A FAULTY set of points next to the site of Friday's Grayrigg train crash were the "immediate cause" of the West Coast Main Line rail accident in which an elderly woman died, an interim report has found, reports Ruth Lythe.

The Virgin Pendolino train, carrying 120 passengers from London Euston to Glasgow, crossed the Lambrigg 2B points, seconds before it derailed.

Investigators with the Rail Accident Investigation Branch found that of three stretcher bars - used to hold the moving rails a fixed distance apart - at the points, one was not in position, one had nuts and bolts missing and two of the three were fractured.

Margaret Masson, 84, from Glasgow, lost her life in the crash. Mrs Masson was travelling with her daughter and son-in-law, who were both badly injured.

Tragedy struck on the same stretch of line almost exactly three years before when four men were killed by an unmanned wagon while working on the line at Tebay in 2004.

Eight other passengers were badly injured in Friday's 95 mph crash which saw much of the nine-carriage train derail and hurtle 600 metres into nearby farmland.

Twenty-two of the 120 passengers on board the train were taken to hospital with eight sustaining serious injuries, including driver Iain Black. Three were in still in a serious condition as The Messenger went to press.

The interim findings of the investigation into the cause of the crash, conducted by British Transport Police and the RAIB (Rail Accident Investigation Branch), was published on Monday (February 26).

Around 75 officers from British Transport Police and the RAIB are carrying a detailed search of the area.

The interim report stated that while the "on train recorder" had not been recovered there was nothing to suggest that the train was being "driven in any other way than it should be".

John Armitt, the chief executive of Network Rail which is responsible for maintaining the track, said he was "devastated" by the findings of the report.

"We would like to apologise to all the people affected by the failure of the infrastructure.

"We now need to understand how the points came to be in this condition - and we will leave no stone unturned in our search for the facts behind this derailment.

"When more detailed findings are available, we will consider them carefully, and learn any lessons that need to be learned. We will also, at that time, consider any action that might need to be taken as a result."

Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson said: "We now await the full conclusions of the RAIB investigation, which will be crucial to the industry introducing any necessary safety improvements.

"It is not for us to apportion blame but rather to work closely together as train operating companies with all our partners in the industry, particularly Network Rail, to ensure that this never happens again."