§ Mr. Neaveasked the Minister of Transport how many derailments of passenger or goods trains occurred on British Railways during the 12 months ended 31st October, 1966; and what was the cost of repairs to railway property and damage to rail users.
§ Mr. SwinglerThe latest provisional figures for the 12 months ended 31st October, 1966, show that there were 32 derailments of passenger trains and 247 of goods trains, a total of 279. Information giving the cost of repairs to railway property and damage to rail users is not readily available.
§ Mr. Neaveasked the Minister of Transport what proportion of derailments on British Railways in the 12 months ended 31st October, 1966 was due to defective freight wagons; and what action the Railways Board are taking, in the interest of safety, to renew the wagon fleet and make better equipment available.
§ Mr. SwinglerThe latest provisional figures indicate that of the 279 derailments that occurred on British Railways during the 12 months ended 31st October, 1966, 43 (17 per cent.) were caused by defective freight wagons.
By the end of 1966, over a period of 5 years, a total of nearly 400,000 wagons, mainly short-wheelbased 4 wheel vehicles, will have been withdrawn from service, leaving a fleet of some 550,000 wagons. New wagon building is being concentrated mainly on rolling stock for bulk movement and for the development of the freight liner network which will progressively replace much of the existing fleet. In the meantime, in the interest of safety, the maximum speed of trains carrying short-wheelbased vehicles has been reduced to 45 m.p.h.