The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has started its investigation into a runaway track trolley and its subsequent collision with work site equipment at North Rode in Cheshire on Sunday, 26 May 2024.
The incident occurred at about 05:00 on Sunday, 26 May 2024, when the track trolley ran away towards a team of track workers at the work site.
The location was on a descending gradient, and the trolley only came to a stop after it had collided with equipment being used to move rails within the site.
Fortunately, the track workers had noticed that the runaway trolley was approaching them and moved out of its path before the collision occurred.
None of the track workers were injured in the collision, but the trolley was damaged and also caused damage to the rail-moving equipment that it collided with.
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The trolley was being used to transport work equipment at the time of the accident. For some undetermined reason, the trolley’s brakes became ineffective, and with it being on a falling gradient, it rolled away from the team who were using it.
The collision between the trolley and the rail-moving equipment occurred after the trolley had travelled uncontrolled for approximately 1,100 metres.
The investigation by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch will seek to identify the sequence of events that led to the incident. It particular, it will also consider:
- The design and maintenance history of the trolley.
- The actions of the workers involved incident, and whether there was anything that may have influenced their actions.
- The arrangements in place to manage and control the risks around the use of track trolleys.
- Whether there were any underlying management factors.
The investigation by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch will be independent of any investigation by the railway industry, or by the industry’s regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).
After the Rail Accident Investigation Branch has completed its investigation, it will publish its findings, including any recommendations to improve safety.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch is also investigating an incident when an object was placed on the West Coast Main Line in Hertfordshire last month.
It has also released a report into a runaway wagon in private sidings in Warwickshire,
Responses
Hopefully if it is found that the brakes had been disabled by the oporator as is often the case (I’d put a grand on that) it won’t be covered up and the person responsible will be disciplined appropriately, everyone knows that it happens but the staff get away with out consequences. Also those look like blue wheels on the ironmen, that indicates insulated wheels and as such they are banned from being used on network rail.
I remember this happening years ago ,workmen were killed obviously nothing has been learned,who is in charge of maintaining the trolleys,common sense tells you to put some sort of block under the wheels of the brakes don’t grip
Another echo of the Tebay runaway, but luckily it was daylight, unlike Tebay where four p/way staff lost their lives – runaways are not infrequent, and have occurred many times since Tebay! A thorough investigation is required and to me all such work on gradients should be suspended until the causes are known and prevented from recurring,
Cliff Kilshaw
would a maroon /or explosive up gradient be a good idea
thought it might be standard practise
there again runaways are so infrequent dont seem to be the norm
all these modern systems
seems good old cracker so simple
there again is any operative trained in handling pyros
or is that another arm of safety training
such a simple idea from 150 years ago.
These kinds of trolleys are defaulted to the brake being engaged. The operatives have to hold a lever down to disengage the brake whilst using the trolley. Often, people will manipulate the brake system to “override” the manufacturer’s safeguards. As a result of this the trolleys move freely. I believe this is more than likely the cause of this incident.