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The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) is to ask independent experts to review the report into train protection systems published today by the Strategic Rail Authority and Railway Safety. The HSC will also seek the views of passengers, railway staff and the wider public before putting advice to Ministers early next year.
Bill Callaghan, Chair of the HSC said,
"The Health and Safety Commission welcomes this useful contribution from the industry team but stresses the need to introduce a workable and efficient system as soon as possible. The Commission is naturally disappointed about the time scales suggested in the report."
"The Commission is concerned that the introduction of European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) could be plagued by the same sort of delays that affected the development of automatic train protection in Britain over the years. In 1998 the Commission decided to recommend to Ministers that the introduction of a system of automatic train protection - the Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS) - should be governed by regulations. TPWS is now on course to be fitted by 1 January 2004: this will save lives."
Mr Callaghan added,
"There is no doubt that ERTMS is the signalling system for the future and the basis for a modern railway, bringing both safety and potential capacity advantages. But there are important choices to be made about the safety gains, the speed of progress, the priorities for fitment of ERTMS, the funding of this programme and its impact on other programmes which can also have safety implications."
"One of the choices is the relative pace of system development and implementation. Given that practical development of ERTMS throughout Europe has been much slower than envisaged at the time of the Joint Inquiry into Train Protection Systems conducted by Professor Uff and Lord Cullen, I am not confident the precise Uff/Cullen timetable can be met."
"The crashes at Southall and Ladbroke Grove raised great concern in the public mind about trains passing red signals. Railways are one of the safest forms of transport but, despite recent improvements, there are still too many signals passed at danger. The Commission is determined to ensure the speediest workable and efficient introduction of ERTMS. It is therefore vital that the Government and the railway industry ensure sufficient funding for the system development work set out in the report and for the pilot projects. Whatever implementation option is decided upon, system development must be a priority."
"Today's report is from the railway industry but, as the independent health and safety regulator, the HSC wants to hear the views of railway staff and passengers. We will seek advice from experts in the HSE and other independent sources, and we will keep in close touch with the Strategic Rail Authority, Railway Safety, the Office of the Rail Regulator, the railway industry and railway suppliers. We will also examine the development of ERTMS in other countries."
"We intend to advise Ministers early in 2003 on the regulatory framework needed to ensure the timely and efficient introduction of ERTMS."
1. The ERTMS Programme Team Final Report was published today by the SRA and Railway Safety.
2. In April 2001 a Programme Board co-chaired by the Strategic Rail Authority and Railway Safety established the ERTMS Programme Team (EPT), which produced the report. The EPT was asked to produce an industry plan for implementing a key recommendation of the report of the Joint Inquiry into Train Protection Systems - that ERTMS should be installed on the UK mainline network to a defined timetable, to minimise the risk of train accidents caused by signals passed at danger (SPADs).
3. The Joint Inquiry into Train Protection Systems, led by Professor Uff and Lord Cullen, was established shortly after the Ladbroke Grove accident. It was asked to consider train protection and warning systems, the future application of automatic train protection systems and SPAD prevention measures, taking account in particular of the Southall accident on 19 September 1997, the accident at Ladbroke Grove Junction on 5 October 1999 and the technical assessment for the Deputy Prime Minister of Rail Safety Systems by Sir David Davies, with a view to making general recommendations with regard thereto. The Joint Inquiry Report was published in March 2001.
4. HSC has already consulted informally on the form of regulations for ERTMS - HSC press notice No C004:02 refers.
5. Annex 10 from the Joint Inquiry Report, setting out the requirements and objectives of regulations for fitment of ETCS to major rail lines, is appended.
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(a) A requirement that trackside ETCS on the WCML is completed according to the current timetable;
(b) A requirement that trackside ETCS on the ECML is completed by 2005 or 2006;
(c) A requirement that full ATP protection is provided on GWML by 2006 with the possibility of requiring a reverse STM for the FGW fleet;
(d) A requirement that all lines that carry trains above 100 mph are fitted with ETCS by a date not later than 2008;
(e) A requirement that routes with a line speed between 75 mph and 100 mph are risk assessed within a specified time to establish the order in which ETCS should be fitted to them.
(f) A power vested in the HSE or Secretary of State to require that lines falling within (e) are fitted with ETCS;
(g) A requirement that routes with a line speed of between 60mph and 75mph are risk assessed to enable a decision to be made as to whether ETCS is justified on safety grounds;
(h) A power vested in the HSE or Secretary of State to require that lines falling within (g) are fitted with ETCS;
(i) A requirement that all new trains are fitted with ETCS to whatever extent is possible at the time they are built;
(j) A requirement that the current fleet is retrofitted with ETCS according to a realistic timetable, taking account of the speed of the trains, and where they operate;
(k) A prohibition against running a non-ETCS fitted train over an ETCS fitted line after 2010, unless TPWS provides equivalent protection
(l) A prohibition against running any train over 100 mph after 2010, unless it is protected by ETCS or other full protection.
(m) A requirement to establish a System Authority with powers to manage the installation of track and train equipment.
(n) A power to grant exemptions and amendments.
The Joint Inquiry into Train Protection Systems, HSE Books 2001 ISBN 0 7176 1998 2 £19.50
Published on the HSE web site on 25 April 2002