Faulty points caused crash death

The train began to jackknife while travelling at 92mph

Badly-maintained points were to blame for causing the death of an elderly woman in the Grayrigg train crash in Cumbria, an inquest jury has found.

Margaret Masson, 84, from Glasgow, died after the Virgin Pendolino train derailed on the West Coast Main Line on 23 February, 2007.

The train derailed after going over a “degraded and unsafe” set of points at 92 mph, leaving 88 people injured.

More than 30 witnesses gave evidence during the two-week inquest in Kendal.

Network Rail engineer David Lewis broke down in tears on Monday when he told the hearing he had forgotten to inspect the points near where the crash happened.

He said he was “under pressure” when he failed to check a section of the rail line five days before the derailment.

He told the inquest he felt like a man “spinning plates on sticks”.

His colleague Paul Wills, an assistant track section manager, told the hearing staff had to put up with “bully-boy” management.

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