EWS criticised for freight train crash
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• Rail freight's brightest star has been found to have operated in a way which contributed to a freight train accident earlier in the year which left four people injured.
In language normally reserved for the road haulage industry, a report into the accident at Bexley, Kent in February reveals that English Welsh & Scottish Railway hired a driver who was speeding by nearly 20mph at the time of the accident because he did not know there was a 40mph limit.
One of the wagons leased by EWS was overloaded and the locomotive. which was owned by EWS, was operating with a faulty speedometer.
The report will embarrass the US-owned company, which is currently trying to woo more customers away from road and on to its milfreight operation.
EWS is also trying to buy British Rail's last remaining rail freight company, Railfreight Distribution.
However, the report, which was compiled by the rail infrastructure provider Rai1track with input from EWS and Connex (the driver's main employer), also points to deficiencies elsewhere, particularly at Railtrack, where the section of track at Bexley was found to be rotting.
The report has been passed onto the Health and Safety Executive, which is investigating the accident.
EWS says: "At the end of the day something went wrong and we're working to make sure it doesn't happen again."