08.11.07
RMT demands urgent action after 12th rail runaway since Tebay tragedy
Watchdog too slow and too lenient after spate of runaways, says union
Urgent action to stop the continuing stream of runaways on Britain’s railways has been demanded by Britain’s biggest rail union after another road-rail vehicle ran out of control for seven miles between Brentford and Romford in Essex last Sunday morning (November 4).
RMT understands that the incident, involving a privately owned and operated road-rail vehicle, would not have been possible had modifications, required under an improvement notice issued by the railways inspectorate last year, already been carried out on it.
However, the improvement notice gave Network Rail until the end of 2007 to implement changes and allowed contractors to continue operating unmodified vehicles. RMT understands that the vehicle involved in Sunday was due for modification next week.
The Romford incident brings to 12 the number of runaways recorded since four rail workers were killed by a runaway trailer at Tebay in Cumbria on February 15, 2004. (list below)
“Every one of these runaways is a potential killer and every one of them is preventable, but the industry has so far failed to protect track workers,” RMT general secretary Bob Crow said.
“There could have been 12 more Tebays since our four members were killed in Cumbria in February 2004, and that is unacceptable.
“We were promised urgent action after two runaways in Stockport in August 2004, but it took the inspectorate another two years to issue an improvement notice, and even then they gave Network Rail a year to do something.
“It is only since Sunday that NR has finally suspended the use of the type of vehicle involved at Romford, but it is always too little, too late.
“We need action now to protect track workers, but we are still waiting for a meeting with Network Rail to discuss the possibility of secondary protection.
“The common thread linking all of these runaways is that not one of the vehicles is owned or operated by Network Rail itself.
“It is only when Network Rail takes proper control of the assets and skills needed for renewals that we can begin to ensure that these vehicles are in working order and operated safely.
“Network Rail has already made its maintenance safer and more efficient by bringing it back in-house, and they now need to complete the job and bring renewals back in-house too,” Bob Crow said.
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