The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has released urgent safety advice following a freight train derailment in Manchester.

The freight train, which was travelling between Peak Forest and Salford, derailed as it passed over a bridge on the 6th of September 2024.

2 Class 66s were hauling 24 wagons to Salford when it passed through Audenshaw in Manchester. The locomotives and 10 wagons passed over the bridge safely, but the next nine wagons derailed.

The advice is that existing inspections and maintenance regimes may not be enough to find failures of baseplate chair screws, which can lead to a loss in track support in longitudinal timber systems.

During its investigations, the RAIB found that the rails on the bridge were supported by PAN M6 baseplates but were held onto the timber by just 2 LSA chair screws.

13 failed chair screws were recovered from the site, and non were marked with HT, which indicates that they were not made of high-tensile material.

The investigation is continuing.