TANKER TRAIN DERAILMENT REPORT

THE Rail Accident Investigation Branch has released its report into the derailment and fire involving a tanker train at Llangennech, Carmarthenshire on August 26, 2020. The derailment occurred because one set of wheels on the third wagon in the train stopped rotating during the journey and the wheelset became locked, probably because of a defect in the braking system on the third wagon.

The report has made several recommendations covering a review of the actions taken by the owner of the wagons and improvements to the maintenance processes. It has also recommended that the manufacturer of some of the braking system components undertake a review of their design.

A recommendation has been made to the organisations who carry out surveillance and certification of entities in charge of maintenance of rail freight vehicles to review their processes.