Railtrack could face prosecution over state of railway

In a leaked letter from the HSE (Health & Safety Executive), UK's Railtrack has been warned that it is failing to maintain the railway to a standard which will reduce accidents. The letter points out that certain sections of the track are in "such an extremely bad condition as to be unsafe". This warning is a further indictment of safety on Britain's trains. It follows a report which was issued in December last year by the HSE stating that several Railway companies were failing to maintain adequate safety standards.

Railtrack owns the majority of the UK railway infrastructure including the track and the signalling systems. The company took over the system four years ago during the privatisation process of the former nationalised British Rail.