Britain's fractured rail network has come under fire in the latest report into its structure and safety.

A report published on Thursday by Lord Cullen criticises the current state of the railway infrastructure and calls for a new independent safety body to investigate accidents.

With the government poised to adopt the report's recommendations Cullen's third and final report could signal major change in transport policy.

Cullen calls for a new independent rail investigation board which will be charged with the task of conducting inquiries into rail accidents.

This would replace the Railtrack body, Rail Safety, and would be established along similar lines to the air accident investigations board. Such a move is being seen as an attempt to remove the "blame culture" from the investigations process and develop a more independent and objective system.

Under the proposed change the new body, which itself will be open to scrutiny, will investigate accidents before reporting to police and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) - who will retain the powers of prosecution.

The report calls for the creation of a new independent rail industry safety body to undertake the development of railway standards, provide safety leadership in the industry and sponsor research and development.

The role of the Health and Safety Executive in relation to rail safety should be strengthened, the report says. Lord Cullen's report concludes that Her Majesty's Rail Inspectorate, a division of the HSE, should continue to be the safety regulator for the railways but with argues it should be given more resources under new direction.

Bill Callaghan, the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission, said: "The HSC welcomes and endorses this report. It is a comprehensive and well argued analysis of the railway industry and demonstrates a careful and dispassionate examination of all the arguments. There will, I hope, be a fundamental change as a result of this report - it sets out a big agenda for action which the whole industry now needs to address."

Callaghan said the report recognised the need to draw a distinction between the role of the railway industry and the role of an independent and external regulator. "This distinction is fundamental in the rail industry and indeed in all industries," he said.

Lord Cullen concludes that there must be an immediate and sustained improvement in the manner in which the industry control contractors and sub contractors.

The report also highlights the need for the Strategic Rail Authority, the Office of the Rail Regulator and the HSE to work more closely with one another.

All three bodies will now convene a "top level group" to move forward with the recommendations and will report back within six months.