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| Why a train crash like Santiago is thought to be unlikely in Britain | Why a train crash like Santiago is thought to be unlikely in Britain |
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| Even before the horrific crashes this month in France and Spain, Britain's railways were the safest in Europe. Almost six years have elapsed since a train passenger died in an accident in the UK, and a European commission study this year showed the UK has the lowest fatality rate of 27 national rail networks over a decade. | Even before the horrific crashes this month in France and Spain, Britain's railways were the safest in Europe. Almost six years have elapsed since a train passenger died in an accident in the UK, and a European commission study this year showed the UK has the lowest fatality rate of 27 national rail networks over a decade. |
| While industry figures warn against complacency and stress accidents could still occur, most believe a crash exactly like that in Spain could not have happened here because of the train protection and warning system (TPWS). All European countries have variants of warning systems. But Britain's – initially regarded as a cut-price, interim solution in the wake of the 1999 Ladbroke Grove crash where 31 died after a train passed a red light – has proved remarkably effective. Transmitters have been installed in 20,000 risk locations: before every platform and single track – and ahead of curves on the track where speed limits are significantly reduced. If the train is going too fast, it brakes automatically – regardless of the driver. | |
| The impact with the concrete wall alongside the tracks in Santiago turned the Spanish Renfe train's derailment into mass casualties. The Virgin Pendolino that derailed in 2007 at Grayrigg – Britain's last accident – caused just one death, with carriages remaining intact as they tumbled down a siding. Ever-improving rolling stock has made passengers safer when things do go wrong. | The impact with the concrete wall alongside the tracks in Santiago turned the Spanish Renfe train's derailment into mass casualties. The Virgin Pendolino that derailed in 2007 at Grayrigg – Britain's last accident – caused just one death, with carriages remaining intact as they tumbled down a siding. Ever-improving rolling stock has made passengers safer when things do go wrong. |
| Meanwhile, Network Rail had already started work on eradicating the part suspected to have caused the crash on 12 July in Bretigny-sur-Orge, south of Paris. The "fish plate" used to connect certain rails is being gradually replaced with joints without bolts that could work free. Like the automatic braking, this was a lesson of a past disaster: the loose bolts in points at the Potters Bar crash in 2002, where seven died. | Meanwhile, Network Rail had already started work on eradicating the part suspected to have caused the crash on 12 July in Bretigny-sur-Orge, south of Paris. The "fish plate" used to connect certain rails is being gradually replaced with joints without bolts that could work free. Like the automatic braking, this was a lesson of a past disaster: the loose bolts in points at the Potters Bar crash in 2002, where seven died. |
| Britain's 6,500 remaining level crossings are seen as its railways' most dangerous feature, although recent fatalities have been car drivers and pedestrians. | Britain's 6,500 remaining level crossings are seen as its railways' most dangerous feature, although recent fatalities have been car drivers and pedestrians. |
| If Britain can take pride in its safety records, the advances came on the back of grim Railtrack years where lapses in maintenance and investment led to a string of accidents. Before that, the multiple pile-up in Clapham in 1988, killing 35, brought an end to rail's heavy drinking culture: there is now zero tolerance, including random alcohol testing of even back-office employees. The effects of fatigue have been better recognised; more stringent checks are made on outsourced work. | If Britain can take pride in its safety records, the advances came on the back of grim Railtrack years where lapses in maintenance and investment led to a string of accidents. Before that, the multiple pile-up in Clapham in 1988, killing 35, brought an end to rail's heavy drinking culture: there is now zero tolerance, including random alcohol testing of even back-office employees. The effects of fatigue have been better recognised; more stringent checks are made on outsourced work. |
| Massive investment was pumped into the railways in an era when safety culture came to the fore. Without budgets for adequate training for staff and ongoing maintenance, an expensive new railway can quickly become unsafe. | Massive investment was pumped into the railways in an era when safety culture came to the fore. Without budgets for adequate training for staff and ongoing maintenance, an expensive new railway can quickly become unsafe. |
| Britain's particular focus on transparency and sharing of data across the industry has also meant that not just accidents, but precursors and close calls are closely monitored, with the Rail Safety and Standards Board seeking to predict rather than react to incidents. | Britain's particular focus on transparency and sharing of data across the industry has also meant that not just accidents, but precursors and close calls are closely monitored, with the Rail Safety and Standards Board seeking to predict rather than react to incidents. |
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