Network Rail's predecessor Railtrack was responsible for the track at Potters Bar Network Rail has been fined £3m for safety failings over the 2002 Potters Bar train crash.
The rail infrastructure company admitted breaching safety regulations over the crash which claimed seven lives.
Faulty points were to blame for the May 2002 crash in which a London to King's Lynn express derailed just outside Potters Bar station in Hertfordshire.
Following the ruling, Network Rail said it was "truly sorry".
Six passengers and a pedestrian walking near the station were killed.
'Sense of justice'
Overall responsibility for the track lay with Network Rail's predecessor company, Railtrack.
Last year, the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) launched proceedings against maintenance firm Jarvis and Network Rail under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
Both companies were accused of failings over the installation, maintenance and inspection of adjustable stretcher bars which keep the moveable section of the points at the correct width for train wheels.
Director of rail safety at ORR, Ian Prosser, said: "Today marks the end of a long process in which we have sought to gain a sense of justice for the families of the victims of the Potters Bar derailment.
Perdita Kark Daughter of crash victim“It's offensive that I pay a fine for something that killed my father”
"It is welcome that Network Rail, as the successor to Railtrack, pleaded guilty to health and safety breaches, demonstrating that, under its new management, it is now an organisation willing to take responsibility and learn from past mistakes."
Speaking after the court case, Perdita Kark, the daughter of Austen Kark who was one of the victims, said: "It's offensive that I pay a fine for something that killed my father.
"Directors of the two companies should have been in the dock as individuals and they should have paid out of their own purses."
Ms Kark - whose mother, author Nina Bawden, now 86, was badly injured in the crash - added: "This fine is going to be paid by the taxpayer and will mean there is less money to be spent on the rail network.
"The crash has made my mother's old age desperately difficult."
The WAGN service bound for Kings Lynn left Kings Cross at 1245 BST on 10 May 2002. The four-carriage train was not due to stop at Potters Bar, but it came off the rails as it approached the station, smashing into the canopy.
The accident happened at about 1300BST, after the train crossed the points outside Potters Bar at close to 100mph. The fourth carriage derailed, sending debris onto Darkes Lane below. Six passengers and one passer-by were killed.
A series of investigations found a faulty set of points was to blame. Two sets of nuts holding stretcher bars in place, were loose or missing. Rail investigators believe the first, or "lock" stretcher bar, fractured under the extra pressure.
The ineffective stretcher bars failed to hold the points in place when the train passed over them. The right hand switch rail closed against its stock rail, leaving no room for the train's wheels, sending the fourth carriage off the rails.
After it derailed, the fourth carriage flipped over and careered down the track at right angles. It finally came to a halt under the station canopy. The front three carriages continued further down the track before stopping.This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/uk-13389147
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