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Derailed train at Barry disrupts south Wales services

Train services across south east Wales have been disrupted after a train left the tracks at Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan.

The incident involved a freight train at about 02:30 BST on Thursday morning.

Arriva Trains Wales said trains are unable to run in either direction and replacement bus services are in place between Barry and Bridgend.

Severe delays are also expected on services between Cardiff, Pontypridd and Rhymney, and from Merthyr Tydfil.

A Network Rail spokesman said the back two wagons of the train had derailed bringing it to a standstill at Porthkerry and causing damage to the track.

Delays are expected to last all day as the line remains blocked.

Derailment disruption between Barry and Bridgend to continue

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The incident happened at 02:30 BST on Thursday

A railway line will stay closed for another three days after the derailment of a freight train in the Vale of Glamorgan.

The line was closed in both directions between Barry and Bridgend on Thursday.

Replacement buses are operating and Arriva Trains Wales said these would continue until Monday 6 October.

The Cardiff Central, Barry Island, Penarth and Bridgend line will close over the weekend for planned engineering work.

Derailment of a freight train at Porthkerry, Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales, 2 October 2014

RAIB is investigating a derailment that occurred on the line between Barry and Bridgend, in the early hours of Thursday 2 October 2014.

At about 02:30 hrs, the last two wagons of a loaded freight train (reporting number 6B81) derailed on the Down line between Porthkerry No. 1 Tunnel and Porthkerry Viaduct. The train comprised a class 66 locomotive pulling 21 loaded coal wagons and was en-route from Avonmouth to Aberthaw power station.

The derailed wagons were dragged to a stand causing extensive track damage over a distance of about 80 metres. The driver, who was uninjured, discovered that the last two wagons were derailed when walking back to inspect his train.
 
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Derailed train and extent of track damage

The preliminary examination has revealed that the derailment was almost certainly caused by a defective rail which collapsed as the freight train passed over it.

The RAIB's investigation will examine the sequence of events leading up to the accident and the cause of the rail failure. This will include consideration of the design, inspection and maintenance of the track. It will also examine what was known about the condition of the rail prior to the derailment and the adequacy of any plans that were in place to manage the risk of the rail failing.

RAIB's investigation is independent of any investigations by the safety authority or the railway industry. The RAIB will publish its findings, including any recommendations to improve safety, at the conclusion of its investigation. This report will be available on the RAIB website.

Derailment of a loaded coal train at Porthkerry, South Wales, 02 October 2014.
 
At 02:30 hrs on Thursday 2 October 2014, a loaded coal train derailed at Porthkerry, between Barry and Rhoose on the Vale of Glamorgan line in South Wales. The last two wagons in the train were derailed when the rail beneath them collapsed. Nobody was injured.

The cause of the derailment was the failure of a section of the left-hand rail due to a metallurgical defect within that rail. The defect arose due to impurities within the steel which had been present since manufacture. The rail had been installed at Porthkerry in 2008 but had previously been used at another site. The presence of the defect was not discovered when the rail was installed at Porthkerry.

The rail was not replaced before it collapsed due to a combination of factors: visual inspections intended to identify this type of defect had not been carried out, the regular track inspections had not found it and none of the staff responsible for management of the track had identified that the rail needed urgent replacement.

The defect that was later to cause the derailment was eventually discovered on 30 July 2014 during an inspection that was being carried out to monitor a different type of rail defect. However, according to Network Rail^s standards, a defect of the type identified did not require urgent attention and therefore a period of 52 weeks was allowed for rail replacement. Consequently no action was taken to address the reported defect before the date of the derailment.

The RAIB has made three recommendations to Network Rail concerning the methods used to detect this type of rail defect, the techniques used to assess its severity and assessing the risk posed by similar rail in other locations.

The RAIB has also identified a learning point for the industry concerning the delegation of inspections by track maintenance engineers.