Driver reported tube train fault before crash - RMT

The RMT union said the train's driver had reported a fault about eight stations before Chancery Lane but had been told to continue with the journey.

The train was scheduled to be taken out of service at Holborn, one station after Chancery Lane.

Engineers were aware there was a problem with motors on the Central Lines and had been carrying out safety checks every five days on the Central Lines Rolling stock, a London Underground spokeswoman said.

A spokesman said the nine-year-old train had been safety checked just two days prior to the crash.

LU said that drivers were responsible for their trains and could refuse to continue a journey if they thought there was a problem.

But the RMT spokesman said that London Underground was merely shifting the blame.

"The reality was it was very difficult for a driver to take a train out of service because they had safety fears," he added.

Currently one RMT member, a tube driver, is awaiting disciplinary action because he refused to take his train further, contrary to instructions, after hearing a loud banging noise, according to the spokesman.

Drivers who defied management by shutting down tubes faced deductions from their pay or were threatened with disciplinary action, he said.

If they already had a mark against their name they even faced losing their jobs.

The crash raised other concerns for Union bosses and tube drivers.

It if was correct the train had undergone a safety check two days prior to the crash, then "what confidence can we have in taking trains out," said the RMT spokesman.

"There was a similar thing happened in Leyton which was almost identical, an engineer fell off a train.

"What we know is, fears about the train's safety were expressed before this took place.

He added that the launching of two parallel investigations, one by London Underground and the consortium taking over the tube, showed the lack of communication.

January 27, 2003 15:30