Network Rail bosses have their yearly bonus halved after Cumbria Train Crash

Network Rail directors are to have their £1m bonuses cut this week after taking responsibility for failures in reducing train delays and for the first fatal accident in five years. Network Rail have taken the decision to substantially reduce the annual bonuses given following the Cumbria train crash in February this year.

Network Rail admitted responsibility for the fatal accident at Grayrigg, following the RAIBs initial investigation, when a Virgin high-speed train was derailed by broken points, killing one person and injuring more than 20 more passengers.

The findings of the RAIB®s initial investigation into the accident blamed a faulty set of points for the crash. The report concluded that the immediate cause of the accident was the condition of the stretcher bar arrangement at points 2B at Lambrigg crossover which resulted in the loss of gauge separation of the point switch blades.

The investigation still continues after the train derailment, where the Virgin Pendolino tilting train, heading from London to Glasgow, derailed at 95 mph (150 kph) on the 23rd February 2006 in a remote area of Cumbria, scattering carriages down the side of a steep embankment.

Within weeks Network Rail is expected to face a report into safety failures which caused the Greyrigg accident, including criticism of maintenance inspections and record-keeping.

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