Potters Bar rail accidents

On 19 March 1898, the 7:50 p.m train from Hatfield to King's Cross ran past the signals at danger when it reached Potters Bar.

[3] On 10 February 1946, a local passenger train travelling towards King's Cross hit buffers at Potters Bar station.

The front three coaches remained on the tracks and came to a stop approximately 400 m (1,300 ft) north of the station due to an automatic application of the brakes.

[7] Six of the victims were travelling in the train, while a seventh, Agnes Quinlivan, was killed by the masonry falling from the bridge over Darkes Lane.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) report released in May 2003 found that the points were poorly maintained and that this was the principal cause of the accident.

[citation needed] However, that evening, a West Anglia Great Northern station announcer was travelling on the down fast line[7] and reported a "rough ride"[7] at Potters Bar whilst going over that same place on the track, points "2182A".

Initially after the accident, Jarvis claimed that the points' poor condition was due to sabotage of some sort,[9] and that its maintenance was not to blame.

No solid evidence of any sabotage has ever come to light, and the HSE report found that other sets of points in the Potters Bar area showed similar, less-serious maintenance deficiencies and the poor state of maintenance "probably arose from a failure to understand fully the design and safety requirements".

In 2003, Network Rail announced it was taking all track maintenance in-house, ending the use of private contractors except for large-scale renewal or development projects.

On behalf of the company and my colleagues, I would like to apologise for the hurt and anger our actions in responding caused.A circular memorial plate was erected on platform 3 of the station, dedicated to the seven fatalities of the Potters Bar crash.