Hatfield rail crash

Hatfield rail crash
An InterCity 225 passing a memorial garden for the crash victims
Details
Date	17 October 2000 (2000-10-17) 12:23, (UTC) (Z)
Location	Hatfield, Hertfordshire
Coordinates	51°45′14″N 0°13′18″W / 51.75389°N 0.22167°W / 51.75389; -0.22167
Country	England
Line	East Coast Main Line
Operator	Great North Eastern Railway
Cause	Broken rail
Statistics
Trains	1
Passengers	170
Deaths	4
Injured	Over 70[a]
List of UK rail accidents by year

The Hatfield rail crash was a railway accident on 17 October 2000, at Hatfield, Hertfordshire. It was caused by a metal fatigue-induced derailment, killing four people and injuring more than 70.

The accident 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 years later. In 2005, both Railtrack and the contractor Balfour Beatty were found guilty of breaching health and safety laws.

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