The accident exposed major stewardship shortcomings of the privatised national railway infrastructure company Railtrack.

The aftermath of the accident saw widespread speed limit reductions throughout the rail network and a tightening of health and safety procedures, the repercussions of which were still felt years later.

A Great North Eastern Railway (GNER) InterCity 225 train bound for Leeds had left London King's Cross at 12:10, and was travelling along the East Coast Main Line at approximately 115 mph (185 km/h) when it derailed south of Hatfield station at 12:23.

All of the following coaches and the trailing Driving Van Trailer (DVT) were derailed, and the train set separated into three sections.

[2] Another passenger was the television reporter Justin Rowlatt, who said he "watched the carriages skid and whip around on the gravel besides the track".

[14] A preliminary investigation found a rail had fragmented as trains passed and that the likely cause was "rolling contact fatigue" (defined as multiple surface-breaking cracks).

While it had comprehensive maintenance procedures that might have prevented the accident if followed appropriately, later investigation showed there was a serious problem with the experience and working knowledge of staff.

[23] It consequently imposed over 1,800 emergency speed restrictions and instigated a costly nationwide track replacement programme.

[5] A memorial service was held for the victims on the tenth anniversary of the crash in 2010 at St Etheldreda's Church, Hatfield.

[6] The speed restrictions and track replacement works caused significant disruption on a majority of the national network for more than a year.

[28] Train operating companies were adversely affected by the disruption, losing an estimated 19% of revenue in the year following the crash.

It was repaired again following the accident, and remained in service for a further 20 years, finally being scrapped at Sims Metals Scrapyard in Nottingham in 2021.

The managers, Anthony Walker (Balfour Beatty's rail maintenance director), Nicholas Jeffries (its civil engineer), Railtrack's Alistair Cook and Sean Fugill (asset managers for the London North-East zone), and track engineer Keith Lee, all denied the charges.