Railway experts complete checks after fatal crash
Monday, February 26, 2007
EXTRA checks on hundreds of sets of points across Britain following Friday’s deadly train crash were completed last night as railway chiefs awaited the first report into the tragedy.
Network Rail said it had found "nothing out of the ordinary" during the 700 checks, which focused on similar sets of points to those at the centre of the Cumbria investigation.
Initial findings of the investigation into the derailment, which killed an elderly grandmother and injured several more people, could be made public in the next couple of days.
Network Rail chief executive John Armitt said: "The additional checks were a precautionary measure that any responsible organisation would carry out.
"Passengers should be reassured that our investigation has shown nothing out of the ordinary at any location we have visited.
"Our maintenance teams will continue with the day and night job of maintenance, including the visual inspections of points on a regular basis.
"We are continuing to fully co-operate with the investigation into Friday’s incident, the cause of which we are determined to understand."
Up to 700 sets of points across the entire network have been checked following Friday’s crash near Kendal.
Thomas Edwards, who is leading the inquiry for the Rail Accident and Investigation Branch, said two black box data recorders had been recovered from the wreckage, and information from them would now be analysed.