The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has released its 2006 Annual Report, covering its first full calendar year of operation.

In 2006 the RAIB commenced 47 investigations, and concluded 26 - ten of which were reports that had commenced in 2006. From these reports the RAIB made a total of 133 recommendations. To date 38 of these recommendations have been closed by the ORR, the independent safety regulator, 47 have been completed by the industry and are awaiting ORR confirmation, and 35 recommendations are in the process of being implemented. The RAIB also issued Urgent Safety Advice in five investigations in 2006.

Carolyn Griffiths, Chief Inspector of the RAIB, said: "A criticism levied at the rail industry in the past has been that the outcome of the recommendations from investigations into accidents and the lessons learnt were not visible to the public and others in the rail industry. I have therefore committed a significant section of this report for this purpose. We are still a new organisation and there will always be more we can do in an industry the size of the rail industry. However, I want the Branch to be known for being an open and listening organisation, which is why we put significant store on our meetings with both individuals and the organisations that may be affected by our investigations, and we welcome their feedback."

The full RAIB annual report is available here: