Network Rail accused of 'cover-up'

The families of two girls killed at a railway level crossing more than five years ago have called for a fresh inquiry after the discovery of a document stating that their deaths should have been prevented.

Olivia Bazlinton was 14 and her friend Charlotte Thompson was 13 when they were hit by a train at Elsenham station in Essex December in 2005.

A risk assessment report made in 2002 that has only just come to light recommended a set of gates to the pedestrian crossing should be locked when trains approach. Three-and-a-half years later, the gates still did not lock automatically and the girls were able to walk on to the tracks.

Olivia's father Chris Bazlinton, 62, said that the fact the document was not released for the inquest by Network Rail amounted to "a cover-up", and would have affected its outcome as well as a subsequent civil case.

Mr Bazlinton said: "I believe this goes very close to the top. I believe it's a cover-up, absolutely. We're calling for the true facts to come out. I want people named. I want to know who decided not to send the document. We just need an inquiry."

The crucial paragraph in the risk assessment report reads: "Consideration should be given to the practicality of incorporating the Wicket Gates into the inter-locking of Elsenham crossing controls and effectively lock them closed when trains are approaching."

This was seen by the families for the first time just three weeks ago and was not part of the evidence listed in the 2007 inquest presided over by the Essex Coroner, in which a jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

An official from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said: "This document was not known to the RAIB and is therefore an item of new evidence. Had this document been made available to the RAIB it is likely that reference would have made to it in our final report." However, he added: "I judge it unlikely that our conclusions or recommendations would have been significantly different."

Network Rail later said the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) published its report in May 2006, when the Board had the full risk assessment (parts A & B). It said on May 9, 2006, the rail company's legal team also gave the families' solicitors a copy of the full risk assessment (parts A & B).

A statement from Network Rail read: "The deaths of Olivia Bazlinton and Charlotte Thompson over five years ago, were a tragedy. It was also an accident, as the coroner's verdict clearly stated. Today, the thoughts of Network Rail remain with the girls' families and friends."

Source - Yahoo.