Train derailment prompts enhanced track monitoring


Several wheels on the train derailed in Darlington in January

A sparsely-used section of rail will be monitored more after a passenger train derailed and then self-righted.

No-one was hurt when several wheels on a charter service briefly derailed then rerailed, at the crossover at Hopetown Junction in Darlington on 31 January.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: "Any incident like this is taken very seriously because the safety of passengers and railway staff is always our top priority."

It said it repaired the track before services were allowed to resume, and that the crossover near to Darlington North Road station had become subject to "enhanced monitoring and inspection".

The train's crew had been initially unaware of the derailment, which happened at about 13:19 GMT.

Several passengers then reported a lurch and banging as it passed over the crossover, The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said.

The charter from Derby to Shildon was owned by ROMIC Group and operated by Rail Adventure UK.

RAIB said the track under the train failed, resulting in the rails spreading apart and allowing several wheels to drop into the space between them.


The track underneath the train was found to have failed

The crossover carried very little traffic, RAIB said.

Network Rail records showed the last train to pass over it was a video inspection vehicle on 14 January, which recorded the track's bolts were intact.

"The derailment occurred on a relatively low speed section of track," an RAIB spokesperson said. "Although some damage was caused to track components, which required repair, no passengers or staff were injured, and there was only minor damage caused to the train involved."