Bright safety performance continues on railways

Safety on the railways continued to improve in 2007, with a five-per-cent cut in the number of train incidents, according to the latest report from the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR).

Headline findings include:

€ﾢ The total number of casualties dropped from 4379 in 2006 to 4318 in 2007;

€ﾢ The number of passenger fatalities fell to six in 2007, from 13 in 2004; and

€ﾢ Railway staff fatalities also continued to fall, from ten in 2004 to two in 2007.

But the number of fatalities among other persons increased from nine in 2006 to 25 in 2007.

David Morris, ORR’s deputy chief inspector of railways, said ORR would carry on with its planned proactive inspection and investigation work, focusing on priority areas, including track, command and control signalling, level crossings, and worker safety.

Keith Norman, general secretary of train drivers’ union ASLEF, said the union welcomed the advance in railway safety. “The only reservation we have is the constant slaughter on level crossings, which is a dark spot in an otherwise bright story,” he added.

To view the full report, go to the link below.

http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/370.pdf

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