Portal:Cumbria/Selected article/2

The scene of the accident

The Grayrigg derailment was a fatal railway accident that occurred at approximately 20:15 GMT on 23 February 2007, just to the south of Grayrigg, Cumbria, in North West England. 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 18 February 2007 did not take place and the faults went undetected.

Train 1S83, the 17:15 Virgin West Coast Pendolino West Coast Main Line express service from London Euston to Glasgow Central was derailed by a defective set of points. The train was reported to have been travelling at up to 155 km/h (96 mph) when it was derailed. The train, consisting of unit 390 033 "City of Glasgow", which was constructed at Washwood Heath, Birmingham in 2002, had nine carriages and carried 105 passengers and four members of staff. (more...)