Network Rail’s chief executive has offered a “full and unreserved” apology on behalf of the company following a Government report criticising the way tragedies had been handled in the past.
The rail company came under fire for the way that fatalities had been dealt with in the past and was instructed to aim to cut such incidents at level crossings to zero by 2020.
The Transport Committee’s report particularly criticised Network Rail for its lack of transparency around safety concerns at Elsenham level crossing, where two teenagers died in December 2005.
Network Rail was fined £1 million in March 2012 for safety breaches relating to the deaths of Olivia Bazlinton, 14, and Charlotte Thompson, 13, in Essex, who were hit by a Stansted-bound train as they crossed the railway line at Elsenham station.
Following the publication of the committee’s report, Mark Carne, CEO of Network Rail, said: “I wish to extend a full and unreserved apology on behalf of Network Rail to all those whose lives have been touched by a failing, however large or small, made by this company in managing public safety at level crossings and in failing to deal sensitively with the families affected.”
Since 2010, the Network Rail has invested £130 million in level crossing safety improvements, including closing almost 800 crossings, launching various TV and digital campaigns, installing new barrier technology and replacing some 38 crossings with footbridges.
Network Rail has pledged to close a further 500 crossings in the next five years, with over £100 million being invested over this period. Carne went on to say that level crossings in Great Britain are now among the safest in Europe, second only to Luxembourg.
The report, which makes 25 recommendations, 10 of which are specifically for Network Rail, also drew attention to the way victims were erroneously described as ‘trespassers’ or were accused of ‘misuse’ of the railway when they tried to use level crossings appropriately.
Louise Ellman MP, chair of the Transport Committee, said: “Across Great Britain, Network Rail has reduced level crossing risk by 26 per cent since 2009. However when suicides and trespass are excluded, level crossings still account for one half of all fatalities on the railway in recent years. Nine people died at level crossings in 2012-13.
“Network Rail must also demonstrate that it has transformed the way in which it deals with people whose lives are changed by accidents at level crossings.”
Further recommendations from the report include educating children and drivers about the risks of level crossings, as well as overhauling guidance on road signs.
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Given that a percentage of these deaths are a deliberate act ie suicide, just how are Network Rail expected to achieve this unrealistic target