Andrew Hall, the chief inspector of rail accidents, said that although one was hurt in the Walton-on-Thames accident, the train could ‘easily have deviated from the line of the track and struck other trains or objects.’.
The piece of redundant railway was left on the tracks following work in the area despite checks, a report by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch said.
The watchdog described the work site as ‘complex’ and said that arrangements for work planning and delivery ‘did not effectively manage the risk of a section of rail being left foul of the running line.’.
A train driver and passengers had a narrow escape after the train struck a piece of redundant track on March, 4, last year at high speed on approach to Walton-on-Thames station.
While there were no injuries, the train could have ‘easily’ struck other trains or objects, a chief rail accident investigator said.
