.