The brake system failure being part of the fatal Powys train crash was brought up to the Welsh Government’s Secretary for Transport in a Senedd meeting.
Concerns over whether the brake system failure highlighted in the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) report over the fatal train crash in Talerddig, near Llanbrynmair, and whether the issue is “widespread” were raised to Transport Secretary Ken Skates.
Mr Skates was asked during topical questions in the Welsh Senedd on Wednesday, November 6 by Peredur Owen Griffiths, Plaid Cymru MS for the South Wales East region since 2021.
He said: “Crashes like this one that took place in Powys last month have thankfully become a very rare occurrence. It resulted in the death of a passenger, and my sympathies and condolences go out to his family and friends.
“But this could have been much worse, and I worry that there is a potential for it to become more widespread given the nature of the fault.
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“Inspections following the crash reveal that hoses meant to spray sands during wheel slippage were blocked. What measures will the Welsh Government take to ensure that the hoses on other Transport for Wales trains are free from similar blockages and similar faults?
“Will the entire new fleet be inspected for similar faults, and how would that be funded and what contractual warranties are there in place that can be called into place to fix any systematic faults?
“What conversations and consultations have you had with rail unions and Transport for Wales staff to talk through some of the lessons to be learnt from this tragic incident?”
An RAIB inspection of the train after the accident on October 31 showed that the sanding hoses designed to increase friction between the wheels and the tracks were “blocked and apparently unable to discharge sand”, meaning wheel slide was “constant” during the emergency breaking process.
READ MORE: Investigators say brake system failed in Powys train crash
In response, Mr Skates said: “Incidents such as these are dreadful when they occur and it's vitally important that we give the experts the time that they require to assess fully what might have gone wrong and what lessons can be learned and it would be inappropriate for me to speculate over the cause of the incident.
“I have written to both the chief executive of Transport for Wales and also the chief executive of Network Rail. I've been asking them to provide me with an update on what they are doing in terms of advanced checks to ensure that the network and our trains that travel across our lines are as safe as they can possibly be.
“I was assured that Transport for Wales, along with trade unions along with trade unions, are working very closely with Network Rail and the incident investigators to ensure that, where lessons can be learnt, they can be implemented as soon as possible.
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