HC Deb 27 June 1864 vol 176 cc335-6
SIR RICHARD BULKELEY

said, he rose to ask the President of the Board of Trade, Whether his attention has been drawn to the evidence given at the inquest on the sufferers by the late Railway accident at Egham by Mr. Robert Archibald Scott, Traffic Manager of the South Western Railway, in which he says— Ordinarily, I should think there would not be the slightest danger in starting them (the trains) at an interval of five minutes, allowing the first train to make a first stoppage at a distance of eight miles. It is quite an ordinary working of the trains. Some lines allow only three minutes. Also to the evidence of Thomas Gibbard, office porter at Egham, whose duty was to note the arrival and departure of the trains, and who states— That the Royal train (containing their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales) passed through Egham in the morning at 12.51, and that Lee passed through at 12.47. Whether the President of the Board of Trade would inform the House on what lines trains are started at intervals of three minutes only; whether starting trains on the same line at intervals of three minutes is done with the knowledge and sanction of the Board of Trade; and whether he considers the safety of their Royal Highnesses was sufficiently protected in allowing a heavy passenger train to precede them by four minutes only?

MR. MILNER GIBSON

said, that the Board of Trade had no legal authority to interfere with the traffic regulations of railways, and therefore any regulations in force could not be said to have had the sanction of the Board of Trade. Nevertheless, the Inspectors of Railways gave information to the Board of Trade from time to time on which the Board thought it right to send letters to the Railway Companies calling attention to any representations that might be made in regard to regulations of a dangerous character. With regard to the third Question, he had asked Colonel Yolland what was the state of the case, and he told him that it was quite exceptional to allow so small an interval as three minutes between trains, the ordinary practice being to allow at least five minutes between the starting of trains. Colonel Yolland added, however, that the question of time was not material if proper precautions were taken. With regard to the last Question, as to the safety of the Royal train in going from London to Ascot, he had to state that circumstances under which that train was proceeding were quite different from the circumstances under which the trains were proceeding in the case where the collision took place. The other trains were stopping at the various stations, but the Royal train and that which preceded it were going through to Ascot without stopping. As a matter of fact, he believed there was only an interval of four minutes between these two trains.