Network Rail fined £1.2 million after Rugby station wall collapse left man seriously injured
7 August 2026
The incident happened on 16 September 2022, when a boundary wall beside a car park at Rugby railway station collapsed onto 81-year-old pedestrian Edward Hanlon, who was using the adjacent alleyway.
Mr. Hanlon suffered several fractured ribs, a punctured lung and a blood clot in his lung, and spent two weeks in hospital. The incident had a lasting impact on him both physically and mentally, leaving him in persistent pain, restricting his mobility and preventing him from returning to many of the activities he had previously enjoyed. Mr. Hanlon died in January 2025 following a diagnosis of lymphoma.
Network Rail owned the wall and remained responsible for its repair and maintenance. However, undocumented redevelopment of the station car park by a previous tenant, including the installation of a fence in front of the wall, led to the mistaken assumption that the fence marked the station boundary.
ORR’s investigation found that the wall was consequently omitted from Network Rail’s inspections and that it failed to identify either the discrepancy in the boundary records or the wall’s deteriorating condition. These failings meant the risk the wall posed to members of the public went unidentified.
Richard Hines, ORR’s HM Chief Inspector of Railways, said:
Notes to editors
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The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is the independent economic and safety regulator for Britain’s railways and regulates the performance and efficiency of England’s strategic road network.
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Network Rail pleaded guilty to a single breach of section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
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Network Rail was fined £1.2 million and ordered to pay ORR’s costs of £27,320.01. Network Rail will also pay a £2,000 victim surcharge.
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Network Rail was sentenced at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court.
