Department of Transport

Official figures show Britain's railways safer than ever before – Sir George Young
_______________________________________________________________

date 5 December 1996
source Department of Transport
type Press release

note 377/96

Significant train accidents fell by 31% last year making Britain's
railways safer than ever before, according to official figures
published today by the independent Health and Safety Executive's
Railway Inspectorate.

Welcoming publication of the Railway Inspectorate's annual report,
Sir George Young, Secretary of State for Transport, said:

"I welcome the confirmation by the independent Health and Safety
Commission that railway safety has improved in the past year, and
that rail travel remains the safest form of land transport.

"This is good news for rail users and staff. In spite of what critics
said, these figures clearly demonstrate that the new railway
industry's continuing commitment to safety is bearing fruit, and
prove just how effective the enhanced safety regime for the
privatised railway is.

"Safety must continue to remain paramount. The railway industry, and
the independent Health and Safety Executive, must remain vigilant to
ensure that these improving trends continue."

Other statistics from the report include:

Total fatalities (excluding trespassers and suicides) in 1995/96
fell to their lowest ever level ( down 13 from 42 to 29). The number
of significant train accidents per million train miles fell to the
lowest ever level ( down from 0.50 to 0.31). The number of incidents
of signals passed at danger reduced by 43 from 781 to 738. The total
number of train accidents increased by 82 from 907 to 989. The
increase was due to a rise in the number of trains running into
obstructions and in the number of fires on passenger trains (which in
the majority of cases were caused by acts of vandalism). Train
accidents due to vandalism increased by 41%.

Railhub Archive ::: 1996-12-05 DoT-001