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| Rail crash report blames checks | Rail crash report blames checks |
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| Track maintenance failures contributed to a train crash in Cumbria which left one person dead and dozens injured, a report has concluded. | Track maintenance failures contributed to a train crash in Cumbria which left one person dead and dozens injured, a report has concluded. |
| Margaret Masson, 84, of Glasgow, died and 82 people were hurt when a Virgin West Coast Pendolino train derailed at 95mph near Grayrigg in February 2007. | |
| A Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) report published on Thursday made 29 safety recommendations. | A Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) report published on Thursday made 29 safety recommendations. |
| Three men were arrested after the crash. Two have since been cleared. | Three men were arrested after the crash. Two have since been cleared. |
| The 255-page report said rail infrastructure company Network Rail (NR) incorrectly set up points that failed and were the ultimate cause of the the derailment. | |
| The tragedy at Grayrigg was caused by the failure of our infrastructure, something we were devastated to discover. Network Rail chief executive Iain Coucher | |
| NR had an "incomplete understanding" of the design, maintenance and inspection of the stretcher bars used in the points, the RAIB said. | |
| The organisation also failed to carry out a planned track inspection of the points five days before the fatal crash. | |
| The RAIB said that the immediate cause of the derailment was the deterioration of the points at Lambrigg through a combination of failures of the points' three stretcher bars, the lock stretcher bar, and their fastening. | |
| Network Rail chief executive Iain Coucher said: "The tragedy at Grayrigg was caused by the failure of our infrastructure, something we were devastated to discover. | |
| "We immediately accepted responsibility for the accident and once again apologise today to Mrs Masson's family and all those affected. | |
| "Following a comprehensive and detailed industry investigation we made immediate changes to our maintenance regime. | |
| "Travel by rail is the safest form of travel and despite Grayrigg, the railways are safer than ever before. It is important that the rail industry seeks ways to make it safer still and this report should help that process." | |
| Twenty-one of 29 RAIB safety recommendations are directed at Network Rail and include measures to tackle staff fatigue. |