Network Rail employees Michael Lewis and Gareth Delbridge were part of a crew working on the track at Margam in Wales on 3rd July 2019 when they were struck and killed by a passenger train travelling from Swansea to Paddington. The train narrowly missed a third worker.
The trio had been carrying out track maintenance work without site or distant lookout protection to warn them of approaching trains, or a line block which would have prevented trains from travelling on the section of the track they were working on.
The incident was investigated by the industry regulator, the Office of Rail & Road (ORR). It found systematic and wide-ranging safety failures by Network Rail in its measures to protect those working on or near the line from trains, resulting from inadequacies in its processes and management systems. These were similar to the findings of previous ORR inspections in 2018 and 2019, and from other previous incidents, which led the safety regulator to take formal enforcement action to require Network Rail to improve track worker safety.
In a prosecution brought by the ORR, Network Rail pleaded guilty to a single breach of section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
On 14th February 2025 Swansea Crown Court fined Network Rail £3.75m and ordered to pay costs of £175,000.
According to the ORR, there has been a step change in the way that the rail industry manages track worker safety since the accident at Margam. Network Rail has almost entirely ended red-zone working – when lines remain live during track work – and uses new technologies to reduce risks. However, there have still been further incidents that resulted in track worker fatalities near Roade in 2020 and Surbiton in 2021 and reports of near misses.
Richard Hines, HM chief inspector of railways, said: “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.”
Network Rail Wales & Borders route director Nick Millington said after the hearing: “We know that the tragic deaths of our colleagues, Gareth Delbridge and Michael 'Spike' Lewis, should never have happened on our railway and that has been reflected by today's judgment.
“Over the last five years I have met regularly with Gareth and Spike's families and our thoughts remain with them, and all those friends and colleagues who have been impacted by their deaths.
“Since this tragedy, we have continued to transform the safety of our workforce through the development of new technology and planning tools, which have almost entirely eliminated the need to work on the railway when trains are running.
“Today’s judgment reinforces why safety must always be our first consideration, and we will continue to do all we can to make our railways the safest they can be.”
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