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Dept of the Environment Transport and the Regions

Answer

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what steps he is taking to review the adequacy of crash barriers on the approach roads to bridges over railway lines; and if he will make a statement. [152853] Mr. Hill: I am extremely grateful to the HSE and to TRL for their speedy consideration of the factors involved in the tragic accident at Great Heck near Selby on 28 February 2001. HSE and TRL will be continuing their investigations, but it is becoming apparent that there was nothing the railway industry could reasonably have done to prevent the train collision. It also appears that there were no technical matters connected with the road infrastructure that would help explain why the vehicle left the M62 in the first place. The road surface appears to have been adequate and the safety barriers more than met the current standards. We will, of course, have to await the report of the police into the incident. But in the interim my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has asked the HSC to convene and lead a working group that will look at the circumstances of incidents where vehicles have blocked rail lines and whether there are features in common that might have been preventable. In parallel the Highways Agency will be reviewing its standards for safety barriers.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

152853; 364 c466-7W

Session

2000-01

Subjects

Accidents Bridges Health and Safety Executive Railways Motorways Roads Safety barriers

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk