Government declines request for public enquiry into accidents
The government has announced plans to hold 2 separate inquests into the fatal train crashes at Grayrigg in Cumbria in 2007 and at Potters Bar in 2002, despite calls from families of the victims for a joint public enquiry into both accidents. Between the two crashes, 8 people died and over 150 were injured. Relatives had been calling for a joint inquiry to focus on the causes of both crashes, namely the poor condition of points and track at both sites.
The Department for Transport said that Secretary of State Lord Adonis had decided “that two independent inquests will ensure complete public scrutiny of the Potters Bar and Grayrigg accidents” and that the inquests “will ensure that lessons are learned and acted upon and as such are as effective as a public enquiry.” However other organisations, such as the RMT rail union have disagreed with the government’s position.
RMT general secretary Bob Crow was one of those who disagreed, saying “It’s scandalous that is has taken years of campaigning to get a confirmation of full inquests… We have consistently called for a joint public inquiry into Potters Bar and Grayrigg which includes an examination of the safety impact of the privatisation and fragmentation of the rail industry.”
In general, the rail industry in the UK has a very good safety record compared to that of other countries, with rail travellers at a much lower risk of being involved in an accident than motorists or passengers in other forms of public transport. However, as the police and Rail Accident Investigation Board investigations into the crashes at Grayrigg and Potters bar have shown, there are times when poor maintenance procedures can put members of the public at risk of being killed or seriously injured in an otherwise preventable accident.
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