Outlook lives lost!
And then a panic reaction. Hatfield is not unique. The self-same situation was being repeated nation-wide. Which is why it was possible to find, in the space of a few hours, potential hazards affecting every stretch of line in the country.
The only people happy with all this have been the train operating companies. Instead of taking the blame for ever-decreasing level of service off have bee abne palm the hiame ONLO Railtrack.
The government response -to offer Railtrack another £5 billion to dig themselves out of their hole. Three years ago Prescott argued that Labour could not afford to renationalise the railways -the money Was needed On the wrong track: Labour's refusal to renationalise compounds the problem for hospitals and schools. But instead they have presided over ever increasing subsidies, far outstripping the potential cost of renationalisation. Instead of "City money" being invested through Railtrack in a new modern railway, we have been pouring money into shareholders pockets while the railways collapse.
The train operating franchises are coming up for renewal the government does not even need to spend any money buying the railways back. All it needs to do is give the franchises back TO the British Railways Board. With them back in public it could force Railtrack's hand. But instead it is extending the franchises in private hands for another twenty years.
And at the same time in order to privatise London Underground it is in negotiation with the very maintenance companies responsible for the debacle on the main rail network.
The last thing the government wants is to renationalise the railways. It wants to press ahead with the privatisation of London Underground. So the last thing it wants is to have to admit that Railtrack, Balfour Beatty and all the other rail companies are putting lives in danger. Which is why Blair and Prescott have suddenly fallen silent. But it is also we should be redoubling our efforts to ram home the message that become more and more obvious every day - that privatisation kills.