Posted 11th April 2013 | No Comments

Network Rail and signaller fined for crossing death

Jane Harding

Jane Harding was killed at Moreton-on-Lugg crossing

A COURT has fined the signaller who lifted the barriers of his level crossing as a train approached, killing a woman in a car. Network Rail has also been fined after the collision at Moreton-on-Lugg level crossing near Hereford just over three years ago.

Jane Harding, 52, (pictured) was a passenger in a car being driven over the crossing at Moreton-on-Lugg at about 10.30 on 16 January 2010 when it collided with the 08.30 train from Manchester to Milford Haven.

She died later in hospital while her husband, who was driving, was badly hurt. Another car was also given a glancing blow, but although its two occupants suffered from shock they were not physically injured.

The RAIB had already reported that the signaller raised the barriers by mistake, having just been involved in a telephone call from a farmer seeking permission to move some sheep across the line at a nearby occupation crossing which had interrupted his concentration.

Signaller Adrian Maund from Leominster was fined £1,750 and ordered to complete 275 hours of unpaid work, while Network Rail was fined £450,000.

Both he and the company had been found guilty of health and safety breaches following a two-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court in February.

During the trial, the jury was told Network Rail had failed to install approach interlocking when improvements were made in 2009 because it would have cost another £40,000, although Network Rail said the real cost could have been as much as 10 times greater.

Network Rail said it was 'deeply sorry' for what had happened, and that it had made a mistake which had since been rectified by the installation of new equipment at 41 crossings, including Moreton-on-Lugg. It had previously calculated that the risk of such an incident was very low.