Andy Burnham calls for investigation into Audenshaw train derailment

Andy Burnham has promised to commission a report on the train derailment that happened on a bridge over a road in Tameside last week. 

A freight train carrying aggregate and said to be going at a ‘slow speed’ came off the tracks on a bridge in Audenshaw on Friday (Sept 6). Nobody was harmed but the incident shocked local residents, with neighbours reporting a sound ‘like a building was coming down’ and comparing the impact to an ‘earthquake’.

Network Rail, who operate the line, said it could be weeks before the heavy freight carriages can be removed and bridge is repaired. 

But speaking on BBC Radio Manchester yesterday (Sept 12), Mr Burnham encountered an Audenshaw caller who had predicted the dangerous state of the bridge several weeks before. Will, who lives close by to the railway bridge, raised concerns that if the bridge was ‘temporarily repaired’ and brought back into use, this could put residents in danger. 

Will said: “The bridge is 100 years old. I’m worried about the safety of the people of Audenshaw. If it comes off again, these houses are very close to that train line.” 

The Audenshaw local had called into the show several weeks previously, raising the alarm about ‘heavy freight traffic’ making the bridge ‘unsafe’. 

Mr Burnham responded: “When I saw [the derailment] in the news, I thought about your call.

“Maybe this incident suggests that Will was right and it’s not being properly used and there’s inappropriate goods traffic on that line. We need a full report on this incident and how everything will be done to make the area safe.

“Can I make this commitment to you that I will commission that report from the rail industry and its findings will be shared on this hot seat, because you and other residents locally need to have full answers to those questions?”

Network Rail did not respond when asked if they knew of any unreasonable use of the tracks. 

But a spokesperson said: “We are working now to recover the train and the wagons, as well as remove them from site. It is likely we will be in the area for several weeks to make any necessary repairs, and we are in contact with local residents about increased noise or disruption coming from our work. 

“The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) are carrying out an independent investigation of this incident and we are cooperating fully.”