{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/regulation-of-railways-act-1871/section-6",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/regulation-of-railways-act-1871/section-6.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/Vict/34-35/78",
  "legislation_title": "Regulation of Railways Act 1871",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/regulation-of-railways-act-1871",
  "path": "section/6",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "6",
  "heading": "Companies to make returns of accidents to Board of Trade.",
  "text": "Where in or about any railway or station or any of the works or buildings connected with such railway or station, or any building or place, whether open or enclosed, occupied by the company working such railway or operating such station, any of the following accidents takes place in the course of working any railway or operating any station; (that is to say,)\n(1) Any accident attended with loss of life or personal injury to any person whomsoever;\n(2) Any collision where one of the trains is a passenger train;\n(3) Any passenger train or any part of a passenger train accidentally leaving the rails;\n(4) Any accident of a kind not comprised in the foregoing descriptions, but which is of such a kind as to have caused or to be likely to cause loss of life or personal injury, and which may be specified in that behalf by any order to be made from time to time by the Board of Trade,\nthe company working such railway or operating such station, and also, if the accident happens to a train operated by any other company, such last-mentioned company shall send notice of such accident and of the loss of life or personal injury (if any) occasioned thereby to the Board of Trade.\nSuch notice shall be in such form and shall contain such particulars as the Board of Trade may from time to time direct, and shall be sent by the earliest practicable post after the accident takes place.\nThe Board of Trade may from time to time by order direct that notice of any class of accidents shall be sent to them by telegraph, and may revoke any such order. Notice of every such order shall be sent to every railway company, and while it is in force notice of every accident of the class to which the order relates shall be sent to the Board of Trade by telegraph immediately after the accident takes place.\nEvery company who fail to comply with the provisions of this section shall be liable for each offence to a penalty not exceeding level 2 on the standard scale.",
  "extent": "E+W+S+N.I.",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Act repealed (E.W.S.) (10.5.1997) by S.I. 1997/553, reg. 12(1), Sch. Pt. I"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "S. 6 repealed (E.W.S.) (1.4.1996) by S.I. 1995/3163, reg. 14(1)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Words in s. 6 substituted (1.10.1994) by virtue of S.I. 1994/2229, art. 2(1), Sch. para. (b)(i)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "Words in s. 6 substituted (1.10.1994) by virtue of S.I. 1994/2229, art. 2(1), Sch. para. (b)(ii)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "Words substituted (E.W.S.) by virtue of (E.W.) Criminal Justice Act 1982 (c. 48, SIF 39:1), s. 46 and (S.) Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1975 (c. 21, SIF 39:1), s. 289G"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C1",
      "text": "S. 6 extended by Railway Employment (Prevention of Accidents) Act 1900 (c. 27), s. 13(2); as extended, amended by Road and Rail Traffic Act 1933 (c. 53), s. 43(1)"
    },
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C2",
      "text": "Expression “company” extended by Channel Tunnel Act 1987 (c. 53, SIF 102), ss. 43, 45, Sch. 6 para. 3, Sch. 7 Pt. VI para. 2"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [
    {
      "type": "repealed",
      "affecting": "nia/2002/8",
      "affecting_title": "Railway Safety Act (Northern Ireland) 2002"
    }
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/34-35/78/section/6",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T12:53:11.168012+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}