Paddington lessons 'unlearned'

Survivors of the Paddington disaster today warn that too little has been done to improve rail safety.

More than five years after the crash which killed 31 people, the Paddington Survivors Group (PSG) today publishes an interim report highlighting "grave cause for concern" about the industry's efforts to prevent a repeat.

Of more than 200 recommendations made by Professor John Uff and Lord Cullen at the public inquiries which followed the Paddington and Southall disasters, many have still not been implemented, says the group. It was set up by Pam Warren, whose facial burns made her the enduring image of the tragedy.

"Our studies still give the PSG grave cause for concern that key recommendations of the inquiries have not been adequately fulfilled," said Jonathan Duckworth, Paddington survivor and group chairman.

After the Paddington crash, it

was never established what led Michael Hodder to drive his Thames Trains service through a red signal, leading to the head-on collision with a Great Western express.

The PSG finds it "very worrying" that the number of signals passed at danger (Spads) for the year ending in May had increased to 395. Of these 157 were classed as "serious".

Mr Duckworth said: "Nearly 400 red signals passed by trains in one year is not good enough. Over 100 signals with a record of regularly being passed at red is not only not good enough, it is potentially catastrophic." The group's campaign has three objectives:

Mr Duckworth said: "Our interim review suggests that of the 202 recommendations perhaps as many as 140 have been fulfilled and others are near to completion."

But others had not been completed as promised.

A recommendation that a train protection and warning system (TPWS) - which would halt a train automatically if it passed a signal at danger - be installed has been only partially completed. A report from the Health and Safety Commission states 2,500 out of 9,800 signals are considered at "high risk" of being passed at danger.

But of those 2,500, only 300 are to be fitted with TPWS.

Mr Duckworth added: "Note 'are to be fitted' - not 'have been fitted'."

Another major area of concern is the lack of a designated radio system to allow a signaller to contact a train driver immediately if a signal is passed at red.

The radio system was originally ordered to begin in 2008 but has been delayed until 2013.

A limited version on selected lines should have been completed by last January but has still not been put in place.

Network Rail said much of the delay was caused by planning problems, with up to 2,000 new masts needed.