The derailment of a freight train on a bridge in Audenshaw, Greater Manchester, on 6 September 2024 was caused by failure of screws securing the rails to a timber support system, according to the Rail Accident Investigation Branch. The incident occurred on a bridge structure where the track was fastened to timber rather than conventional concrete or steel bearers, and the screw fixings did not maintain adequate restraint. The findings point to the need for closer inspection regimes and design checks for timber-supported track, particularly at bridge locations with high dynamic loading.

Rainfall-triggered rockfall on Highway 18 in San Bernardino County has blocked lanes and damaged barriers along a steep cut slope, following weeks of intense winter storms that saturated highly fractured granitic and metamorphic rock. Caltrans geotechnical crews report multiple failures from tension cracks and oversteepened slopes above the roadway, with debris reaching the carriageway and impacting existing rockfall fences. Engineers are now assessing options including expanded rock bolting, additional draped mesh, improved surface and subsurface drainage, and revised slope scaling protocols ahead of further atmospheric river events.

Lineside monitoring systems on parts of Britain’s rail network may fail to detect embankment or cutting slope movements during extreme rainfall, the Rail Accident Investigation Branch has warned following the 3 November passenger train derailment near Shap, Cumbria. The warning concerns remote condition monitoring equipment installed to trigger alerts for ground instability, which did not prevent the derailment. Geotechnical and asset engineers are being urged to review sensor siting, trigger thresholds and system performance in severe weather, particularly on high-risk slopes.