| Bletchley train derailed on 26 June 2025 due to gap in staff training, says RAIB Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 16:05, 13th April 2026 |     |
From the BBC:
Train derailed due to gap in staff training
The four members of crew on the train were not injured and no passengers were on board
Investigators have concluded that a train derailed due to gaps in training.
Nobody was injured when the out-of-service London Northwestern train derailed on 26 June at Denbigh Hall South Junction shortly after leaving Bletchley, near Milton Keynes.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) found switch diamond points, which allow trains to navigate certain angles, were in unsafe positions for the train which had been travelling in the "wrong direction" after encountering a fault.
Investigators recommended Network Rail and West Midlands Trains develop staff training and that the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSBB) consider updating the rule book.
The non-passenger train derailed in the Bletchley area of Milton Keynes
The train had been travelling in the wrong direction towards a depot at Northampton after the driver found they could not move the vehicle from one end. Neither signalling staff or those in the train's leading cabin noticed the switch diamond points were in an unsafe position for the train to pass over them while travelling in that direction.
According to the report, staff involved lacked understanding of what switch diamond points were and how trains should have been using them. The report recommended that Network Rail and West Midlands Trains improved training of staff.
RAIB also found the rule book did not cover the specific circumstances of the "wrong-direction" movement in the incident, meaning that the signallers had been ignoring the rules unintentionally. It asked the RSSB to consider if the modules in the rule book should account for such scenarios.
Investigators also found the incident highlighted how staff should have a better understanding of how their personal issues could have an impact on their work. They learnt the signalling shift manager had been dealing with "significant personal issues" that had been affecting their concentration. After reviewing the witness evidence, the RAIB said that if this member of staff had declared these issues to their manager they would have been taken off duty on compassionate grounds.
The RAIB suggested staff should "ask a competent person" and challenge colleagues if they were unsure about work being done.
Responding to the report, a Network Rail spokesperson said it had taken the recommendations "very seriously". They said Network Rail was implementing the recommendations, including changes in training for signallers.
The four members of crew on the train were not injured and no passengers were on board
Investigators have concluded that a train derailed due to gaps in training.
Nobody was injured when the out-of-service London Northwestern train derailed on 26 June at Denbigh Hall South Junction shortly after leaving Bletchley, near Milton Keynes.
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) found switch diamond points, which allow trains to navigate certain angles, were in unsafe positions for the train which had been travelling in the "wrong direction" after encountering a fault.
Investigators recommended Network Rail and West Midlands Trains develop staff training and that the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSBB) consider updating the rule book.
The non-passenger train derailed in the Bletchley area of Milton Keynes
The train had been travelling in the wrong direction towards a depot at Northampton after the driver found they could not move the vehicle from one end. Neither signalling staff or those in the train's leading cabin noticed the switch diamond points were in an unsafe position for the train to pass over them while travelling in that direction.
According to the report, staff involved lacked understanding of what switch diamond points were and how trains should have been using them. The report recommended that Network Rail and West Midlands Trains improved training of staff.
RAIB also found the rule book did not cover the specific circumstances of the "wrong-direction" movement in the incident, meaning that the signallers had been ignoring the rules unintentionally. It asked the RSSB to consider if the modules in the rule book should account for such scenarios.
Investigators also found the incident highlighted how staff should have a better understanding of how their personal issues could have an impact on their work. They learnt the signalling shift manager had been dealing with "significant personal issues" that had been affecting their concentration. After reviewing the witness evidence, the RAIB said that if this member of staff had declared these issues to their manager they would have been taken off duty on compassionate grounds.
The RAIB suggested staff should "ask a competent person" and challenge colleagues if they were unsure about work being done.
Responding to the report, a Network Rail spokesperson said it had taken the recommendations "very seriously". They said Network Rail was implementing the recommendations, including changes in training for signallers.
