Rail unions want return to in-house maintenance

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) progress report on its investigation into the Potters Bar crash on 10 May 2002 confirmed that the accident was caused by a set of points that moved under a train causing derailment. The crash claimed seven lives and injured many more.

HSE investigators found that 40 out of 300 nuts on other points around Potters Bar were not fully tightened, and that the points responsible for the crash had been wrongly assembled.

The investigators had not found any evidence of sabotage or vandalism, which the subcontractor, Jarvis, had claimed was the likely cause of the crash. Rail unions are arguing strongly that the findings should prompt Railtrack to take all maintenance in-house, ending the use of contractors such as Jarvis.

Commenting on the HSE report, Mick Rix, general secretary of train drivers' union ASLEF said: This report establishes that all the talk of sabotage put out by Jarvis was nothing more than a smokescreen to divert attention from its own responsibilities and prop up its share price...The senior management of Jarvis should be held responsible for their actions, and there should be an urgent investigation of the possibility of prosecuting them for failing to maintain the railway in a safe condition."

The investigation so far has confirmed that the derailment resulted from faults in the points that caused them to fail catastrophically. Detailed examination of the points

has identified other differences in their condition compared to the standards expected. Tests of other points in the Potters Bar area revealed that 20% were not fully tight. There is no evidence to support claims of sabotage

Railtrack has been ordered to urgently review the design of 1,700 sets of points across the network.

Work also continues on looking at the wider managerial issues that may have contributed to the accident.

Nine out of 10 members of the public backs the right of rail unions to strike over safety, a poll of over a thousand people has found.

The nationwide poll also found overwhelming support for re-nationalisation of the railways and opposition to the partial sell-off of London Underground.

RMT rail union general secretary, Bob Crow, said: 'With nearly nine out 10 of people backing our right to strike over safety fears the government should finally concede that it must not make the same fatal mistake with the Tube."

The HSE report is available from: www.hse.gov.uk/railway/pottersbar/index.htm