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Originally Posted by Tony
The reference to accidents since privatisation is dragged out every time someone does something stupid. Look back 30 years or so when BR was in full control, accidents still happened but only the most spectacular ever made the press.
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The media (especially TV) still bangs on regularly about Southall and Ladbroke Grove whenever they get the chance. This is particularly annoying since they fail to mention the massive improvements which have come about directly as a result.
Southall has caused a major revamp of the way Safety System failures are dealt with both in Rulebook terms and at operations level, and Ladbroke Grove has lead to an extremely challenging and thorough regime for new Train Driver recruits.
More people die on the roads in a week than on the railways in a year, and nothing is done about it. Yet an occasional railway accident has people clamouring for draconian measures.
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Question; Why is the UK the only country in the world which thinks railways are so dangerous that they have to be totally fenced in?
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Because the Government are control freaks. They've created a deception whereby it appears to the casual observer that the railway is run by franchise holders, whereas the railway is actually micromanaged by politicians and civil servants. It's the same mentality behind Health & Safety which controls the railway. They think we're so simple that we need protecting from ourselves, but ironically the public often isn't as ignorant or stupid as the people running the country.