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what do YOU think should be done to improve the British rail system? |
mhorton
Joined: Jan 13, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: UK
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It's the same line as well that had the other train crash in Hatfield. I think that the goverment just don't really care
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Wings_Talons
Joined: Mar 21, 2002
Posts: 242
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I think they should copy the Indian railways. Yes we do have our own quota of crashes but considering the crashes (or lives lost) per passenger mile, Indian rail is the safest in the world according to a report put out by, ironically, the British Rail! India is a huge country and its got the third largest rail network after US and Russia.
In India, the railways is like a seperate government - it has its own budget, electricity company, telegraph, police force etc. So its a psuedo govt organisation and thus it runs very efficiently. It cost £1 to undertake a 100 km journey and that is first class fare. Second class are even less.
I feel uncomfortable travelling in the UK rails because they make so many squeeky noises. I don't see why it should when the train is supposed to moving on two smooth parellel rails. Obviously the rails are not parellel or smooth! Just explains why rails break and cause accidents.
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PR24
Joined: Mar 19, 2002
Posts: 49
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Well personal I think that money should be invested on the U.K.s road system to make them safer. 10 people die on railways in a year and people are in uproar, 10,000 people die on the roads and no-one batters an eye-lid. I think we should get our priorities right! |
Super G
Joined: Mar 07, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: France
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Well, make the railway system state-owned again would probably do a good thing to the safety.
Trying to capitalize such thing is a non-sense as it is opened to a multiplicity of companies who share a common infrastructure. The problem is to keep this infrastructure up&running and in a good shape.
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Eamonn
Joined: Nov 30, 2001
Posts: > 500
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did u hear that the railtrack in potters bar was reported by a worker saying that it needed repair, but they did nothing!!
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Eamonn
Joined: Nov 30, 2001
Posts: > 500
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Crash experts focus on maintenance
The derailed carriage was lifted clear on Tuesday
The rail maintenance record for the track near Potters Bar is being examined after it was confirmed rail nuts were loose nine days before the fatal rail crash.
The Health and Safety Executive has released an interim report confirming that missing nuts in a set of points probably caused the derailment, which killed seven and injured 76.
Rail maintenance contractor Jarvis said the nuts were found detached and screwed back in place during a routine check on 1 May.
A further visual check on 9 May apparently found nothing wrong.
But the HSE said the nuts were off again by 10 May, causing the points to break and the train, in turn, to derail.
The HSE wants to establish why the nuts were missing
Points are held in place by 'stretcher bars'
Each bar held by four anti-vibration nuts
Why were nuts missing at Potters Bar?
Click here to find out more about the Potters Bar points and how they should work
The HSE said the Jarvis revelation was "very significant" and that it was examining all four detached nuts in its laboratory. It said British Transport Police were also examining some components.
On Tuesday afternoon the train carriage wedged beneath a platform roof at Potters Bar station was lifted clear by crane.
It was placed on a specialist lorry, where it will be searched by police and the HSE, before being handed back to operator WAGN.
Work is continuing to remove a 45-metre section of railway track and points nearby, which will also be taken to an HSE laboratory.
Railtrack said it hoped to have services running through the station again by Monday of next week.
'Basic error'
As rail critics began to blame maintenance errors for the accident, the HSE said all the maintenance records of the area over the last 12 months would be thoroughly examined.
These nuts have never, ever come off except to have been manually removed
Jarvis
Frank Hyland, who is managing the HSE's investigation, said: "The question is 'why did we find nuts missing or not in position?'.
"We shall be working with British Transport Police to build up a detailed history of all the points in the area."
He would not comment further on the state or position of the nuts.
A Jarvis spokesman said: "These nuts have never, ever been discovered to have fallen off.
"They have never, ever come off except to have been manually removed."
Jarvis and Railtrack both said they had not ruled out sabotage.
Later Transport Secretary Stephen Byers released a letter from Jarvis which said: "The nuts were refitted and retightened in accordance with good industry practice."
A former rail engineer who did not want to be named told BBC News there was a "lack of knowledge" in all aspects of track maintenance work.
And rail expert Christian Wolmar blamed the accident on "a basic error".
Contracting-out
In a separate development, it emerged on Tuesday that vandals tried to derail a passenger train 24 hours after the Potters Bar disaster by putting football goalposts across a track near Oxford.
The HSE said it had found no evidence of vandalism or signal problems at Potters Bar, and that the train was being driven normally.
The report said the train coaches had generally stood up well to the impact, as had the railway bridge and the station buildings.
The investigation has also thrown the spotlight on the culture of contracting out work on the railways.
Prime Minister Tony Blair told BBC's Newsnight "it's going to take a lot of time and money over many years" to get the railways right - but he backed Mr Byers to do it.
Gwyneth Dunwoody, head of the Commons Transport Committee, called for Railtrack to take maintenance back into its own hands and out of that of contractors.
She said: "There is a lot of evidence that people have been taken on when they have not got the proper classifications."
Mick Rix, general secretary of the train drivers' union Aslef, said: "The conduct and culture of infrastructure maintenance should now be reviewed as a matter of the highest priority."
But Dr Allan Sefton, the HSE's acting chief inspector of railways, said: "There is no evidence at the moment that this is a generic problem."
[ This Message was edited by: ejasim on 2002-05-14 18:59 ] |
Eamonn
Joined: Nov 30, 2001
Posts: > 500
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just unacceptable
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mhorton
Joined: Jan 13, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: UK
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It is.
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fatreg
Joined: Jul 26, 2003
Posts: > 500
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scrap it and start again.
fatreg
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goldenface
Joined: Dec 17, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Liverpool City Centre
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I think we have a lot learn from the Japanese and French. They have the fastest and most successful. Britain suffers from an old system which was run into the ground during 1st and 2nd world wars and received minimal investment for 50 years afterwards. I think things are improving though. Safety of course comes first. Hard lessons have been learnt recently.
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Xugaa
Joined: Oct 05, 2005
Posts: > 500
From: Great Britain
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introduce hover trains capable of 300mph,
london to manchester in 55 minutes...
http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,22749-1500638,00.html
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*Jojo*
Joined: Oct 15, 2003
Posts: > 500
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Jap's BULLET trains are the BEST !
[addsig] |
goldenface
Joined: Dec 17, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Liverpool City Centre
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I like the TGV better.
I travelled on Eurostar to Paris once and it was amazing... It flew along at 186mph (300kph) and the ride was so smooth that most people fell asleep.
They are now going ahead with a new line from Manchester to London which will reach there in 1hr 15 mins.
Link |
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Posted: 2002-05-12 22:53
