Portal:Trains/Selected article/Week 48, 2008

The Grayrigg derailment was a fatal railway accident that occurred at approximately 20:15 GMT on February 23, 2007, just to the south of Grayrigg, Cumbria, in North West England. Passengers said that the carriages of the train began rocking and swaying very badly before the train crashed. Up to 500 rescuers attended the scene, along with at least 12 ambulances, at least five fire engines, three Royal Air Force Sea King helicopters, three civilian mountain rescue teams plus RAF Leeming Mountain Rescue Team, and one Merseyside Police helicopter. The initial conclusion of the accident investigation is that the derailment was caused by a faulty set of points (number 2B), controlled from Lambrigg ground frame. The scheduled inspection on February 18 did not take place, and enquiries are continuing to establish why the faults were undetected. Trains began running on the line again on March 12 subject to a speed restriction of 50 mph (80 km/h) at the crash site.

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