Portal:Trains/Selected article/Week 10, 2017

The Hatfield rail crash was a railway accident on 17 October 2000, at Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK. It was caused by a metal fatigue induced derailment, killing four people and injuring more than 70. Though the accident did not result in a large number of deaths, it exposed major stewardship shortcomings of the privatised national railway infrastructure company Railtrack. Reports found there was a lack of communication and some staff were not aware of maintenance procedures. Railtrack subsequently went into administration and was replaced by Network Rail. The aftermath of the accident saw widespread speed limit reductions throughout the rail network and a tightening of health and safety procedures, the repercussions of which were still felt up to 15 years later. In 2005, both Network Rail and the contractor Balfour Beatty were found guilty of breaching health and safety laws.