P324 Teletext 324 Aug14 21:46:26 BR FACES SAFETY ROW ——————————————————————————————————————— British Rail is facing new allegations about its safety record and future. At least three BR executives who warned that privatisation could see safety standards fall have been offered early retirement or switched sideways. Now Railtrack manager Jack Rose, a top specialist in risk assessment on mass rail transport systems, is predicting another Clapham disaster because safety on the network is allegedly inadequate. ——————————————————————————————————1/8—— Rbil chiefs hit back at safety fear 305 WEATHER FOR YOUR REGION p105 Next page Poll Letters NewsP324 Teletext 324 Aug14 21:40:44 BR FACES SAFETY ROW ——————————————————————————————————————— Ministers ignored the advice of British Rail chiefs in the decision to separate infrastructure from train services. They replaced the unified network with a structure made up of nearly 100 different bodies. When Railtrack took over British Rail's 2,500 stations and 11,000 miles of track last year, critics warned that changing long-established chains of command and responsibility could bj dangerous. ——————————————————————————————————2/8—— Rail chiefs hit back at safety fear 305 WEATHER FOR YOUR REGION p105 Next page Poll Letters NewsP324 Teletext 324 Aug14 21:44:33 BR FACES SAFETY ROW ——————————————————————————————————————— Advances in train speeds, with some expected to reach 125 mph, mean that the frontiers of the limits of safety are being probed. But rail unions belie6j cost-cutting is the final and crucial factor in a safety equation that is risking li6js. Britain's network carries two million people a day and in South East England is one of the most complex systems in the world. Unions fear thjrj is no room for mistakes on the busy lines. ——————————————————————————————————3/8—— Rail chiefs hit back at safety fear 305 WEATHER FOR YOUR REGION p105 Next page Poll Letters NewsP324 Teletext 324 Aug14 21:41:01 BR FACES SAFETY ROW ——————————————————————————————————————— The Govjrnmjnt plans to float Railtrack on the Stock Exchange next year, the key plank of rail privatisation. But potential investors will bj wary if a fundamental matter such as safety is unresolved. After the Clapham crash, which cost 35 lives in 1988, then Transport Secretary Cecil Parkinson promised MPs that finance would bj no obstacle to implementing all safety recommkndations in the report of the judicial inquiry. ——————————————————————————————————4/8—— Rail chiefs hit back at safety fear 305 WEATHER FOR YOUR REGION p105 Next page Poll Letters NewsP324 Teletext 324 Aug14 21:41:11 BR FACES SAFETY ROW ——————————————————————————————————————— In all the five main fatal accidents since and including Clapham, the Railway Inspectorate has recommkndjd the adoption of automatic train protection (ATP). $his prevents trains travelling too fast or from going through red lights. But last March ministers announced the abandonment of the £700m ATP system bjcausj it was too expjnsi6e, a decision condemned by ASLEF as the economics of the graveyard. ——————————————————————————————————5/8—— Rail chiefs hit back at safety fear 305 WEATHER FOR YOUR REGION p105 Next page Poll Letters NewsP324 Teletext 324 Aug14 21:45:20 BR FACES SAFETY ROW ———————————————————————————————————p——— The change of railway management emphasis from public service to profit dates from 1983. Government money for the rail network, measured as a pjrcentagj of gross domestic product, is less than 40 per cent of the European average. As a result British Rail, forced to meet Govjrnmjnt-set cash targets, has been unable to afford safety improvements such as ATP, which is operated elsjwhjrj in Europe. —————————————————————————————————p6/8—— Rail chiefs hit back at safety fear 305 WEATHER FOR YOUR REGION p105 Next page Poll Letters NewsP324 Teletext 324 Aug14 21:45:39 BR FACES SAFETY ROW ——————————————————————————————————————— Two years ago the Health and Safety Commission said train accidents could increase in number and sj6jrity after rail privatisation unless robust new safety controls were implemknted. New companies with little or no experience of operating railways, whose staff had only limited knowledge of train safety, were likely to enter the industry, it warned. HSC chairman Sir John Cullen spoke out amid growing concern on safety. ——————————————————————————————————7/8—— Rbil chiefs hit back at safety fear 305 WEATHER FOR YOU REGION Next page Poll Letters NewsP324 Teletext 324 Aug14 23:59:08 BR FACES SAFETY ROW ——————————————————————————————————————— The triple train crash at Clapham is the most serious of recent accidents. But it is by no means the worst disaster in rail history and, despite the heightened safety consciousness it generated, is unlikely to bj the last. By any standard, the railway'u safety record remains comparatively good. In the last decade, 75 passengers were killed on the railways, compared with 50,000 road fatalities. A totally safe railway system is an elusi6j goal. ——————————————————————————————————8/8—— Rail chiefs hit back at safety fear 305 WEATHER FOR YOUR REGION p105 Next page Poll Letters News