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Thursday 27 Feb 2025

Network Rail responds to sentencing at Kingston upon Thames Crown Court

Region & Route:

National

| Southern

Following the sentencing at Kingston upon Thames Crown Court today for a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act etc 1974, relating to the incident at Surbiton on 9 February 2021 where Tyler Byrne tragically lost his life, Network Rail has issued the following statement.

Ellie Burrows, Managing Director, Southern Region for Network Rail, said:

“The tragic death of our colleague, Tyler Byrne, should never have happened on our railway. Our thoughts continue to be with Tyler's loved ones, family, friends and colleagues.

“We accept today’s judgment and are deeply sorry for what happened. Any life lost on the railway is one too many and since this tragic event we’ve continued to take significant steps to improve safety.

“Our Track Worker Safety programme has almost entirely eliminated the need for colleagues working on the railway when trains are running. We have done this by carrying out maintenance work at different times, using alternative technology and we continue to examine our planned work to keep our colleagues safe.

“Today’s judgment is a sobering reminder of why safety must remain at the very forefront of our minds. Tyler’s death will never be forgotten, and we will continue to strive to ensure something like this never happens again.”

Background:

• Safety is Network Rail’s first consideration and significant investment has been made in making the railway the safest it can be.
• Over the last five years, we have sought to do all we can to transform the safety of track workers on our railway.
• We have invested a total of more than £300 million to deliver an unprecedented level of reform to working practices, which has almost entirely eliminated unassisted lookout working from our railway, significantly reducing the number of near misses for track workers.
• Our investment programme, which was focused on removing unassisted lookout working, included a complete review of thousands of maintenance tasks, development of new technology and working systems, such as the creation of an easy-to-navigate system to aid planning and delivery of work on or near the line, as well as enhanced training and safer access for track workers.
• The most recent independent international data shows the UK has the safest railway in the world. During the last year we have achieved the railway’s lowest ever workforce accident rate.
• But the tragic incident at Surbiton and the loss of our colleague Tyler Byrne serves as a stark reminder to us all that safety must always be our first consideration, and we are continually looking for ways to make the railway the safest it can be.