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| Checks on 700 sets of rail points | Checks on 700 sets of rail points |
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| Up to 700 sets of points across the entire rail network are to be checked as a "precaution" following the Cumbria crash, Network Rail has said. | Up to 700 sets of points across the entire rail network are to be checked as a "precaution" following the Cumbria crash, Network Rail has said. |
| Investigators earlier said the accident, in which a woman died, could have been caused by a points failure. | Investigators earlier said the accident, in which a woman died, could have been caused by a points failure. |
| Experts are focusing on one set that the Virgin Trains Pendolino ran across before derailing near Kendal. | Experts are focusing on one set that the Virgin Trains Pendolino ran across before derailing near Kendal. |
| Rail expert Christian Wolmar told the BBC that the points could have been defective with loose bolts and nuts. | Rail expert Christian Wolmar told the BBC that the points could have been defective with loose bolts and nuts. |
| Network Rail said engineers had already started the nationwide safety checks of between 600 and 700 sets of points. | Network Rail said engineers had already started the nationwide safety checks of between 600 and 700 sets of points. |
| "As a precautionary measure we are beginning to check between 600 and 700 sets of points across the country," a Network Rail spokesman said. | "As a precautionary measure we are beginning to check between 600 and 700 sets of points across the country," a Network Rail spokesman said. |
| How crash unfolded | |
| The checks are to be carried out on high-speed rail lines on older tracks where trains travel above 85 miles per hour. | The checks are to be carried out on high-speed rail lines on older tracks where trains travel above 85 miles per hour. |
| The spokesman said Network Rail, which is responsible for maintaining track, hoped to have the checks completed within the next 24 hours. | The spokesman said Network Rail, which is responsible for maintaining track, hoped to have the checks completed within the next 24 hours. |
| Christian Wolmar told BBC News 24 that he understood the points involved were in a similar condition to those in the Potters Bar crash - with nuts missing and the stretcher bar between the rails loosened. | |
| Seven people died and 76 were injured when poorly maintained points derailed the train in Hertfordshire in May 2002. | Seven people died and 76 were injured when poorly maintained points derailed the train in Hertfordshire in May 2002. |
| It suddenly appeared to hit something and then lurched very, very badly from side to side in a very dramatic way Caroline Thomson, passenger class="" href="/1/hi/scotland/6392055.stm">Crash closes main rail line | |
| Mr Wolmar said it was up to Network Rail to ensure that the points were properly maintained and that "things like loose bolts, loose bolts and nuts, were tightened up regularly". | |
| He added: "But there is also the possibility that these nuts and bolts were maintained in the wrong way, or not sufficiently maintained, and that's why they were in that condition." | He added: "But there is also the possibility that these nuts and bolts were maintained in the wrong way, or not sufficiently maintained, and that's why they were in that condition." |
| Margaret Masson, 84, of Glasgow, died and eight other people were seriously hurt when a Virgin train derailed at Grayrigg, near Kendal, at about 95mph. | Margaret Masson, 84, of Glasgow, died and eight other people were seriously hurt when a Virgin train derailed at Grayrigg, near Kendal, at about 95mph. |
| Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson said the driver of the London to Glasgow service, Ian Black, was "a hero". | Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson said the driver of the London to Glasgow service, Ian Black, was "a hero". |
| "He could have tried to get back and protect himself but he didn't and he has ended up quite badly injured," Sir Richard said. | "He could have tried to get back and protect himself but he didn't and he has ended up quite badly injured," Sir Richard said. |
| Mr Black, 46, a former police officer from Scotland, suffered a broken collar bone and a broken bone in his neck, his union ASLEF has said. | Mr Black, 46, a former police officer from Scotland, suffered a broken collar bone and a broken bone in his neck, his union ASLEF has said. |
| "He really is a reluctant hero," a spokesman said. | "He really is a reluctant hero," a spokesman said. |
| Police said 22 people, including Mrs Masson's daughter and son-in-law, Margaret and Richard Langley, went to hospital after the accident at 2015 GMT on Friday, while dozens more were "walking wounded". | |
| Margaret Jones, 41, the granddaughter of Mrs Masson, from Cardonald in Glasgow, said she was devastated by her death. | |
| British Transport Police incident officer Supt Philip Trendall said it was up to Network Rail and the train operators to decide when to reopen the line, but he warned it could take a week or more to complete the crash inquiry. | |
| CONTACT NUMBERS Cumbria Police helpline: 0800 056 0146Police family liaison centre: 0800 40 50 40 National Rail Enquiries: 08457 48 49 50 | |
| Muddy conditions underfoot and the need to build a temporary road to allow heavy-lifting gear on to the scene were proving "real challenges" to the investigation, he said. | |
| Thomas Edwards, who is leading the Rail Accident Investigation Branch's inquiry, said he agreed with the police that the main focus of the investigation was a set of points. | |
| "We've been and inspected the train, the track and, in particular, we have been focussing our investigations on a set of points in a cutting," he said. | |
| One of the rail carriages was forced upright following the crash | |
| The chief executive of Network Rail, John Armitt, acknowledged that there might have been a points failure. | |
| He said: "A points failure can obviously be due to various causes, but clearly there is a possibility that it has been something which has occurred which Network Rail is responsible for, but at the moment I cannot say that." | |
| He said the points were last serviced earlier this month, and that track maintenance was carried out by Network Rail employees, not a private contractor. | |
| The 22 passengers needing hospital treatment were taken to three hospitals, with the Royal Lancaster Infirmary and the Royal Preston Hospital admitting the most serious casualties. | |
| HAVE YOUR SAY It's very sad to see such an incident on what has become a very safe network Ibrahim, Bolton Send us your comments | |
| Of the eight patients who were seriously injured, five are improving in hospital, while three remain in a serious condition. | |
| Passengers suffered a mixture of head, back, neck, leg and some internal injuries. | |
| Virgin Trains have suspended services between Lancaster and Lockerbie, with replacement buses operating. Trains are running as normal to and from Lockerbie, and between London and Lancaster. | |
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