My deepest sympathies to the families of those who lost their lives in this terrible accident.
So yet ANOTHER rail inquiry will take place. Will it ever end.
Dan.
Death toll up to 7, RIP.
The news said that the car was probably driven by someone attempting suicide, and an off duty policeman had seen the car and was trying to contact the signalman and emergency services on his mobile…
Others are blaming the half barriers.
A Cruel and selfish way to commit suicide, affective but selfish.
sympathies to all families,rip 
as said it is effective but selfish,not only has this person taken his own life he has destroyed others life’s too.i feel deepest sorrow for the kids,wife’s left behind due to this heartless ■■■■■■■ this time of year as well.they make me sick 
Isnt it strange you have hundreds of tonnes flying at hundred miles an hour over a unmanned rail crossing?
Wouldnt it be just as crazy to have a footpath over a motorway?
Its time that railways are treated with the same respect as most other dangers (funny how the government got rid of the HSE on the railways because it was getting in the way of progress and costing too much money) Its the same as the selbey crash, really ti should be nigh on impossible for any viehicle to end up on the tracks, especcially onew with a express train with little possbility of stopping in time.
ralliesport:
Its time that railways are treated with the same respect as most other dangers (funny how the government got rid of the HSE on the railways because it was getting in the way of progress and costing too much money) Its the same as the selbey crash, really ti should be nigh on impossible for any viehicle to end up on the tracks, especcially onew with a express train with little possbility of stopping in time.
According to the TV earlier 18 people die at level crossings on an average year. 10 people die on the roads on an average DAY. It’s just that when someone dies in a train crash it’s plastered all over the news but when someone dies in a crash on the roads it gets a passing mention at best. We need to try and keep a sense of perspective here, especially as if someone is determined to commit suicide (as appears to have happened in this case) then it’s nigh on impossible to stop them anyway.
A better idea in my opinion would simply to bring the barriers down sooner in advance of the train coming and then to have some kind of system (IR beam break detectors or something) on the level crossing that alerts the train driver to an obstruction if there is one with enough warning that the train can stop. This would cost a fraction of the amount of building hundreds of new bridges over the lines.
Paul
Alistair Darling was asked the question ‘this didn’t happen in the old days with manned crossings, isn’t that the answer?’
He side stepped it or at least missed the point when he said that a car which dodged the barrier and stopped would leave no time for a signalman to alert the train. No, but when we had crossing operators we had full gate barriers and nobody could get on after the closure. The half barriers were introduced to allow trapped vehicles to exit when the crossings became unmanned. There would be no point in half barriers at manned crossings. If the gates weren’t closed till the crossing was clear and were shut enough in advance for a train to stop (closed gates tied electronically to in-cab warnings similar to signals or points) then safety would be greatly improved.
Ok I know, extra money to pay wages, extra time to wait before the train, but much cheaper than converting all to bridges or underpasses or permanent closure (extra money in diversions around), and what’s a little extra time to save lives? In any case I have often waited for 5 minutes at a closed barrier to watch a freight train trundle by at 30mph!
Food for thought,
Salut, David.
why don’t they put movement censors at unmaned level crossings with it connected to a warning light down the track with plenty of stopping distance to stop this sort of thing happening 
pam
CCTV? surely there are control rooms nower days then there could be cctv watching over the crossings.
NIce idea’s Mrs Mix and Ralliesport but how long does it take to stop a train? How long does it take to drive a car round the half barriers?
To my mind there should be rising bollards from the whole of the road, staged if necessary to allow those vehicles on the crossing to get off. If raised with sufficient time to allow the trains to stop if the crossing was not clear you could not get the impatient trying to beat the train which is the more frequent reason for jumping the crossings.
Rising bollards, half barriers, full barriers or even manned crossings thid guy was intent on killing himself so it doesnt really matter who or what was there.
Jammy I understand what you mean. The point about the rising bollards is that with sensors on the track the train could have been slowed, or maybe even stopped, to a speed that would have stopped the derailment. If the guy was intent on suicide he could have stood in front of the train, still horrible for the driver of the train, but he (the train driver) and the passengers would have still been physically unharmed.
My deepest sympathies to the families of those who lost their lives.
As said before this is a cruel and selfish way to commit suicide, taking 7 other lives with you, how can someone be so heartless.