The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has announced the appointment of Andy Lewis as Chief Inspector of Rail Accidents. Andy will take up his role in November 2026 when Andrew Hall retires after almost five years in the role.
Andy started his career with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, where he trained as a marine engineer, and served as an engineering officer.
He moved to the railway industry in the mid-1990s, where he worked on projects that delivered new trains to the London Underground and mainline railway. He subsequently worked as a consultant on rail vehicle safety and managed modification projects including the fitting of on-train data recorders (sometimes called the ‘black box’) to a variety of train types.
In 2007, he joined RAIB as an inspector, undertaking a wide range of safety investigations on railways and tramways. He progressed to leading a team of investigators as a Principal Inspector in 2019 and became responsible for RAIB’s operational teams as Deputy Chief Inspector in 2022, before taking up the role as Chief Inspector.
Andy said: “It is a great privilege to take on the role of Chief Inspector. I would like to thank Andrew Hall for his outstanding leadership during a highly successful period for RAIB. I look forward to building on the Branch’s widely recognised reputation for delivering high-quality, independent safety investigations and to working with my exceptional colleagues as we continue to develop and strengthen RAIB for the future.”
Image credit: RAIB
