Network Rail Ltd., the owner of train tracks and stations in Britain, is to plead guilty to health and safety charges relating to a 2002 railway collision in Potters Bar that killed seven people.
The charges, brought by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR), relate to the condition of tracks near the station in Hertfordshire.
Six passengers and one pedestrian died in May 2002 when a train left the tracks at Potters Bar, north of London. At least 70 people were injured
Peter Palfrey, chair of the bench at Watford Magistrates' Court, today referred the case to St Albans Crown Court for sentencing on March 30 at 10am.
Prashat Popat QC, representing Network Rail, said the organisation will plead guilty to failings surrounding the installation, maintenance and inspection of adjustable stretcher bars, which keep the moveable section of a track at the correct width for train wheels.
During a brief hearing, Mr Palfrey said: "In this case we have decided that the charge is so serious we cannot give punishment at this court."
The ORR launched proceedings over alleged breaches of health and safety law following the conclusion of an inquest into the disaster last year.
The inquest concluded that a points failure was to blame.
Agencies