HSC publishes second progress report on Train Protection Recommendations

HSE Press Release C034:02 - 26 July 2002

The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) today published a second report on progress made with implementing the recommendations from the Joint Inquiry Report into Train Protection Systems.

HSC is committed to publishing progress reports on how the railway industry has responded to the 39 recommendations made by Professor Uff and Lord Cullen in March 2001. The HSC report covers action taken in the first 12 months after those recommendations were published.

Bill Callaghan, HSC Chair, said:

"HSC welcomes the general progress in implementing measures to reduce signals passed at danger (SPADs). I am particularly pleased with the way in which the 1999 Railway Safety Regulations have worked in achieving an agreed programme for fitting the Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS). We are now reaching a point in the TPWS fitment programme where significant safety benefits are being obtained."

The report notes positive action on all 39 recommendations with only two (recommendation 1- on extending BR-ATP and recommendation 8 - on identifying junction signals where the risk from SPADs is insignificant) where some slippage against the timetable is likely, although in both cases good progress has been made.

Many recommendations have now been overtaken by, or incorporated into, further work, e.g. numbers 18-21 on ERTMS (see below). The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reports that industry has also responded well to the requirements of recommendations on other SPAD-reduction measures.

Key recommendations in the Joint Inquiry report relate to plans for fitting the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), on which HSC has received further advice from the rail industry's ERTMS Programme Board. In April HSC announced its intention to ask independent experts to review this Board's report and work is progressing on reviewing certain key technical and economic conclusions. HSC also intends to seek views from passengers, railway staff and the wider public before putting advice to Ministers early next year. In the meantime, HSC supports the continued work of the Programme Board in developing a national rollout strategy for ERTMS on the rail network.

This is the last progress report which will concentrate solely on the recommendations from the Cullen/Uff Joint Inquiry. From Autumn 2002, HSC intends to publish 'themed' reports covering all 295 recommendations from the four recent railway public inquiry reports (Southall, the Joint Inquiry and Ladbroke Grove Parts 1 and 2).

Copies of the report 'The joint inquiry into train protection systems: progress report to the end of March 2002' are available on the HSE website at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/railway/jirpt02.pdf

Notes to editors

1. The Joint Inquiry into Train Protection Systems, chaired by Professor John Uff QC FREng and the Rt Hon Lord Cullen PC, was established shortly after the Ladbroke Grove rail crash. Their report was published by HSC on 29 March 2001 (see press release: C015:01). Copies are available online from: http://books.hse.gov.uk from HSE Books.

2. HSC published its first progress report in September 2001, see press release: C042:01, dated 27 September and: http://www/hse.gov.uk/railway/jirpt.pdf

3. The ERTMS Programme Board report was published by the SRA and Railway Safety on 25 April 2002. See press notice C015:02 for HSC's response to the report. Consideration of the ERTMS Programme Board report led to the delay in publishing this progress report today.

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