THE company responsible for maintaining Britain's railway infrastructure appears in court this afternoon charged with breaching health and safety law over the Grayrigg train crash.
Network Rail is being prosecuted by industry regulator the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) following the derailment of a Virgin Pendolino train near Kendal on February 23, 2007.
The 95mph crash killed 84-year-old passenger Margaret Masson and left 28 people seriously hurt, including driver Iain Black who broke his neck.
Network Rail is facing a charge under section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act.
It is accused of failing to provide and implement sufficient standards, procedures, guidance, training, tools and resources for the inspection and maintenance of fixed stretcher-bar points on the West Coast Main Line between Scout Green and Scorton.
A Rail Accident Investigation Branch report ruled faulty points caused the derailment.
Mrs Masson’s family is due to attend the hearing at Lancaster Magistrates'Court at 2pm.
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