Network Rail has been fined GBP 3.75 million and ordered to pay GBP 175,000 in costs after pleading guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The fine follows an investigation and prosecution by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), the industry regulator.
The case relates to the tragic deaths of two track workers, Michael Lewis and Gareth Delbridge, who were struck by a passenger train while carrying out maintenance work at Margam, Wales, on 3 July 2019. A third worker narrowly avoided being hit.
The workers, all employed by Network Rail, were performing track maintenance without any lookout protection or a line block—safety measures that would have prevented trains from running on that section of track. The passenger service, travelling from Swansea to Paddington, approached without warning, resulting in fatal injuries to Mr Lewis and Mr Delbridge.
The ORR’s investigation identified serious, systemic safety failures in Network Rail’s procedures for protecting track workers. The regulator found significant weaknesses in the company’s management and processes—issues that had previously been highlighted in inspections conducted in 2018 and 2019. Similar safety concerns had also been raised following earlier incidents, prompting the ORR to take formal enforcement action to improve track worker safety.
Since the Margam accident, there has been a fundamental shift in how the UK rail industry approaches track worker safety. Network Rail has significantly reduced ‘red-zone’ working—where maintenance is carried out while lines remain open—and introduced new safety technologies to minimise risk.
However, further fatal incidents near Roade in 2020 and Surbiton in 2021, along with reports of near misses, highlight the continued need for vigilance and further improvements in track worker safety.
“Our thoughts continue to be with the family, friends and colleagues of Michael Lewis and Gareth Delbridge. I am deeply sorry for their loss. The Court has imposed a fine of £3.75m which reflects the nature and gravity of Network Rail’s failings.
“The rail industry needs to do all it practically can to help each worker get home safely every day. Much progress has been made in reducing risk to track workers, with new protections introduced. The industry is committed to seeing these technologies implemented further and faster. This will require a relentless, collective, industry focus to continue to drive down risk to ensure that tragic incidents such as this are never repeated,” Richard Hines. HM Chief Inspector of Railways, said.
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