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Crash report blasts UK rail firm

Paddington crash
Paddington crash: 'Railtrack was disjointed and ineffective'  


LONDON, England -- A report into the Paddington train crash in London which killed 31 people has levelled scorching criticism at the company responsible for maintaining the UK's rail infrastructure.

The Cullen Inquiry accused Railtrack of "institutional paralysis" and a "lamentable failure" in reacting to warning signs of a potential danger at the crash site.

Survivors have called for prosecutions and sackings in the wake of the damning report.

The crash happened in October 1999 after a commuter train went through a red danger signal and smashed almost head-on into a London-bound Great Western express at Ladbroke Grove, near Paddington train station in west London.

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Paddington crash
- 31 killed
- 227 taken to hospital
- 296 minor injuries treated at scene
- Crash site known blackpsot
- Red signal passed seven times in five years

Louise Christian, solicitor for the Paddington Survivors Group, said "We want to see a prosecution of corporate manslaughter. This report has re-opened that possibility."

Birgit Andersen, who lost her daughter Charlotte in the disaster, said "I still find it so puzzling that no one can lose a job, quite frankly."

Tony Knox, a survivor of the crash, was scathing in his criticism of Railtrack and the train operators, proposing the distribution of leaflets entitled "Wanted: Gerald Corbett -- for serial killings on British railways" referring to the company's chief executive at the time of the accident.

The Cullen inquiry, published on Wednesday, said there was "a lack of appreciation within Railtrack that deficiencies in the infrastructure could play a significant part in signals passed at danger (SPADs)."

A signaller at the control centre at Slough, Berkshire -- from where the two trains were controlled -- had tried in vain to prevent the collision when he realised the two trains were bearing down on each other.

Lord Cullen also said there was "a dangerously complacent attitude" to drivers passing danger signals and called Railtrack's failure to act after previous SPADs at the crash site "lamentable".

"This activity was so disjointed and ineffective that little was achieved. The problem was not dealt with in a prompt, pro-active and effective manner," Cullen said.

The report is more damaging publicity for the UK rail industry, hit by a series of fatal crashes, question marks over safety and crippling timetable disruption.

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) report into the accident published last year said the red signal -- known as signal 109 -- had been "passed at danger" seven times in the five years before the crash.

It was also one of the top 22 most-passed-at danger signals and was extremely difficult to read, the HSE report said. An emergency "stop" message to try to prevent the collision was sent too late.

The rail industry has vowed to learn from the "searching" criticisms in the Cullen report and to improve safety.

Railtrack, the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) and safety organisation Railway Safety have issued a joint statement saying they would "do better."

"Ladbroke Grove was a true watershed for the rail industry and has had a profound effect," the statement said. "We anticipate that the publication of the report marks an important step for the industry in learning the lessons and moving forward in delivering an even safer railway, building on the progress made both before and after privatisation."





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• Railtrack
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