6 July 2004 - Withdrawal of All Mark I Rolling Stock - Railway Exemption Consultation
Mark I rolling stock or 'slam-door trains' as used in the rail industry to describe a series of vehicle types built mainly in the 1960s and 1970s, were to be withdrawn under legal obligations from Railway Safety Regulations 1999 by 1 January 2003. Although, the rolling stock is currently operating under an exemption issued by HSE in October 2002.
The HSE is currently consulting to seek views on a proposed exemption to allow 3 train operating companies (TOCs) - Southern, South Eastern Trains Ltd, South West Trains Ltd and Network Rail - to operate some of their remaining Mark 1 rolling stock during 2005. These TOCs have forecast that they will need to operate some of the fleet in 2005 in order to maintain services and have applied to the HSE for a further exemption.
Mark I rolling stock is not as safe as modern rolling stock because it is not as crashworthy and has additional risks for passengers mainly due to the to the lack of central door locking.
HSE has considered the case made by the industry and proposes to allow the exemption for a limited period and says it "should be conditional on the industry agreeing a withdrawal programme in advance with HSE."
The consultation closes on 30 August 2004.
The exemption application and HSE's consultation paper can be found here.
