Potters Bar concerns 'went unheard'
02/06/2010
Two passengers tried to raise concerns about defective points the night before the Potters Bar rail crash that killed seven people, an inquest heard.
Inquest jurors were told two people - one a rail worker - made three separate reports about "rough rides" on the northbound approach to the station in Hertfordshire.
Judge Michael Findlay Baker QC - who has been preparing to hear evidence about the crash - on May 10, 2002 - said one report had been "forgotten", one misinterpreted and on one occasion a passenger received no response.
A misunderstanding meant safety checks were carried out on the southbound line, but the northbound line where the problem lay was not checked.
The inquest heard experts have since concluded the "root cause" of the crash was the failure of a set of points south of Potters Bar station.
Judge Baker said the inquest would examine how and when points had been checked and maintained, look at rail safety management systems and consider what lessons could be learned.
The judge said most players within the rail industry were represented at the inquest, including: Network Rail, which had succeeded Railtrack as the body responsible for infrastructure; train operator West Anglia Great Northern (WAGN); the National Union of Rail Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT); watchdog Passenger Focus and the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR).
He said Railtrack had primary responsibility for track and signals at the time of the crash. Maintenance had been sub-contracted to a private firm - Jarvis. The judge said Jarvis had gone into administration earlier this year.
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