TRACK STAFF CLEARED OVER RAIL CRASH

The Rail Maritime and Transport union hit out at the arrests, saying the two men had been living under a "shadow of suspicion" for the best part of a year following the accident in Cumbria in February 2007.

The union said at the time it was "mystified" that the two men had been arrested, adding that they now deserved an apology.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said neither of the men was directly involved in maintenance on points in the area of the accident and neither had faced any disciplinary action.

"Both the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) interim report and Network Rail's own report have pointed clearly to management failings and lack of resources, and it is those structural failings that still need to be addressed.

"NR's spending targets have been slashed by 30% over the last five years and we have raised concerns about the workloads placed on individuals on a number of occasions. NR is still dogged by inappropriate practices brought in by private contractors and there is still too much emphasis on getting things done quickly and cheaply rather than properly and safely."

The union said there should be a joint public inquiry into the Grayrigg incident and the 2002 Potters Bar rail accident, with a remit to study the fragmentation of the industry.

Mr Crow added: "Our two members have been living under the shadow of suspicion for the best part of a year and the very least they deserve is an apology for arrests that should never have been made."

An 84-year-old woman from Glasgow died when a Virgin train from London to Glasgow derailed at a speed of around 95mph at Grayrigg.

An initial report by the RAIB blamed a faulty set of points for the crash. A later inquiry by NR released in September last year, found systematic failures in track patrolling and management.