BS: Train Crash Near Reading UK......

Subject: BS: Train Crash Near Reading UK......
From: Sorcha
Date: 06 Nov 04 - 06:34 PM

At least 2 dead and many injured.....please check in fiddler and Stepper......

Subject: RE: BS: Train Crash Near Reading UK......
From: Noreen
Date: 06 Nov 04 - 10:30 PM

Six confirmed dead in train crash : BBC News

Subject: RE: BS: Train Crash Near Reading UK......
From: Ebbie
Date: 06 Nov 04 - 10:54 PM

I love train travel but I can't imagine anything much scarier than a train wreck. My sympathies are with them.

Subject: RE: BS: Train Crash Near Reading UK......
From: Flash Company
Date: 07 Nov 04 - 10:56 AM

If the current theory that the car driver created the crash as an elaborate way of comitting suicide, I find it very, very sick.
Also, the plot line of a TV drama, Silent Witness screened recently on BBC featured a train crash involving a car on a level crossing (Life copies art?)

FC

Subject: RE: BS: Train Crash Near Reading UK......
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 07 Nov 04 - 01:50 PM

Unmanned level crossings save money. I can understand how that might make sense to the people who make those kinds of decisions.   But this was the kind of level crossing where the gates only go part way across the road, so it's possible to drive past them, and I can't see how that can make sense to anyone.

Subject: RE: BS: Train Crash Near Reading UK......
From: Flash Company
Date: 08 Nov 04 - 10:09 AM

Seems from today's reports that the guy was parked on the crossing before the gates closed and did not react to an off-duty policeman who tried to warn him. To be charitable, perhaps he had had a heart attack and was already dead (it happens), in which case the type of crossing was irrelevant.

FC

Subject: RE: BS: Train Crash Near Reading UK......
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 09 Nov 04 - 05:58 AM

This has sparked off a whole controversy about unmanned level crossings with many claiming that they should all be abolished. If a vehicle crash took 6 lives, it usually wouldn't make the front page of the national papers - even serious coach crashes tend to be on the inner pages. OK, beside the fatalities, there were about 150 injured, but many of these weren't serious. If you took all the RTAs in the same 24 hours, the casualty figures would be much greater. Yet no-one ever suggests that same level road junctions should all be replaced by underpasses and fly-overs.

On average about 11 people die each year as a result of crossing accidents - most of these are people on the crossing rather than rail passengers. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to replace the half-road barriers by full ones wherever possible, but if, as has been suggested, the driver was trying to kill himself, this would probably have made no difference. I say this because I was once on a train which was derailed by a car smashing straight through one of the old-style heavy level-crossing gates - which was right by the controlling signal box.

Incidently, if level crossings were all abolished, many rural ones would not be replaced with alternatives and would probable result in much longer journeys or, more likely, people crossing the rails at unofficial places.

I would like to point out that I feel very sorry about any deaths or injuries caused by any rail accidents, but why don't the public realise that rail transport still offers one of safest forms of travel. I was highly amused by a letter to a newspaper in which a reader said that they would, henceforth drive to work because of the risk of train crashes - I wonder if there are any level crossings on their route . . . .

Subject: RE: BS: Train Crash Near Reading UK......
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 09 Nov 04 - 06:37 AM

Agreed about the statistics and the comparative safety issue for road and rail. But I strongly suspect that getting rid of the old-fashioned level crossings with a bloke in charge able to put the signal at red if something got stuck on the crossing has greatly increased danger.

If a car or lorry breaks down on a road junction I believe there is generally a sensor in the road that will stop the lights turning green.

Subject: RE: BS: Train Crash Near Reading UK......
From: GUEST,T-boy
Date: 09 Nov 04 - 08:11 AM

To answer McGrath's previous point, if you were desperately trying to get a stalled car off the crossing, then full-width gates in front of you and behind you would not be very helpful.

Subject: RE: BS: Train Crash Near Reading UK......
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 09 Nov 04 - 08:41 AM

Easy enough to have gates that only hinged one way, so you could get off but not on, T-boy.

But what I'm reallybntalking about is the old-fashioned gates, that swung across to block either the road or the lines, with someone there whose job it was to open and close them, and who knew when trains were due. It was completely impossible to swing them across while a car was on the line.

Subject: RE: BS: Train Crash Near Reading UK......
From: Rain Dog
Date: 09 Nov 04 - 12:08 PM

From the BBC sight


Main UK rail network has 7,937 level crossings
More than 460 are "automatic half barrier" crossings like that involved in Saturday's crash
Fewer than 50 crossings have barriers across whole road
Thousands of smaller crossings either have no barriers or barriers operated by person crossing
Greatest cause of accidents at level crossings is "user mis-use", for example drivers zig-zagging round half barriers

Subject: RE: BS: Train Crash Near Reading UK......
From: Sorcha
Date: 09 Nov 04 - 08:26 PM

But, Where is fiddler Andy???? Is he OK?

Subject: RE: BS: Train Crash Near Reading UK......
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 10 Nov 04 - 04:53 AM

Perhaps one idea would be to have CCTV cameras at crossings and other possible danger spots. A picture could then be displayed on a screen in the driver's cab before he reached the hazard. The electronics to do this are easily available and equipping trains would probably much cheaper than replacing crossings.

Subject: RE: BS: Train Crash Near Reading UK......
From: fiddler
Date: 10 Nov 04 - 01:25 PM

Were Still here Stepper!

No 1 daughter was on duty at the |Newbury Police station when it happened it has been interesting watching the flow of information compared to what actually happened as per the real incident!

The truth eventually comes out - despite the media!

Hugs Sorch and all catters and all those who know or are connected in any way to the affected folk!

Andy

Subject: RE: BS: Train Crash Near Reading UK......
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 11 Nov 04 - 09:24 AM

These crossings do not cause enough accidents to justify spending on cctv, manned crossings etc. Not callous, but more lives could be saved by spending elsewhere.
It would be hard to stop a determined suicide anyway.
Keith.