The statement from Railtrack, published on Thursday October 19, is reproduced below…

The Railtrack board met yesterday evening, 18 October, to consider such facts as are so far known about the Hatfield disaster. The board wishes to offer its deepest sympathy to the bereaved and injured.

It was decided that the information was sufficient to make a statement about the cause of the disaster. Its preliminary view is that a broken rail caused the derailment and that the condition of the rail, which was only five years old, was wholly unacceptable. The probable cause of the fracture was gauge corner cracking. The rail was due to be replaced in November. The replacement should have been in place sooner and this was Railtrack's responsibility.

The board reviewed actions already taken, such as speed restrictions, and considered the sufficiency of the immediate measure to protect the public in other parts of the network. These have been discussed with Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate (HMRI). They will be kept under continuous review but the timeframe for renewal of the network will also be accelerated.

The board will be reviewing further information about the disaster as it becomes available.

The board then considered whether or not to accept Gerald Corbett's offer to resign as Chief Executive.