Rail disaster ‘caused by points failure’

A points failure tonight emerged as the likely cause of the Potters Bar rail disaster which claimed the lives of seven people and injured dozens more.

Railtrack confirmed it was also checking other stretches of track with similar points layout to that in use near the Hertfordshire station, where the four-carriage train came off the rails yesterday afternoon.

Reports tonight said more than 100 sites were being looked at but Railtrack dismissed the claims as ‘‘wrong’’ and stressed the checks were a precautionary measure.

‘‘As soon as the Potters Bar accident happened we decided as a prudent measure to look at sections of track similar to the Potters Bar track,’’ said a spokeswoman.

‘‘This is a precautionary thing and no-one should read too much into it.’’

Dr Allan Sefton, the Health and Safety Executive’s acting chief inspector of railways, told the BBC:

‘‘We are already becoming pretty clear on the initial cause of the crash - the fact that the points did fail under this train.’’

The preliminary findings of the inquiry into the tragedy, conducted by the Rail Inspectorate and the HSE, could be made known as early as next week.

Earlier Railtrack, which is conducting its own investigation into the accident, moved quickly to respond to claims from passengers and drivers that they felt a bump when trains crossed the accident point.

Officials said they were ‘‘not aware’’ of problems on the stretch of track.

‘‘The maintenance record for that stretch of track shows that proper maintenance procedures had been followed,’’ said a spokeswoman.

But Pip Dunn, features editor of Rail magazine, recalled that a points problem had been responsible for a fatal crash in London in 1973.

In that accident, 10 people died at West Ealing when an evening rush hour London to Oxford service crashed after a battery box cover was detached and knocked the points motor, derailing the train.

‘‘The point blades move to divert the train on to another track. There could have been a fault with the blade and as the train went over it the blade may have moved, leaving the last carriage with nowhere to go,’’ said Mr Dunn.

‘‘This is a very busy stretch of track and would be regularly checked. I would be very reluctant to put this down to poor maintenance as, with any mechanical part, something can go wrong at any time.

‘‘It could also be that something got in between the point blades which could have stopped them closing properly. This may have been caused by vandalism, although this is highly unlikely.’’

Transport Secretary Stephen Byers visited the scene of the crash but stressed that maintenance had not been affected by the company being in administration.

‘‘What I am here to do is to express our condolences to the families of those killed and injured,’’ said Mr Byers.

‘‘There is no doubt that the fact that Railtrack is in administration has not affected maintenance and some have said that maintenance has improved in recent months.’’

Mr Byers refused to be drawn into speculation about the cause of the crash, and insisted on waiting for the preliminary report.

But he pledged to give ‘‘proper consideration’’ to an inquiry if the report revealed ‘‘some fundamental weakness’’ in the railway system.

He added: ‘‘But I think we may be dealing with an isolated incident in this case.’’

Hertfordshire Police named two of the crash victims as Austen Kark, 75, and Agnes Quinlivan, 80.

Mr Kark, who died at the scene, was a former head of the BBC World Service and was travelling with his wife, the award-winning author Nina Bawden, when the tragedy happened.

Ms Bawden, 77, remains in Barnet General Hospital with a fractured collarbone and ankle. Her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, her family said today.

A granddaughter, who asked not to be named, told PA News: ‘‘This is a terrible tragedy for the whole family. We are only just coming to terms with it.’’

Mrs Quinlivan, a former district nurse, had lived in Potters Bar for 65 years after moving from her native Ireland.

Police said she was not on the train and was found near the railway bridge, although the cause of her death was not known. She died at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, north London, overnight.

Pat Smith, one of her three surviving daughters, said: ‘‘She was such a caring and sensitive woman, always willing to give help and support to others. We are deeply shocked by her death.’’

Police were able to confirm some of the deceased were passengers but inquiries were continuing as to where the others were at the time of the tragedy.

The confirmed passengers were a 42-year-old man from south west London, who later died from his injuries at Barnet General Hospital and a 25-year-old man from east Sussex, who also died at the scene.

A 29-year-old woman from east London and a 29-year-old woman from Cambridgeshire, both died at the scene.

Police are still trying to identify the seventh victim, a woman.

The Prince of Wales earlier visited survivors of the crash in hospital and met staff who have worked round-the-clock to treat them.

Charles first went to Barnet General Hospital, before going on to Chase Farm Hospital in Enfield.

‘‘I suspect like many other people my heart stood still, then it went out to all the families and loved ones who have lost their relatives in this terrible accident,’’ he said after the visit.

‘‘I never get over how wonderful all the people are in these hospitals and the work they do and the emergency services and the fact that they are so quick and react so professionally and with such care - it’s remarkable.’’

The pile of floral tributes grew outside Potters Bar station. One poignant note on a bunch of flowers read: ‘‘This should never have happened, sleep in peace.’’

Arrangements were being made to allow relatives of those who died in the crash to lay flowers on the track, possibly in the next few days.