THE PRESS TUESDAY, MARCH 25, 1980. After the railway accidents

Press, 25 March 1980, Page 16

THE PRESS TUESDAY, MARCH 25, 1980. After the railway accidents

The sympathy of all New Zealanders is being extended to the victims of yesterday’s train crash in Wellington, and to the relatives of those who died. Emergency services earned high praise for the way in which they handled a confused and tragic situation. For many, there must have been a grim sense of repetition, for this was the second serious accident to a commuter train in the Wellington yards in five months. Results of the inquiry into the first accident, in October, in which 41 people were injured, have still not been made public, although an engine-driver has been charged and will appear in court in May. Yesterday’s accident was even more serious. The Prime Minister and the General Manager of Railways, Mr T. N. Hayward, have said that this time a public inquiry will be held. If a prompt, full and public inquiry can identify the causes of the two

accidents, that might go some way to relieve apprehension about the operation of the Wellington railway yards. The approach to Wellington station is a busy place early in the morning and in the evening, but the Railways Department has modem systems of train control designed to move the traffic safely. Either the systems are dangerously faulty, or gross errors of human judgment have occurred at least twice in fairly rapid succession. As well as determining with as much certainty as possible the reasons for the two accidents, the inquiry should be able to recommend improvements which should ensure there is no third accident. Trains are important in the daily lives of many Wellington residents. From a system which absorbs enormous amounts of public funds each year the users have a right to expect a safer service.