Who pays when a train crashes?

SheffieldLad2008 · Post by **SheffieldLad2008** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 4:20 pm

With the recent MML collision inmind, who will end up paying the costs which such a accident creates such as passenger compensation, extra staff on-site and ofcourse the repairs and checks that have to be carried out before the set can be used again.

Such a claim on some insurance companies makes the mind boggle
IC: Hello Direct Line how may we help?
CD: Well I've had a bit of a bump
IC: Okay what are your insurance details
CD: blah blah blah
IC: And was it another car you bumped into?
CD: Well no it was a train and I didn't get the chance to get the drivers insurance details.

(IC = Insurance Company, CD = Car Driver)

danielw2599 · Post by **danielw2599** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 4:23 pm

Hi,

It would probably still end up being billed to the railway, even though its not their fault. Cant imagine the government dipping their hands in their pockets

not sure though

Daniel

nwallace · Post by **nwallace** » Fri Mar 25, 2005 6:45 pm

A Car coliding with a train and it not being Car Driver Error is HIGHLY unlikley (well ok derailment and visiting a car park or main road)

And if its the car drivers fault then either the Car Drivers Insurance or the car driver themselves.

arabiandisco · Post by **arabiandisco** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 1:27 pm

it's the same with bridge bashes - delay minute penaties are paid by NR, who then claim the money off the insurance of the road vehicle (by sueing in extremis). Certainly in the litigious culture of modern times, the railway doesn't ultimitely pay for problems that are caused by a third party.

salopiangrowler · Post by **salopiangrowler** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 4:29 pm

Police Â£500,000 - Â£23,000,000 (Govt-Taxpayers)
Closure of mainline Â£2000 a minute (Train company)
Delays per minute over 9 minutes (Â£500 per hour) Train company
Council Charges for road closures (Â£1000 per hour) train company

the list's endless, a really bad crash like paddington or even worse at heck and Upton the costs would sore beyond Â£30m

jbilton · Post by **jbilton** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 4:46 pm

salopiangrowler wrote:Police Â£500,000 - Â£23,000,000 (Govt-Taxpayers)
Closure of mainline Â£2000 a minute (Train company)
Delays per minute over 9 minutes (Â£500 per hour) Train company
Council Charges for road closures (Â£1000 per hour) train company

the list's endless, a really bad crash like paddington or even worse at heck and Upton the costs would sore beyond Â£30m

Hi
At the end of the day...it ALL comes down to the tax payer....if you think about it.
Cheers
Jon

nwallace · Post by **nwallace** » Tue Mar 29, 2005 8:02 pm

Well

When it comes to the Insurance Companies having to pay out its stil lthe tax payer but in their guise as Insurance Premium holder.

When it comes down to an Uninsured Driver its the same just through the fund that all insurance companies pay into to cover such circumstances

xfo10 · Post by **xfo10** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 12:03 am

salopiangrowler wrote:Police Â£500,000 - Â£23,000,000 (Govt-Taxpayers)
Closure of mainline Â£2000 a minute (Train company)
Delays per minute over 9 minutes (Â£500 per hour) Train company
Council Charges for road closures (Â£1000 per hour) train company

Hearing an HST roar past you at 125- Priceless
Somethings money can't buy
foreverything else there's mastercard

SheffieldLad2008 · Post by **SheffieldLad2008** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 1:27 pm

xfo10 wrote: Hearing an HST roar past you at 125- Priceless
Somethings money can't buy
foreverything else there's mastercard

Now thats a fair point!

And it is rather priceless, unless you buy your own, train a driver and buy loop of track.

Surely there must be some bridges that get 'bashed' more than oftern, why don't NR just erect a steel arch exactly the same height of the bridge but about 5 meters before it. That way the lorry/bus driver will know they're not going to fit under the bridge because they hit the steel arch first. Makes sense to me...

saddletank · Post by **saddletank** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 1:30 pm

The MML accident costs would come from the car driver's insurance. Third party liability cover is usually up around the Â£10,000,000 figure for most comprehensive car policies these days. Once this limit is reached I doubt the TOC would get much joy from suing the driver personally seeing as most individuals have little capital other than a house, contents plus car(s) which in the majority of cases would total under Â£300,000 value. A drop in the ocean once repairs to track etc are required following an accident. So I guess in the long term we, the paying passengers, pay for accident costs in terms of increased fares or delays to other maintenance expenditure.

arabiandisco · Post by **arabiandisco** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 2:41 pm

there are some bridges (an LUL one in Loughton springs to mind, i'm sure there are some on the main line too) where sacrificial beams are erected, and if a bridge is consistently being bashed then these things will be put up.

Of course, sacrificial beams have costs associated too, and i'm sure they're not that attractive, or appealing to the people who do planning permissions.

salopiangrowler · Post by **salopiangrowler** » Wed Mar 30, 2005 9:27 pm

Shrewsbury station bridge is constantly being bashed, but only 50% of bashes are reported, the Castle Street section of the bridge which is brickwork is about to undergo its umptenth relining project in 10 years. One day there will be a law passed where all bridges will be reinforced steel, i can see it now.

SheffieldLad2008 · Post by **SheffieldLad2008** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 2:50 pm

salopiangrowler wrote:One day there will be a law passed where all bridges will be reinforced steel, i can see it now.

At the cost of an arm and a leg each in todayâ€™s railway terms. Of course the steel will be imported from China and will rust through a few years later and fall off, probably hitting some poor person underneath. Yes I'm in one of my positive moods today.

salopiangrowler · Post by **salopiangrowler** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 12:58 am

SheffieldLad2008 wrote:
salopiangrowler wrote:One day there will be a law passed where all bridges will be reinforced steel, i can see it now.
At the cost of an arm and a leg each in todayâ€™s railway terms. Of course the steel will be imported from China and will rust through a few years later and fall off, probably hitting some poor person underneath. Yes I'm in one of my positive moods today.

haha yes, Suprised the chinesse tower block aint started falling down lol