§ Mr. Simon ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what 419W investigations are being undertaken into the safety of the railway track in Wales; and if he will make a statement. [137175]
§ Mr. HillThe Health and Safety Executive's (HSE's) Railway Inspectorate have had meetings with each senior Railtrack zone manager following the derailment at Hatfield to ensure that the zones and their contractors are implementing the criteria for examination and inspection set down by Railtrack.
Railtrack is taking whatever action is necessary to identify all track defects and where they cannot be remedied speedily, the necessary mitigation measures (ie speed restrictions, increased inspection, traffic limitations) will be implemented to maintain the safety of passengers.
HSE is also meeting the senior management at Railtrack HQ on national initiatives being taken to maintain the infrastructure.