§ Mr. BayleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what response British Rail made to recommendation 55 of the Hidden report on the Clapham junction railway accident in respect of mark 1 rolling stock including class 411, 413, 415 and 416 vehicles in use on Network South East's south-eastern division routes in Kent.
§ Mr. WattsBritish Rail carried out its stated programme of research into the structural integrity of its rolling stock, which included an assessment of the structural changes necessary to strengthen mark 1 vehicles with an expected life span of eight years or more. BR completed the programme by April 1991 and then discussed the results with the Health and Safety Executive's railway inspectorate. BR concluded that very few of the mark 1 vehicles in classes 411, 413, 415 and 416 were projected to remain in service for eight years or more, and that it would not be reasonably practicable to carry out structural changes to these vehicles or to the remainder of mark 1 vehicles. I understand that Her Majesty's railway inspectorate agreed with BR's conclusions.
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