Like Sir Richard said... those trains are built like tanks. Rolling stock of a mere ten years ago would have crumpled and disintegrated, killing most who had been inside.

Lessons have been learned, but again a 'track fault' appears to be the cause. Blaming 'Victorian tracks' isn't valid, as this line underwent a major overhaul a few years ago, and '1000 miles of track were replaced'. London to Glasgow is under 500 miles... as it is a dual trackway for the most part, the sums add up.


I'm not so sure about the renewed call for seat belts... people like to be able to walk around on a train - and catering staff have to. The kitchen is in the 'power carriage', according to Virgin's website - the one which was violently whipped through 180 degrees.

Someone put forward an argument that seat belts are compulsory in aeroplanes... how daft! That's only on take-off and landing, or in a perceived emergency. If that principle had been applied to trains, I doubt that those on the Pendolino would have had time to buckle up. Half a mile at 90mph is 20 seconds... only just enough time for the driver to realise what was going on and sound an alarm...

The facts speak for themselves - very few were seriously injured, and we don't yet know the cause of those injuries. Speculative guesses suggest they were people who fell from one side of a carriage to the other. That may or may not be so. They could even have been injured by flying luggage... a laptop in its bag is heavy...

The lady who died (I'm sorry if this sounds callous, that isn't intended) may have survived if age had been on her side... but that's just speculation on my part. Her family are understandably distraught - particularly as two of them (daughter and son-in-law) were travelling with her. They have sustained 'serious injuries'.