Hatfield rail 'broke into 300 pieces'

A section of rail in the Hatfield train crash broke into more than 300 pieces, a report has disclosed.

A section of rail in the Hatfield train crash broke into more than 300 pieces, a report has disclosed.

A reconstruction of the fragments showed there were pre-existing cracks at or near the surface of the rail, the Health and Safety Executive says.

Railtrack uses ultrasonic methods to inspect rail defects, but the HSE report said: "These techniques do not appear to have been developed specifically for the detection of rolling contact fatigue cracks."

The report said Railtrack had overall responsibility for the track, while maintenance on this section was supplied by engineering contractor Balfour Beatty.

Before the derailment there were proposals to renew the length of rail in question, and the most recent visual inspection of the rail was during the week prior to the derailment.

It has emerged that senior Railtrack and Balfour Beatty executives could face manslaughter charges over the Hatfield crash.

The HSE said in its report: "Subject to there being sufficient evidence, a prosecution will be considered under the Health and Safety at Work Act.

"But if there is evidence of criminal negligence, the Crown Prosecution Service will first be asked by British Transport Police to consider a charge of manslaughter."

It added that "some flaws were evident in the operation of the driver training scheme" as the train's driver was a trainee with seven weeks experience, accompanied by a fully-qualified supervisor.

The report said that according to GNER's training regime, a trainee should not have been in control of a train at high speed. But the HSE added that the driver was under close supervision, and there was "no evidence that these circumstances contributed in any way to the cause of the derailment".

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