Senior Railtrack staff should learn this summer if they will face charges over the Hatfield death crash, the Evening Press can reveal.

Former Railtrack chief Gerald Corbett and York-based regional boss at the time of the crash Nick Pollard are among those police want to quiz over the tragedy.

Ten staff from Railtrack and maintenance contractors Balfour Beatty have already been interviewed under caution by the British Transport Police, and another 15, including Mr Pollard, formerly based at York, are expected to be called within a month.

Possible charges arising from the inquiry include manslaughter by gross negligence, corporate manslaughter and a lesser charge of endangering safety on the railways.

Four people died and 36 were injured in last October's derailment at Hatfield, Herts.

It was caused when a single section of worn track crumbled under a GNER express train doing 115mph.

A source told the Evening Press a file will be submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service "within a couple of months".

Railtrack today said it would be inappropriate to comment on the matter.

Meanwhile rail passenger numbers have recovered to levels experienced before last October's Hatfield crash, according to official figures published today.

More than 72 million passengers used the railways last month, a rise of 2.3 per cent on the same period last year, according to reports of the Association of Train Operating Companies' latest statistics.

Some 700 speed restrictions are still in place on the network, around 150 of them related to gauge corner cracking, the problem which caused fatal Hatfield derailment with the loss of four lives.

Railtrack said that compared favourably with the 1,300 gauge corner cracking restrictions in place at the start of the year.

Updated: 11:12 Tuesday, May 22, 2001