§ Lady Olga MaitlandTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport when British Rail last undertook a comprehensive check of door locks on trains; how many were found to be defective; how much it has cost to rectify; how many are all now certified as safe; and how many incidents there have been of doors swinging open unexpectedly in the last 10 years.
§ Mr. FreemanBritish Rail undertakes comprehensive checks of coach door locks in a continuous cycle of maintenance and repair. If a lock is found to be defective, immediate action is taken to rectify it. Information relating to the number and cost of defective locks identified through the maintenance procedure is not collected centrally by BR. The average number of locks changed annually during normal maintenance is approximately 2,300 at an average cost, with labour, of £200 per lock.
There is no record of the number of incidents of doors opening unexpectedly during the last 10 years. The Health and Safety Executive's annual "Report on Railway Safety" shows how often people fall out of trains, how many doors were found irregularly open and how many collisions there have been with open doors on adjacent tracks. Further information is contained in the report on an investigation by the HSE, "Passenger Falls from Train Doors". Copies of both reports are in the House Library.