A " Rush of Blood " !

When we take our seat on an Australian passenger plane we have no doubt that the two pilots are sober, very well trained and qualified - and that their general health and fitness to fly is under constant medical review.  As a result, a trip on an air plane is considered to be a journey with the lowest possible safety risk.

We were horrified when we watched pictures on television depicting the crash of a high speed Spanish " Bullet " train that killed seventy-nine passengers.    This train took a bend where the designated speed was eighty kilometres per hour - at almost double that speed..

Now we learn that safety is not guaranteed on the creaky old New South Wales train system.    Our trains do not meet the " aviation style " speeds of high speed rail, but it seems that one driver had a " rush of blood " and indulged his " need for speed " at the controls of a Tangarra between Richmond and Central.

The trains guard was so concerned when the train was travelling at 110 kph on track sections sign posted for 80 kph that he radioed the driver to slow down.  This was ignored and the train exceeded the limit seventeen times on that short journey - as evidenced by the " black box " that records all train movements.

This driver was stood down and disciplined, but it raises the question of what health and psychology tests are used to determine the fitness of the people who drive our trains ?   It seems strange that we go to great lengths to ensure that the people who fly planes are in duplicate at the controls and in top health and fitness form - and yet we do not demand similar measures for the people driving trains with a similar number of lives in their hands.

We suffered seven dead in the Waterfall crash of 2003, when a heart attack disabled the driver of a train with just a handful of passengers.   Just imagine the possible carnage if a jam packed commuter train came to grief at a speed of 110 kph.

We seem to under value train drivers in comparison with airline pilots.   The most likely cause is that more modern engineering evolved slowly from the steam age and it's slow speed - and now we are looking at high speed rail to move big numbers of people faster - the " driver factor " is fast becoming critical to rail safety.

At the very least, train drivers need regular health checks to ensure our trains are in safe hands - and the training regimen should contain constant re-evaluation to weed out those with emotional problems and the inability to keep up with  changes in technology.

The " need for speed " is a psychological factor that can be fatal if allowed to go undetected !