Hatfield rail crash
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Image:07-11-05 Hatfield 50.jpgThe Hatfield rail crash was a railway accident that occurred on 17 October 2000, at Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK.
A Great North Eastern Railway InterCity 225 train bound for Leeds had left London King's Cross at 1210 local time. It was travelling at over 115mph, when it suddenly derailed south of Hatfield station at around 1224. Four people were killed and a further seventy injured. Those who died were:
- Robert James Alcorn, 37, of Auckland, New Zealand
- Steve Arthur, 46, from Pease Pottage, West Sussex
- Leslie Gray, 43, of Tuxford, Nottingham
- Peter Monkhouse, 50, of Headingley, Leeds
A preliminary investigation found that a rail had fragmented while the train had passed over it, and that the likely cause was "gauge corner cracking" (microscopic cracks in the rails). This led to temporary speed restrictions being imposed on huge lengths of Britain's railways, effectively crippling many routes, while checks were carried out on the rails. It was found that the incidence of cracks similar to those that caused the rail failure at Hatfield was alarmingly high throughout the country's railway lines.
As a result, Railtrack, the company that owned Britain's railway tracks, instigated a nationwide (and costly) track replacement programme. The spiralling costs set in motion the series of events which resulted in the ultimate collapse of the company, and its replacement by the not-for-profit company Network Rail.
Court case
In 2003 six people and two companies – Network Rail (as successors of Railtrack) and the division of Balfour Beatty that maintained the track – were charged with manslaughter in connection with the accident (see corporate manslaughter). Charges against Network Rail/Railtrack and some of its executives were dropped in September 2004, but the other charges still stood. The trial began in January 2005; the judge, Mr Justice Mackay, warned that it could take as long as a year. On 14 July the judge instructed the jury to acquit all the defendants on the charges of manslaughter. A few days later Balfour Beatty changed its plea to guilty on the health and safety charges, and on 6 September Network Rail was found guilty of breaching health and safety law. All of the executives who had been charged were acquitted.
A key issue which the court considered was the extent to which the poor condition of the rail was known in advance, and to consider any acts or failures to act that resulted.
- Anthony Walker (Balfour Beatty's rail maintenance director) and Nicholas Jeffries (its civil engineer), denied manslaughter.
- Railtrack's Alistair Cook and Sean Fugill (both asset managers for the London North-East zone), and track engineer Keith Lee, also denied manslaughter.
- All five men, along with four others, are also accused of breaches of health and safety laws.
- Balfour Beatty denied charges of manslaughter which because it was alleged that Nicholas Jeffries was sufficiently senior that his acts were the omissions of the company
- Network Rail denied charges under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act