§ MR. STAPLETONasked the President of the Board of Trade, Whether the new sidings at South Kensington Station have been examined and approved of on behalf of the Board of Trade; whether on entering or on leaving them on their return journey the trains have to cross a different line from that on which they have travelled or are going to travel; and, whether such an arrangement is considered compatible with the public safety on a line where there are so many trains?
§ MR. CHICHESTER FORTESCUEsaid, in reply, that no examination had been made, and no Report had yet been received from the Railway Company. He was not prepared to say whether the construction of the sidings was a breach of the law; but in future, under the Bill which had been passed during the present Session, such sidings would have to be approved of by the Board of Trade. With regard to the second Question, he believed that trains had to cross the line in the manner described. With respect to the last Question, he was not able to give any decided answer; but it was obvious that the danger of such crossings would be reduced to a minimum by the introduction of the block system, which was in use on the Metropolitan lines, and which was being generally introduced.