Repairs following Audenshaw train derailment could take another month to complete

It will be another month until repair works are complete following a freight train derailment in Audenshaw last month.

According to investigators, ‘substantial damage to railway infrastructure’ was caused to the tracks after wagons full of aggregate came off the tracks on September 6. Last week, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch said nine of the train’s 24 wagons derailed on the Stockport to Stalybridge line near Sidmouth Street, Tameside.

The last of the wagons came to a standstill on the bridge itself, it was reported.

The agency also confirmed what the investigation would look into, and said the derailment caused ‘substantial’ damage. There were no reported injuries from the incident.

Residents living near the scene were reported to have heard a sound ‘like a building was coming down’ and felt houses shaking. Whilst a probe by the  RAIB is ongoing, Network Rail have estimated that repair work on the tracks could take until early November to fix.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “We are continuing to repair the area impacted by the freight derailment in Audenshaw and we estimate to complete the work by early November.

“We would like to thank residents for their patience during this time. Until the work is complete, we are unable to give a final figure for the cost of the repair.”

RAIB said its probe would also assess the condition of the infrastructure at the time of the derailment; the status and condition of the wagons involved; and any underlying management factors.

RAIB’s statement released on September 23 read: “At around 11.25am on September 6, a freight train travelling between Peak Forest and Salford derailed as it passed over a bridge in Audenshaw, Manchester.

“The train involved was made up of two class 66 locomotives and 24 wagons, which were loaded with aggregate. The two locomotives and the leading 10 wagons passed safely over the bridge, but the next nine wagons derailed, with the last of the derailed wagons coming to a stand on the bridge itself.

“No injuries were caused by the accident. However, the derailment caused substantial damage to railway infrastructure and damaged some of the wagons involved. 

“Our investigation will seek to identify the sequence of events that led to the accident.”