The Welwyn Railway Accident The sense of shock at the
news of the railway disaster at Welwyn Garden City last Saturday was all the greater because of the consistently high level of security achieved by British railways, which contrasts so favourably with the danger of movement on the roads. The system of signalling in this country is as nearly perfect as it can be, and usually works so smoothly that we are apt to forget that on the main lines it is not completely automatic, and depends on the constant presence of mind of those who so admirably operate it. What the cause of the accident in this case may have been we do not yet know. For some reason an express parcels and passenger-train- was driven over a section of line occupied by an express passenger-train bound for Newcastle. The former suffered far more than the latter owing to the fact, apparently, that many of the coaches of the second train were of an older type, whilst most of the strong metal coaches of the Newcastle train resisted the shock. The accident was almost certainly avoidable and we cannot rest content till avoidable accidents are eliminated altogether.
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