Mr. Cassels(by Private Notice) asked the Minister of Transport whether he has any statement to make in connection with the railway accident which occurred on the late afternoon of Friday last at Castlecary, Dumbartonshire, when 35 persons were killed and 67 others injured; whether it is intended that a public 818 Government inquiry or an inquiry by the Procurator Fiscal for the county of Dumbarton shall be instituted, and if so when; and whether the coaches involved were of wooden construction?
§ Mr. BurginYes. Sir. The London and North Eastern Railway Company inform me that at about 4.40 p.m. on Friday last the 4.3 p.m. express passenger train from Edinburgh to Glasgow ran into the rear of the 2 p.m. express passenger train from Dundee to Glasgow, while the latter train was stationary just beyond Castlecary, Dumbartonshire. It is with the deepest regret that I have to state that, so far as is at present known, 34 persons were killed and one has since died; 24 were detained in hospital, and 68 have been reported as suffering from minor injuries or shock. I have already appointed the Chief Inspecting Officer of Railways to hold an inquiry. He visited the scene of the accident on Sunday, and will open his inquiry at Edinburgh on Thursday next, the 16th instant. I am not yet in a position to give information as to the construction of the coaches.
The House will wish me to take this opportunity of expressing the deep sympathy which we all must feel with those affected by the accident.
§ Mr. CassellsWhile thanking the right hon. Gentleman for his courteous reply, may I ask him whether, if it is ascertained that the coaches were of wooden construction, in the light of the fact that steel coaches have a distinct advantage over wooden coaches, he will state what his future policy will be in that connection?