Keighley MP Ann Cryer has spoken out in Parliament on rail safety.

In a recent speech to the House of Commons, she praised Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott for his prompt launching of an investigation into the recent Ladbroke Grove rail disaster. She partly blames the previous Tory government for its privatisation of British Rail.

Mrs Cryer said: "It was such a pity the previous government were so keen to sell off British Rail on the cheap that, through British Rail and Railtrack, they invested £548 million of taxpayers' money in the hiring of accountants, barristers and City experts to promote the sale. I believe that that money could have been invested in the promotion of safety on our railways, possibly through the installation of train-protection warning systems throughout the network."

Mrs Cryer expressed concern that the disaster may deter people from using trains. She urged: "We railway enthusiasts must repeat whenever possible that rail is still the safest way to carry people or freight from point A to point B.

"The (Ladbroke Grove) tragedy may have caused thousands of people to move back to using their cars due to services terminating at Ealing Broadway, and the ripples of the anxiety extend well beyond the Thames valley. When commuters resort to using their cars for travel, their chances of suffering death or injury are 15 times greater."

But Mrs Cryer acknowledged that the public needs to be reassured on the safety of rail transport. She concluded: "Passengers and movers of goods must have confidence that the alternatives being promoted are cheap, reliable and safe. If any of those three essential elements are lacking, our battle for the hearts and minds of commuters, families on the move and manufacturing industry will be lost, and the carnage of Ladbroke Grove will be repeated time and again on our roads.

"There must be a severe conflict of interest when an organisation is under pressure from shareholders to make profits and yet also has a duty of care for the safety of its passengers.

"I trust that the measures already announced and the advent of the Strategic Rail Authority will remove the possibility of such a conflict."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.