Virgin says too early to predict financial impact of fatal Cumbrian train crash

Virgin says too early to predict financial impact of fatal Cumbrian train crash

	Published : Mon, 26 Feb 2007 11:21 By : Agencies Print this Story

LONDON (AFX) - Virgin Trains, owned by Virgin Group and Stagecoach Group PLC, said it is too early to predict any financial impact of disruption caused by the fatal train crash in Cumbria on Friday.

A spokesman for Virgin said he did not have details of passenger numbers on its services over the weekend, but said the company's London terminal at Euston was very busy yesterday and services north and south of the crash site near Kendal are running normally or near to normal.

'It's too early to make any comments on that (The financial impact),' he said.

One elderly woman passenger died in the derailment of the 5.15 pm London Euston-Glasgow service at 8.15 pm on Friday and 22 other people on the train were taken to hospital, of whom five remain in a critical condition.

The section of the West Coast Main Line (WCML) on which the accident took place is unlikely to open for at least the rest of this week, the spokesman said. Rail infrastructure operator Network Rail reportedly said disruption is expected to last for between 10 days and a fortnight.

Virgin is running West Coast and Cross Country services as normal between London and stations south of the crash site and is operating express coach services from Preston and Lancaster to Carlisle for passengers travelling from London to Scotland.

Sea Containers unit Great North Eastern Railway, FirstGroup's TransPennine Express and Serco Group unit Northern are accepting relevant Virgin tickets on their trains, the spokesman said.

The 11 mln stg Pendolino tilting train damaged in the accident is one of a 53-strong fleet built in Birmingham by French engineering group Alstom and owned by Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC train leasing business Angel Trains.

The train, capable of running at 140 mph but limited to a top speed of 125 mph on the WCML, was travelling at around 95 mph when all its carriages derailed at Grayrigg near Kendal. Six of the nine coaches toppled down an embankment and came to rest at varying angles.

The carriages were damaged, but remained largely intact, and Virgin Group's Sir Richard Branson said the strength of the Pendolino's construction had helped to limit the number of casualties, saying it was 'built like a tank'.

A Virgin spokesman said the train may be salvageable, but needs to undergo testing to assess its structural integrity. Investigators will examine the operation of the Pendolino, which was carrying so-called 'black box' data recorders, as part of their inquiry.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) is focusing its investigation on a pair of points to the south of where the train came to a halt. It says it will publish an interim report within a week of the derailment, but is widely expected to report its initial findings later today.

A spokeswoman for the RAIB was unable to comment on when a statement might be released.

Virgin and Stagecoach run the UK's West Coast and Cross Country rail franchises via Virgin Rail Group, in which they hold 51 pct and 49 pct stakes respectively.

philip.waller@thomson.com

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