LONDON — A wire service reports that Britain’s rail infrastructure company and a train operator were told Wednesday they will be prosecuted for a 1999 train accident in England that killed 31 people.
The Health and Safety Executive, the government agency responsible for monitoring people’s safety at work, told families of the victims of the accident that there is sufficient evidence to prosecute Railtrack PLC and Thames Trains for offenses under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
Railtrack was the private company then responsible for maintaining the nation’s 20,000 miles of track and 2,500 train stations. Thames Trains operated the train that went through a red light, crashing almost head on into a Great Western express train near London’s Paddington Station.
The Health and Safety Executive, or HSE, did not indicate that any action would be taken against Great Western.
HSE, which can prosecute in its own right, said it could not begin its proceedings until the Crown Prosecution Service has made its own decision about whether to file criminal charges in the case.
HSE said there was “insufficient evidence to prosecute any individuals for health and safety offenses as a result of the collision,” which killed 31 people and injured more than 200.
Investigations into the Oct. 5, 1999, crash, which occurred at the height of morning rush hour, focused on the Thames Trains driver, Michael Hodder, and the signal light, which was considered one of the 22 most dangerous ones in the country.
The government inquiry blamed Railtrack for not fixing the hard-to-see signal. It also faulted Thames trains for poorly training its new drivers.
Lawyer Louise Christian, who represents a number of the Paddington families, said: “We are disappointed that the HSE has decided not to prosecute any individual directors or senior managers.”
The letter released by HSE was written by Steve Walker, assistant Chief Inspector of Railways, and sent to the families of victims of the accident.
In it, Walker said the HSE intended to begin proceedings against the two companies as soon as possible. But he added, “Legally, it is essential for the Crown Prosecution Service to conclude their deliberations before HSE can start its own prosecution.”
A CPS spokesman said Wednesday it is still considering the Paddington case.
Thames Trains and Railtrack both declined to discuss the HSE’s decision to prosecute them.