High-speed trains should be kept

YOU report that “ministers are to begin removing Scotland’s older high-speed trains” (“‘Museum piece’ rolling stock to be removed after train crash tragedy”, The Herald, March 11) but this is not what the minister said in Parliament, nor what the Rail Accident Investigation Branch has recommended. The safety performance of the trains is to be reviewed, but that does not mean they will be withdrawn from service. Some design modifications may be made, but the money that would be spent on premature replacement of these trains could be better used in other ways to improve railway safety.

Trains have a much longer working life than road vehicles. Thirty to 40 years is normal. London Underground is operating some trains that are approaching 50 years old, with no immediate prospect of replacement. The high-speed trains working in Scotland have been comprehensively refurbished recently, but fall short of the safety standards in newer trains by giving less protection to passengers in the event of a violent collision. Such events are exceptionally rare, given the extensive safety arrangements on our railways, so the level of additional risk to an individual passenger or member of staff is very small indeed.

Earthworks failures have become much more frequent, as a result of climate change. If the most modern train hits a landslide and gets projected down a hillside it is likely that passengers will be seriously injured and possibly killed. The management and maintenance of earthworks is a much higher priority for safety expenditure, as is the elimination of level crossings.

Those calling for early withdrawal of the high-speed trains on safety grounds should bear in mind the implications of applying the same standards to road traffic. In 2019 an average of three people died in accidents on Scotland’s roads every week. Gregory Beecroft, Skelmorlie.