A spokeswoman said a 46-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday and subsequently released on police bail until October 31.

A Virgin Pendolino tilting train, heading from London to Glasgow, derailed at 95 mph (150 kph) in the Feb 23 accident in a remote area of Cumbria, scattering carriages down the side of a steep embankment.

The crash claimed the life of 84-year-old Margaret Masson from Edinburgh and 22 passengers were taken to hospital.

"The investigation into the derailment is ongoing," the British Transport Police spokeswoman said.

Officials from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch said in a preliminary report on the accident that a set of points near the site of the accident had been faulty.

Network Rail Chief Executive John Armitt stated at the time of the report that his company accepted full responsibility.

The company said on Friday it had "no idea" that one of its employees had been arrested and was looking into details of the arrest urgently.

"We have not heard anything from British Transport Police," a spokeswoman told Reuters.

Virgin Trains is 49 percent-owned by bus and train operator Stagecoach Group and 51 percent by Virgin Group.

See also:

Rail worker arrested over Cumbria crash

Times Online: July 13, 2007

The Virgin pendolino train, which derailed at Grayrigg, Cumbria, last year: 84-year-old passenger Margaret Masson was killed by the impact

A track maintenance worker has been arrested by police investigating a derailment in which a high-speed cross-country train came off the rails killing an elderly woman passenger.

British Transport Police today confirmed that a 46-year-old Network Rail employee had been arrested and bailed over the Cumbria crash, which took place in February.

The crash saw a London-to-Glasgow Virgin Pendolino train derailing at Grayrigg, killing Margaret Masson, 84, and seriously injuring eight others.

The train had about 120 people on board and was travelling at around 95mph when the accident happened, at 8.15pm. 22 people were taken to hospital with dozens more walking wounded.

Today's development followed an investigation by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) shortly after the crash, which revealed that a faulty set of points was to blame for the incident.

The RAIB probe found that one stretcher bar was missing, two were broken, and bolts were missing from the affected section of track. Stretcher bars join together moving rails, keeping them at a set distance apart.

After the report Network Rail - which is responsible for maintaining tracks - took responsibility for the incident and vowed to investigate, winning praise from Richard Branson, the boss of Virgin trains, for being "dignified".

Confirming the investigation's first arrest, a British Transport Police spokesman said today: "We can confirm that a 46-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday, July 11, in connection with the investigation into the Grayrigg derailment on February 23. The man is a Network Rail employee."

Police confirmed that he had been released on police bail until October 31.

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GRAYRIGG RAIL BOSS ARRESTED OVER DEATH

News & Star: 14/07/2007
By Phil Coleman

A 46-YEAR-OLD Network Rail manager has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter over the fatal Grayrigg train derailment in February.

The crash, which was blamed on a set of faulty points just south of the crash site on the West Coast Main Line, left dozens of passengers seriously injured and caused the death of 84-year-old grandmother Margaret “Peggy” Masson.

Police sources have confirmed that officers arrested the suspect on Wednesday, and later released him the same day on bail until October 31.

One union official cautioned against the “scapegoating” individuals, claiming the country’s rail network is riddled with systemic failures.

Rail industry insiders confirmed that the arrested man, David Lewis from Preston, is employed as an inspection supervisor and he has had many years experience on the railways.

He was described as “well respected” by his colleagues within Network Rail.

A spokesman for British Transport Police said: “We can confirm that we have arrested a 46-year-old man who is a Network Rail employee. He was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.

“He was arrested on Wednesday in connection with our investigation of the derailment at Grayrigg.”

The spokesman added that the man has not been charged with any offence.

The RMT union’s Carlisle-based north-west vice chairman Craig Johnston said: “We still don’t know what caused the crash. We’re still waiting for the report to come out. As for what happens now in relation to the arrested man, who is not an RMT member, things will take their course.

“But we would be appalled if anyone is scapegoated here in relation to this incident rather than us getting to the bottom of it. The industry is riddled with systemic failures.

“You can’t continue to blame individuals. We want to know whether the fragmentation and privatisation of the railway industry has played any part in these things.”

Mr Johnston said the railway remains one of the safest forms of travel, but added that the public and rail staff need to have confidence in both it and in the transparency of the Grayrigg investigation.

After the Grayrigg derailment on February 23, it emerged that a Network Rail ultrasound measurement train had passed the crash site two days earlier. The train’s primary function was to identify track faults.

Rail accident investigators who examined the crash scene found that vital components were broken or missing from the Grayrigg points mechanism, used to switch trains between different tracks.

A Network Rail spokesman said: “The privatised railway is a much safer one then it was under one management in the British Rail days.

“Safety is at the core of everything we do, indeed, all the main safety indicators are now at their lowest ever levels resulting in rail overtaking air as the safest form of transport.”