Grange-over-Sands derailment
Our Kirow crane team successfully helped with the recovery operation to rescue a derailed Northern passenger train near Grange-over-Sands in Cumbria.
The derailment was believed to have occurred after the train travelled over a section of unsupported track, where land movement left a void in the ground around 150 metres from the derailment.
The void in the ground added to the complexity of the recovery lift, as did the close proximity of the line to a public beach area in the bay.
The lift operation was also further complicated by the location of the derailed train, as it was leaning on a retaining wall. However, the team worked collaboratively with Network Rail, DB Cargo, and Northern Rail, to successfully and quickly recover the train, without incident.
As well as undertaking the complex lifts, the team also developed the detailed recovery and lift plan needed for the whole operation, and quickly arranged for Network Rail’s 1200 Kirow crane (maintained and operated by VolkerRail) to travel from our depot in Scunthorpe to Cumbria in just two days.
Over three days, the team re-railed all three carriages, each weighing 43 tonnes, safely and professionally, and under the watchful eye of many senior representatives from across the industry.
After the train was recovered, Network Rail engineers repaired the embankment as part of a complex operation to recover the railway, which reopened exactly one month after the derailment.
“This was a complex lift, mobilisation and planning had to be swift. The detail and effort that went into this lift is commendable. The feedback we’ve received is testament to the amazing reputation the team has built over the last twenty years.”
Mark Jackson VolkerRail’s plant director
