The Hatfield rail crash was a railway accident that occurred on 17 October2000, at Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK.
A Great North Eastern RailwayIntercity train bound for Leeds had left London King's Cross at 1210 local time. It was travelling at over 115mph, when it suddenly derailed south of Hatfield station at around 1224. Four people were killed and further seventy were injured.
A preliminary investigation found that a rail had fragmented while the train had passed over it, and that the likely cause was "gauge corner cracking" (microscopic cracks in the rails). This led to temporary speed restrictions being imposed on Britain's railways, while checks were carried out on the rails. It was found that cracks similar to those that caused the rail failure at Hatfield was alarmingly common throughout the country's railway lines.
As a result, Railtrack, the company that owned Britain's railway tracks, instigated a nationwide (and costly) track replacement programme. The spiralling costs set in motion the series of events which resulted in the ultimate collapse of the company, and its partial renationalisation in the form of the new Government-owned network operator Network Rail.
Pending court case
In 2003 six people and two companies - Network Rail (as successors of Railtrack) and the division of Balfour Beatty that maintained the track - were charged with manslaughter in connection with the accident. Charges against Network Rail/Railtrack and some of its executives were dropped in September 2004, but the other charges still stand. The trial is expected to take place in early 2005.
On Tuesday 17 October2000 the 1210 GNER Intercity 225 train from London to Leeds was derailed outside the Hertfordshire town of Hatfield, killing four people.
It is the third serious rail disaster in three years after the Southall and Paddington crashes.
The train, which was carrying about 200 passengers, came to a catastrophic halt at 12.25pm.
Hatfield, originally Bishop's Hatfield, is a town in the Welwyn Hatfield district of Hertfordshire, in the south of England.
Hatfield is most famous for being the location of Hatfield House.
Hatfield, Pretoria, South Africa - an affluent suburb on the east side of the city, containing a number of consulates, embassies and the University of Pretoria.
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