Rail Accident Investigation Branch publishes its Annual Report for 2024

The report summarises operational and investigative activity undertaken by the Branch during the year. It also highlights six themes which have run through the Branch’s work during 2024. These are: track worker safety, platform safety, asset integrity, safety of the line after engineering work, safe operation of plant in possessions and the management of trees.

2024 operational activity

During 2024, 431 notifications were received by the RAIB, from which 56 events were identified as requiring a preliminary examination to determine the most appropriate response. From these preliminary examinations 11 full investigations, 12 safety digests and eight industry investigation reviews were started.  

During 2024, RAIB published 13 full investigation reports, 10 safety digests, three letters to coroners and issued one notice of urgent safety advice. RAIB made 41 safety recommendations to 41 different organisations across the rail industry including infrastructure owners, train operators, manufacturers, and other authorities.

Andrew Hall, Chief Inspector of Rail Accidents, said “It has been almost universally accepted for many years that learning from accidents and incidents improves safety. UK health and safety law requires employers to learn lessons from accidents, and governments around the world have, and continue to, set up independent accident investigation bodies to investigate and learn from transport accidents and incidents.

“On 17 October 2005, RAIB started investigating railway accidents, making the 2024 Annual Report the twentieth to be published. By the end of 2024, we had deployed to accidents 752 times and published 419 full reports and 134 safety digests or bulletins. These included 1873 recommendations, and 700 safety messages and learning points, all intended to improve railway safety. Over that period, UK railways have become much safer, thanks to the combined efforts of the industry, its safety regulators and RAIB. This, and the difference our work can make to those who have the misfortune to be involved in accidents, makes it particularly important and worthwhile.”

Further remarks on 2024 activity and the six recurring safety themes can be found in Chief Inspector’s review starting on page three of the attached Annual Report.

The RAIB continues to update and expand the series of ten ‘summaries of learning’ reports on its website, drawing on data from RAIB’s archive of investigations to highlight repeated and important safety learning.

The full report can be downloaded here.