Some FGW Trains may be more crowded than normal until further notice...

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

From the RAIB^▸ (Rail Accident Investigation Branch) website:

The RAIB will publish a report, including any recommendations to improve safety, at the conclusion of its investigation. This report will be available on the RAIB website.

I look forward to reading the report sometime in 2011.

Cynical? Moi? 

[inspector_blakey]

Here's an interesting one: back in the "good old days", how long do you think it took to produce a report into the bridge collapse at Glanrhyd, Central Wales Line? This accident was also caused by flooding and claimed the lives of three passengers and the driver.

Report is available at this link http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docSummary.php?docID=397.

So, any idea how long yet?

Well, the accident took place 19 October 1987 but the report's dated 31 January 1990, so took well over two years to see the light of day.

[paul7575]

For a complex report anything around a year is good going. If they are straightforward they are much quicker. 

For instance I was reading a report about a fatality on a level crossing, and I think they were checking the visibility after waiting for the very same weather conditions to occur in the vicinity...  That sort of thing has to take time.

Paul

[Chris from Nailsea]

Oh, Ye of little faith ... 

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch have now published their full report on this incident, on their website:

Summary

During the evening of Saturday 14 November 2009, the foundations of a Victorian bridge carrying the railway over the River Crane near Feltham in West London failed without warning, causing part of the bridge to subside. The first indication of a problem was a track defect reported by a train driver crossing the bridge on the up line. Track maintenance staff, called to the site, immediately blocked the up line to all traffic when they became aware of a serious defect with the bridge. The down line was blocked shortly afterwards.

A total of 21 trains crossed the failing bridge between the first report and closure of the line. There was no derailment and no injuries occurred.

The RAIB^▸ (Rail Accident Investigation Branch) have made five recommendations to Network Rail concerning the management of structures, and one recommendation to the Environment Agency concerning notification to railway infrastructure owners when obstructions are found against a structure.

[paul7575]

It's an interesting read isn't it.

Those Victorian engineers definitely seem to have missed a trick with the foundations back in 1858...

It seems to me that (as far as they're able to) they hint that the arch might have been partly blocked at the time of the examination by Amey's engineer. 

Anyone else get that implication on reading it?

Paul

[ChrisB]

Totally caused by the blockage in the river causing the flow to dig away at foundations....The Envirnment Agency inspector ought to have alerted Network Rail to the problem, and didn't.