The Government today ruled out a public inquiry into two separate train disasters which claimed the lives of eight people.
Transport Secretary Lord Adonis instead said the public interest was 'best served' by holding two independent inquests into the 2002 Potters Bar and 2007 Grayrigg disasters.The decision will anger relatives of the victims and rail unions who have called for a joint public inquiry into the crashes, which were caused by faulty sets of points.
Lord Adonis said today: 'I have decided that the public interest is best served by the continuation of the two inquests that have begun into the deaths resulting from the rail accidents at Potters Bar and at Grayrigg.'I have therefore decided not to convene a public inquiry into the accidents, either individually or jointly.'
He said he regreted the length of time taken to reach this decision as well as the anxiety it may have caused to relatives.'However, the chronology of events and the issues are complex and I considered it important to ensure that my decision regarding the next steps is the right one, he said.
'Having considered the material before me, I am satisfied that separate inquests will allow for appropriate further independent investigations of the accidents, with the bereaved and injured able to participate and express their views and concerns in a transparent forum open to public scrutiny.'Although the conduct of the inquests is a matter for the coroners, the inquests will be capable of examining the relevant issues raised by the accidents, including those that are common to both.'
But Keith Norman, leader of the train drivers union Aslef said it was astonishing that the Government is not prepared to give the maximum transparency to what happened.The May 2002 Potters Bar accident happened when a West Anglia Great Northern high-speed train travelling from London to King's Lynn in Norfolk was derailed as it went over faulty points just outside Potters Bar station in Hertfordshire.
Six passengers died and an elderly woman pedestrian was killed when debris fell on to the road beneath the track. In addition, 76 people were injured.
That section of track was being maintained by private company Jarvis while overall responsibility for safety of the railways lay with Railtrack, the private rail infrastructure company later replaced by Network Rail (NR).
An accident report by the Health and Safety Executive in May 2003 blamed poor maintenance for the points failure, with earlier inspections not spotting defects in the points.In April 2004, NR and Jarvis formally accepted liability on behalf of the rail industry for all legally justified claims brought by the bereaved and injured in respect of the crash.
In October 2005, the Crown Prosecution Service said it had advised British Transport Police that there was no realistic prospect of conviction for an offence of gross negligence manslaughter against any individual or corporation in respect of the Potters Bar accident.
The February 2007 Grayrigg accident in Cumbria happened on the West Coast Main Line when a Virgin Rail Pendolino high-speed 'tilting' train travelling from London to Glasgow passed over a faulty set of points at 95mph.
Although only one person died, nearly 90 were injured when a number of coaches were derailed.NR immediately accepted blame for the accident and in a report last October, the RAIB listed a catalogue of safety errors.These included the non-carrying out of a planned inspection that 'should have detected' the faulty points.
Lord Adonis said today that as far as Grayrigg was concerned there would be 'a further independent examination of the accident during an inquest, which I am satisfied is capable of addressing any relevant questions that remain unanswered'.
He added that he would 'make funds available to the Coroner for South and East Cumbria, to assist him in carrying out a full investigation, if these are requested'.
The Potters Bar inquest was adjourned after the Grayrigg accident.Lord Adonis said reopening of the Potters Bar inquest would 'provide an opportunity for a further independent examination of the accident.
Writer Nina Bawden, 84, whose husband Austen Kark was killed in the Potters Bar crash, said families have worked hard for a public inquiry and are disappointed one won't be taking place.
'The Government could have had the decency of informing us first about today's news,' she said.Ms Bawden, who was badly injured in the May 2002 accident, added: 'The reopening of the Potters Bar inquest is at least something. I hope everything will come out.
'I want them to come to a sensible conclusion and make the railways as safe as possible.'But Gerry Doherty, leader of the TSSA rail union dismissed the claim and said it was yet another example of the Government doing the complete opposite of what it claims to be doing.
'Just like alleged transparency over MPs' expenses, these inquests are part of the ongoing cover-up over the Potters Bar tragedy in particular,' he said.'They wait seven years and then announce an inquest which will not report before the next election - just like their alleged inquiry into the Iraq War.'
'If they were really interested in letting the public know what happened at Potters Bar - and the role that private contractors Jarvis played in that accident - they would have ordered a full public inquiry into the tragedy years ago.'
Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT rail union, said the inquest announcement was welcome but not an alternative to a full public inquiry.There is a real danger of another Hatfield (the 2000 rail crash in which four people were killed), Potters Bar or Grayrigg and the Government should intervene to reinstate the full renewals programme before we have another disaster on our hands,' he said.
