A rock fall which caused a train to crash injuring the driver and five passengers in Co Derry could have been foreseen, a major report found today.
Mr Gerald Kerr of the UK's Railway Inspectorate, found there were a number of management deficiencies in Northern Ireland Railways which were contributory factors in the accident.
The report also found the police, the Department of Regional Development and Translink could have dealt with the accident better.
The accident occurred when the Derry to Belfast train struck a boulder which fell on to the track during a landslide near Castlerock in June last year.
The train was approaching the Downhill tunnel when the driver saw a boulder on the track. He applied the emergency brake, but could not stop the train in time.
Twenty-one people, including the driver, were on board the three carriages when they were derailed.
The driver, who was the most seriously hurt, was treated for leg injuries, while five angina sufferers were also treated in hospital.
The report into the crash found NIR had allowed the effectiveness of the radio system to fall below achievable standards in that they did not ensure procedures for operation were followed, or have adequate maintenance arrangements for the systems as a whole.
Rock falls from all the cliffs in the Downhill area are foreseeable and some prediction of their outcome can be made, it also found.
Mr Kerr said: "The risk of a rock falling from the Downhill Slope and resulting in a derailment, either directly or indirectly, had not been properly evaluated by NIR prior to the derailment.
"Further incidents of rock fall will occur in the Downhill area and present a risk of injury particularly to residents, and to a lesser extent, road and rail users", he added.
Mr Kerr, who was appointed to conduct an investigation into the circumstances of the accident by then Minister for Regional Development, Mr Peter Robinson, said the cliffs should be regularly checked in the future for signs of danger.
PA