Memorial pays tribute to the victims of the Tebay rail accident on the 20 year anniversary

A memorial is being held to mark the 20 year anniversary of the Tebay Rail accident which claimed the lives of four track workers.

The accident happened in the early hours of 15 February 2004 when a 16-tonne steel wagon rolled out of control down the West Coast Main Line at Tebay in Cumbria.

The wagon struck four men who were carrying out overnight maintenance work a few miles down the line.

Gary Tindall, 46, from Tebay, Chris Waters, 53, of Morecambe, Lancashire, Colin Buckley, 49, of Carnforth, Lancashire, and Darren Burgess, 30, also of Carnforth, all died.

Four men died and five others were injured in the accident

Two people were found guilty of manslaughter after issues were found with the wagon's breaks.

The family and friends of the workers who died will congregate alongside representatives from the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union for a private ceremony in Cumbria.

The workers who died were all members of the RMT union.

Network Rail’s plans to modernise maintenance will improve safety for workers, according to the company. Credit: ITV Border

General secretary Mick Lynch said: “We remember these tragedies not only as a mark of respect for our comrades but in order to campaign for proper safety standards, to ensure this never happens again.

“However, despite these tragedies and others, we are having to resist further attacks on safety, with 50% planned reductions in scheduled maintenance tasks, hundreds of job losses and more unsocial shifts.

“The cost-cutting agenda posed by Network Rail’s plans under so-called modernising maintenance represents a threat to safety standards, our members’ wellbeing and to the travelling public.”

Network Rail insists it will never do anything to compromise safety.

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