news
‘Garl decision
Ufton crash
must be
reversed’ say
sUrvivors create
business leaders
Business leaders are piling
crossing memorial
pressure on the scottish
government to reverse its By paula Bedminster her out a couple of hours later.’ ‘Obviously you do put it
decision to cancel the Glasgow Survivors of the Ufton Nervet She admitted she did not like into the past. But if you try to
airport rail link (Garl) on cost train crash in Berkshire revisiting the site of the crash, ignore it, it will come back to
grounds. have created a quiet place of yet she has returned many bite you when you are least
scotland’s six leading business reflection alongside the level times. expecting it. I think it is much
organisations joined forces crossing for people to remember ‘I hope this space is going to more healthy to try to come to
to tell finance secretary John the events of autumn 2004. do for other people what it has terms with it.
swinney that the Garl project It was opened on the fifth done for me. It has reclaimed ‘You can never forget about it
was ‘not only desirable but anniversary of the crash. this area. It has made me but you can learn to live with it,
affordable’. Brian Drysdale committed appreciate that it is a nice area, and that is why we have created
The business bodies, including suicide by parking his car on with the railway on one side this space.’
the CBi, the institute of Directors the level crossing in the path of and a canal on the other. Maybe Today the automatic half
and the federation of small a First Great Western service, I can enjoy it now without… barrier crossing remains
Businesses, expressed their which struck his vehicle at dislike.’ unchanged. There are 450 like it
views in an open letter. around 100 miles an hour. In ‘I was on the train,’ added around the country.
‘it was with deep the catastrophic derailment that Jane Hawker. ‘I had the But since the crash, most of
disappointment that we learned followed the train driver and five experience of feeling I was the trains which pass through
of the government’s decision, passengers lost their lives, and in a tumble drier. I was very Ufton Nervet have been fitted
without any forewarning or more than 120 others were hurt. surprised to find myself alive with stronger, laminated glass
consultation, to renege on its It remains the only level when it ended. And it’s been to improve the way they contain
commitment to Garl,’ they said. crossing incident in more quite a long, rocky road back to passengers in the event of a
‘we do not accept that there than 20 years in which train some sort of recovery. crash.
are insurmountable financial passengers have been killed.
reasons for its cancellation.’ The gravel-covered space
The business groups have has benches, a tree and a small
set up a website, Connect to plaque. It was created because
Compete, to campaign for the visitors to the site previously
scheme’s reinstatement. had nowhere safe to stand away
Questioned on why he did from the traffic on Ufton Lane.
not seek alternative funding ‘I was in the carriage that
for Garl through network got separated from the rest of
rail, swinney said that would the train,’ recalled Julie Lloyds.
have meant reopening agreed ‘Close to Emily Webster, who
investment on the edinburgh– died.
Glasgow line improvements. ‘And I stayed with her friend,
who was trapped, until they got
Julie lloyds Jane Hawker
Union CaMpaiGn To swinG pUBliC opinion
A rail union has promised my train’ drive. But ScotRail, crash. It is urging passengers to should be the norm,’ he added.
a ‘huge’ political and public which will run the service, lobby their MPs and MSPs on ScotRail pointed out that
campaign to swing opinion said it was ‘astonished that the the issue. most of its services already run
against the use of driver-only RMT in London appears to be An RMT spokesman said with driver-operated doors and
trains. campaigning against the growth it chose to focus on the new ticket examiners. ‘The union’s
The RMT has picked on of Scotland’s railways’. service because of its links to campaign boils down to who
the new Glasgow–Edinburgh The union cites safety issues the Scottish parliament. ‘This opens and shuts doors on trains
service via Airdrie and Bathgate, around removing guards, is a real opportunity for us to which are no different from
due to launch next year, as the as highlighted in the Cullen turn the tide against driver-only those which have operated in
focus for its ‘Keep the guard on inquiry on the Ladbroke Grove operation, to what we believe Strathclyde.’
8 rail professional : JANUARY 2010
RPJan10 pp08-09 News.indd 8 10/12/09 15:14:33
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