Railway workers killed by runaway wagon
An accident on the West Coast Main railway line has killed four railway workers at Tebay in Cumbria.
The workers had been maintaining a stretch of line between Kendal and Penrith when the accident happened. Ten men were working in the group when the accident occurred at 0605GMT and three others were hurt, one seriously.
Superintendent Peter Davies of British Transport Police (BTP) told BBC News the wagon became detached at Stout Green depot four miles north of where the victims were working.
He said: “It was a runaway train gathering speed and we are looking at quite a considerable speed, anything up to 30 or 40 mph when it hit the workers. They were working in the dark and they probably had their safety gear on and there would have been no noise.”
The wagon eventually stopped one mile further on from the collision.
A BTP investigation has been launched, with the help of Cumbria Police and the Health and Safety Executive, and will focus on why the wagon became loose.
The Rail Maritime and Transport Union called for a full public inquiry into the accident and said similar engineering work should now be suspended.
General secretary Bob Crow added: “The RMT extends its deepest sympathies to the families to those killed and injured and we will support them in any way we can.”
The West Coast Main Line is shut between Oxenholme and Penrith and trains to and from Glasgow are delayed.
