Train derailment at Paddington - 20 Aug 17

[whole diary]

[chuffed]

BNM may need to be careful if he takes Finn for a spin on rails rather than in the Rover.(See what I did there ? Wuff!) After his run-ins with the gateline staff at Paddington we don't want any doggy DOO^▸ (Driver-Only Operation (that is, trains which operate without carrying a guard))'s on the platform

[JayMac]

The RAIB^▸ (Rail Accident Investigation Branch) has released a safety digest following this incident. Track defect as most suspected. Decayed timbers, caused by water and toilet waste, leading to gauge spread.

Very quick turnaround on the investigation, and no need for a full report, which suggests the cause, and lessons to be learned, were obvious to all.

Important safety messages from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch:

This accident demonstrates the importance of:

 - making sure that once work to renew longitudinal timbers has been identified as being necessary, it should be given an appropriate priority

 - routine visual inspection of longitudinal timbers should take account of defects identified in previous detailed examinations

 - when consideration is being given to prioritising project activities over remedial maintenance work, the risk of infrastructure failure is taken into account

Full safety digest:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/safety-digest-172017-paddington/passenger-train-derailment-london-paddington-20-august-2017