I fear another Potters Bar, says judge

Judge Michael Finlay Baker, QC, spoke out as an inquest jury decided the seven victims of the disaster had died because of unsafe points.

After a seven-week hearing the jury blamed the failures in inspecting and maintaining the points in the run-up to the crash in May 2002. Judge Baker said he planned to send a report under Coroners Rules expressing his fears of a continuing risk of other deaths.

But Network Rail blamed predecessors Railtrack and insisted train travel is safe. "Railways are almost unrecognisable since the days of Railtrack and this tragedy," said a spokesman.

"All the recommendations made by both the industry's own formal inquiry and the health and safety investigation have been actioned. Today the railways are safer than they've ever been." Six passengers — Austen Kark, Emma Knights, Jonael Schickler, Alexander Ogunwusi, Chia Hsin Lin and Chia Chin Wu — died in the disaster. Seventh victim Agnes Quinlivan, walking nearby, was killed after being hit by debris.

More than 70 people were also injured when the 12.45pm King's Cross to King's Lynn train crashed as it reached Potters Bar, where it was not due to stop, at around 1pm. The six who died were in the fourth carriage, which became detached and airborne.

The train was travelling at a legal speed — 98mph — and driver Gordon Gibson was cleared of any blame.

After the hearing at Letchworth, relatives complained that the jury had been limited in what it could consider and demanded a public inquiry. Mrs Quinlivan's daughter Pat Smith said: "We've waited eight years for this. We all wanted a public inquiry we didn't get.

"We've all had to sit through eight long weeks of questions. We've listened to a catalogue of inadequacies and shoddy maintenance and shoddy management systems that should have been rectified a long time ago. We hope now they will put them right.

"We thank the jury, as they seem to have listened, but again they were limited as to what they could do."

Emma Knights's father John said: "We are grateful to the jury but somewhat disappointed that it was not allowed to consider systemic failures of the accident, as opposed to being allowed to consider immediate causes."

The coroner joined in the criticism of the length of time families had to wait for today's verdict, saying: "Whatever the causes, the passage of more than eight years from the derailment to the inquest's conclusion is indefensible.

"The families are due a public apology and, as the current representative of the system whose abuse has led to this delay, I offer that apology.

"It feels wholly inadequate but it is all that it is within my power to do. I hope a line may begin to be drawn, and a sad and lengthy chapter in many lives may be closed."