Bridge corrosion caused Stewarton freight train crash, report reveals

Published on Wednesday 3 February 2010 15:47

LONG-term damage to a railway bridge was to blame for last year's Stewarton rail crash, when a freight train laden with fuel derailed and burst into flames, a report found today.

• The scene of the "intensive" blaze at Stewarton

A report into the Ayrshire incident in January last year found that heavy corrosion in the metal girders of the bridge caused a "catastrophic" failure in the structure's supports.

The ten-wagon freight train was carrying a cocktail of gas, oil, diesel and kerosene when it derailed as it was crossing the metal underbridge to the south of the town.

The bridge, which takes the railway over the A735, collapsed under the train, causing the wagons to overturn.

Flames shot 50ft into the air and a huge plume of thick black smoke drifted above the crash scene.

No-one was injured in the accident on January 27 last year but significant environmental damage was caused when the fuel leaked into nearby watercourses.

A year-long Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) investigation into the accident found there was a "hidden corrosion trap" in the construction of the bridge, causing holes to form in the inner part of the main girders.

The corrosion had not come to light because the hidden parts of the bridge girders had not been inspected.

The RAIB found an opportunity to detect the damage to the bridge was missed in 1987 when it was not fully repaired and repainted during waterproofing work.

Investigators also said no action had been taken after corrosion to the girders was identified in a routine detailed examination of the bridge.

While the damage was subject to "continued reporting" by bridge inspectors, there was a "lack of any response", the report said.

The RAIB detailed 11 recommendations to Network Rail and the Department of Transport in response to the accident.

These include improving the way Network Rail inspects its bridges and in how information about inspections is managed.

It also said all similar bridges should be subject to detailed inspections, particularly to hidden parts of the structure.

The RAIB recommended that the Department for Transport should consider changes to international regulations about the way tank wagons are designed, in light of the derailment.

Network Rail has already started to assess all similar bridges to that at Stewarton and to address other issues that have arisen from the accident.