Hoon is warned rail cutbacks will result in second Hatfield

CUTBACKS in rail maintenance could lead to another Hatfield, Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon was told today.

The three biggest rail unions - the RMT, TSSA and Aslef -have joined forces to warn that passengers' lives are being put at risk by industry-wide cutbacks and the axing of up to 2,000 jobs.

In a joint letter to Mr Hoon the unions say: "We fear conditions are being created which could lead to another Hatfield, Potters Bar or Grayrigg," and are demanding the Government order an industry-wide halt on job and service cuts and a freeze in shareholder dividends.

In the letter to Mr Hoon, Gerry Doherty, leader of the TSSA transport union, said: "Passengers paid through the nose to ensure record profits during the boom. Now they want passengers and staff to pay for the bust with worse services."

Keith Norman, Aslef's general secretary, said Network Rail's proposed cutbacks "threaten to jeopardise the safety of the network."

Network Rail confirmed it was cutting back on works and a spokesman said: "Track renewals today are too expensive and we are deferring next year's work to subsequent years when cheaper and more efficient ways of doing track renewals come on stream." However, he insisted that "safety remains our top priority".

At Hatfield, in October 2000, four passengers died and 34 were injured when the King's Cross to Leeds express derailed at 117 mph. At Grayrigg, Cumbria, one died and 22 were injured in February 2007 when a Virgin express left the tracks because a set of points - the responsibility of NR - was found to be missing.