§ Mr. Hilary BennTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will review the effectiveness of hammers carried on trains for use in emergencies to break window glass; and if he will make a statement. [134340]
§ Mr. HillThis and other matters relating to the evacuation of trains in an emergency are under review by the Health and Safety Commission. The Railways (Safety Case) Regulations 2000, which were laid before the House on 2 October following proposals from the Commission, will require train operators to revise their safety cases to include, among other things, details of the train evacuation equipment and arrangements which they have in place or propose. These revised safety cases will have to be submitted to the Health and Safety Executive for formal acceptance.
The Commission expects shortly to receive a report from a railway industry working group which is considering these issues. The Commission and Executive will take any further action which may be appropriate in the light of the industry's proposals and any relevant recommendations which may arise from Lord Cullen's public inquiry.
547W
§ Mr. Hilary BennTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what arrangements are made to test the effectiveness of safety equipment carried on passenger trains. [134339]
§ Mr. HillThere are many different types of safety equipment carried on passenger trains. Arrangements for testing the effectiveness of the safety equipment are laid out in the maintenance regime for each train type. The train owner, operator or maintenance contractor is responsible for ensuring that the appropriate arrangements are undertaken.
§ Mr. Alasdair MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what discussions he has held with Railtrack on the subject of cracked or faulty railway lines; what assurances he has secured from Railtrack; and if he will make a statement.[135932]
§ Mr. HillThere are regular meetings between Ministers and Railtrack at which a variety of issues have been discussed, including the issue of broken rails.
§ Mr. Alasdair MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what investigations are being undertaken on the safety of the railway track in(a) north-east Scotland and (b) elsewhere in Scotland; and if he will make a statement. [135934]
§ Mr. HillHSE's Principal Inspector of Railways in Scotland met with the Senior Railtrack Management on 25 October 2000. Railtrack Scotland has carried out visual examinations on sites with track already identified as needing replacement, and are in the process of establishing a programme for other sites. Railtrack is taking whatever action is necessary to identify all track defects and where they cannot be remedied speedily, the necessary mitigation measures (i.e. speed restrictions, increased inspection, traffic limitations) will be implemented to maintain the safety of passengers. HSE is also meeting with senior management at Railtrack HQ on national initiatives being taken to maintain the infrastructure.
§ Mr. Alasdair MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he was first advised by the shadow Strategic Rail Authority of the extent of the problems with broken rails; and if he will make a statement. [135933]
§ Mr. HillIn its first interim report into the Hatfield derailment on 20 October, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) informed Ministers that Railtrack were concerned about a specific form of rolling contact fatigue—sometimes referred to as gauge corner cracking—and that as a result had imposed emergency speed restrictions across the railway system. However, Ministers have been aware of the general issue of broken rails for a considerable amount of time, including the concerns raised by the HSE and the Rail Regulator.
§ Mr. Alasdair MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many broken rails were discovered on the railway network in Scotland in(a) 1990 and (b) in each year from 1995 to date; and if he will make a statement.[135935]
§ Mr. HillThe Health and Safety Executive does not hold records on broken rails dating back to 1990. Figures for broken rails based on geographical areas supplied to HSE's Railway Inspectorate by railway operators548W commenced from 1 April 1996. The number of broken rails for Scotland for the period of 1 April 1996 to 31 March 2000 are shown in the following table.
Broken rails in Scotland 1996–97 to 1999–2000 Total broken rails in scotland Year Railtrack Glasgow Underground 1996–97 57 2 1997–98 49 0 1998–99 88 0 1999–2000 80 0