Regulation of Railways Act 1871

[F1 Accidents U.K.

Textual Amendments

F1 Act repealed (E.W.S.) (10.5.1997) by S.I. 1997/553, reg. 12(1), Sch. Pt. I

[F2 6 Companies to make returns of accidents to Board of Trade. U.K.

[F3 Where in or about any railway or station or any of the works or buildings connected with such railway or station, or any building or place, whether open or enclosed, occupied by the company working such railway or operating such station, any of the following accidents takes place in the course of working any railway or operating any station]; (that is to say,)

(1) Any accident attended with loss of life or personal injury to any person whomsoever;

(2) Any collision where one of the trains is a passenger train;

(3) Any passenger train or any part of a passenger train accidentally leaving the rails;

(4) Any accident of a kind not comprised in the foregoing descriptions, but which is of such a kind as to have caused or to be likely to cause loss of life or personal injury, and which may be specified in that behalf by any order to be made from time to time by the Board of Trade,

[F4 the company working such railway or operating such station, and also, if the accident happens to a train operated by any other company], such last-mentioned company shall send notice of such accident and of the loss of life or personal injury (if any) occasioned thereby to the Board of Trade.

Such notice shall be in such form and shall contain such particulars as the Board of Trade may from time to time direct, and shall be sent by the earliest practicable post after the accident takes place.

The Board of Trade may from time to time by order direct that notice of any class of accidents shall be sent to them by telegraph, and may revoke any such order. Notice of every such order shall be sent to every railway company, and while it is in force notice of every accident of the class to which the order relates shall be sent to the Board of Trade by telegraph immediately after the accident takes place.

Every company who fail to comply with the provisions of this section shall be liable for each offence to a penalty not exceeding [F5 level 2 on the standard scale].]

Textual Amendments

F2 S. 6 repealed (E.W.S.) (1.4.1996) by S.I. 1995/3163, reg. 14(1)

F3 Words in s. 6 substituted (1.10.1994) by virtue of S.I. 1994/2229, art. 2(1), Sch. para. (b)(i)

F4 Words in s. 6 substituted (1.10.1994) by virtue of S.I. 1994/2229, art. 2(1), Sch. para. (b)(ii)

F5 Words substituted (E.W.S.) by virtue of (E.W.) Criminal Justice Act 1982 (c. 48, SIF 39:1), s. 46 and (S.) Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1975 (c. 21, SIF 39:1), s. 289G

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 6 extended by Railway Employment (Prevention of Accidents) Act 1900 (c. 27), s. 13(2); as extended, amended by Road and Rail Traffic Act 1933 (c. 53), s. 43(1)

C2 Expression “company” extended by Channel Tunnel Act 1987 (c. 53, SIF 102), ss. 43, 45, Sch. 6 para. 3, Sch. 7 Pt. VI para. 2

F6 7 Inquiry into accidents and formal investigation in serious cases. U.K.

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Textual Amendments

F6 S. 7 repealed (7.6.2005) by Inquiries Act 2005 (c. 12), s. 51(1), Sch. 2 para. 1, Sch. 3 (with ss. 44, 50); S.I. 2005/1432, art. 2

8 Appointment of an assessor to coroner. U.K.

Where any coroner in England holds or is about to hold an inquest on the death of any person occasioned by an [F7 accident or occurrence—

(a) which arises from the operation of a relevant transport system, and

(b) which is required to be reported under regulation 3(1) of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995,]

and makes a written request to the Board of Trade in this behalf, the Board of Trade may appoint an inspector or some person possessing legal or special knowledge to assist in holding such inquest, and such appointee shall act as the assessor of the coroner, and shall make the like report to the Board of Trade, and the report shall be made public in like manner as in the case of a formal investigation of an accident [F8 or occurence] under this Act.

Textual Amendments

F7 Words in s. 8 substituted (1.4.1996) by S.I. 1995/3163, reg. 14(2)(d)

F8 Words in s. 8 inserted (1.4.1996) by S.I. 1995/3163, reg. 14(2)(e)

9, 10.] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F9 U.K.

Textual Amendments

F9 Ss. 9, 10 and Sch. 1 repealed with saving by Statute Law Revision Act 1960 (c. 56), s. 1(2), Sch.