Hatfield rail crash
An InterCity 225 passing the memorial garden created next to the East Coast Main Line for the four people who died in the Hatfield rail crash
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| Date | 17 October 2000 |
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| Time | 12:23, (UTC) |
| Location | Hatfield, Hertfordshire |
| Coordinates | 51°45′14″N 0°13′18″W / 51.75389°N 0.22167°WCoordinates: 51°45′14″N 0°13′18″W / 51.75389°N 0.22167°W |
| Country | England |
| Rail line | East Coast Main Line |
| Operator | Great North Eastern Railway |
| Cause | Broken rail |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 1 |
| Passengers | 170 |
| Deaths | 4 |
| Injuries | Over 70 |
| List of UK rail accidents by year | |
The Hatfield rail crash was a railway accident on 17 October 2000, at Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK. It was caused by a metal fatigue induced derailment, killing four people and injuring more than 70.
Though the accident did not result in a large number of deaths, it 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 up to 15 years later. In 2005, both Network Rail and the contractor Balfour Beatty were found guilty of breaching health and safety laws.
A Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) InterCity 225 train bound for Leeds had left London King's Cross at 12:10, and was travelling along the East Coast Main Line at approximately 115 miles per hour (185 km/h) when it derailed south of Hatfield station at 12:23. The train was being driven by an experienced driver, accompanied by a trainee who was expected to take over at Leeds. The primary cause of the accident was later determined to be the left-hand rail fracturing as the train passed over it.
The train travelled a further 1,000 yards (910 m) after derailment. The leading locomotive and the first two coaches remained upright and on the rails. All of the following coaches, and the trailing Driving Van Trailer were derailed, and the train set separated into three sections. The restaurant coach, the eighth vehicle in the set, overturned onto its side and struck an overhead line gantry after derailing, resulting in severe damage to the vehicle. The whole incident occurred in 17 seconds.
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