Re: English Railway Accident

["Chris Downs" <cvdowns@ozemail.com.au>]

KaMaK <mckinnon@interact.net.au> wrote in message
sJnn6.35$x34.227470@news.interact.net.au">news:sJnn6.35$x34.227470@news.interact.net.au...

> As has been expressed in many different ways in uk.railways newsgroup -
> surely there must be severe speed restrictions places on all road-over
> bridges until their safety can be inspected and certified - remember the
> railway was there first.

There's also some consensus (from what I've read in some UK rail mags) that
Railtrack impossed too many speed restrictions after Hatfield with extreme
capacity & reliability consequences.  One comment was that 1 extra person per
week was dying on the roads because of passenger mode shift rail to road
(don't know how reliable this extrapolation was).

The cost vs benefit must be considered in this equation.  2 such fatal
accidents in 20 years does not make a compelling case  for severe speed
restrictions at underpasses where push-pull is used.  A comprehensive approach
to fix the highest risk locations (by cost/benefit) is the sensible approach,
reached by considering all factors.

Chris