Oh God. Looking in Guardian Unlimited for Shearer bit..saw the first reports of the GNER Newcastle-London express train crash, only happened a few hours ago. The Internet makes the news possible so quickly.

Don't know what to say or why I'm writing to you all, it's just that this bbs is like home sometimes. I feel physically sick so so sad thinking of the victims and their families right now. God give them comfort.

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2001

Answers

15 dead and it appears was caused by a land rover careering off the M62 at Selby and landing on the tracks . It hit a freight train which was derailed and the first class carriage of the Newcastle - London train hit the freight train . The driver of the Land Rover escaped unhurt . 30 people are still trapped in the wreckage . Sorry to be the bearer of bad news just passing on the details . This is a terrible terrible accident and it appears that most of those killed are from the North east . RIP .

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2001

I know I've just looked at the pictures on the bbc site. There appears to be a carriage that is in a field 20 m away from the track.
It doesn't bear thinking about. To echo sting and val, RIP and my thoughts are with the families.

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2001

Terrible news, just dreadful. Will it never end?

I'm supposed to be travelling by train to Lahndon early tomorrow morning - this could have been me!!!!!

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2001

My faith in trains is totally shot and has been for some time, I know this looks like a fluke but I'd definitely have to think more than twice before I got on a train now....

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2001

Some of my colleagues were on board. One missed the train and was on the one behind, one of them has phoned in safe but he hasn't seen the other one and they were sitting together but she had gone to the dining car. Feel cold just thinking about it. If my name had been drawn out of the hat for this meeting today... Are you meant to feel relieved or guilty for being so selfish?

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2001

Ditto the thoughts on those injured or worse....although this doesn't appear to be the fault of the train companies, it doesn't make you want to get on one again with relish..

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2001

How horrible! My thoughts are with the families and friends of all involved. Softie, I hope you get good news on your missing colleague.

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2001

Drivers treat the M62 like a personal speed track. Anyone who has been on it the Hull side of Leeds will know that is it like a country lane.

But by all accounts the landrover had a blow out and came down the embankment. Bad timing on all parts.

Thoughts to all the people involved.

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2001

More and more things are happening more and more to make sure we all realize that we are mortal.

Heard it on the way home tonight. I immediately thought about everyone on here and thinking "lucky it was not a Sunday " as there would have been at least one of you on it.

Softie, you accept it. Buy a couple of lottery tickets and kiss the wife and bairn.

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2001

As a couple of you know, I had to come to Newcastle yesterday. I was on the 4.45 this morning but on discovering that the ticket I had wasn't valid, got off to wait for the next one. Eery.

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2001

I echo all your thoughts about the poor souls and their families affected by this. It is indeed a trajedy, so quickly after the Hatfield accident.

However, let me add just a couple or so other points: Gav, by all accounts, this was not a problem to do with the railways. Statistically, there are as many (more??) killed on the roads of Britain every day than on the railways. It's just that whenever a coach, train, ship or plane are involved, the casualties in that local area are significant;y higher. I know it doesn't make it any easier for those affected, but sadly, accidents do happen, and this seems genuinely like an accident.

Softie - it's natural to feel guilty, but don't. If anything, feel lucky. I'm a great believer in fate. In many, many instances, you are not in control of what is going on around you. When you buy a ticket for any transport system, you are in the hands of those in charge. Generally, in this country, we are OK - yes room for improvement but by no means as bad as other places. You buy your ticket with that faith. It's no use worrying either. That's not going to make it any better.

And finally, let's hope that no-one near and dear to any of us is affected. A bit selfish perhaps, but again a naural feeling.

RIP.

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2001

God. Been in the control room here since 7:00am on this one, come out for a breath of fresh air, log onto the BBS, and who'd have thought what the subject is...

Softie, it's fate, pure and simple. It could easily have been me, it very nearly was Dougal, and it definitely was a colleague of mine.

Screach, road fatalities outnumber rail by at least a thousand times in most years - this year will probably 'only' be two or three hundred times in the light of this.

Btw, don't listen to the shocked onlooker on TV claiming that the emergency services were found wanting. Thing is, the job of the first team there is to establish the size and scope of the incident and exactly what's needed - very hard when there are injured not being tended to, but it's what they have to do, for obvious reasons.

Oh well, back into the bunker for me...

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2001

Times like these I recall an old adage that was said at a friend's funeral, asked by the John, the deceased, to be read out (he knew he was going).

Work like you don't need the money. Love like you've never been hurt. Dance like nobody's watching. Sing like nobody's listening. Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2001

Dr Bill - how glad am I to see a posting from you. Had a horrible thought that today might be the day you were travelling south. As for the TV interview, I haven't seen it. But I can well imagine what was said, and I can equally imagine just how much went into checking the story before it went on air.

There has to be some way of counteracting this sort of negative comment. Hopefully some good words about the emergency services will be said at the end.

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2001

We are now getting word coming through that the engine of the GNER passenger train that crashed was the self same engine that was pulling the Hatfield train......VERY spooky or what.

Do you reckon this it the mechanical version of a death wish?

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2001

The thing I thought was really spooky, when the initial shock died down, was the report that while they were trying to get to grips with it, the most obvious sound was mobile phones ringing.

It would have done my head in if I'd had a loved one on that train, and I'd tried to ring and got no answer.

Would that have been worse, though, than having to wait to be notified ?

-- Anonymous, March 01, 2001

Yes, that is a rather ghastly thought PB.

I recall when the golfer, Payne Stewart's, private jet decompressed - killing everyone on board - it travelled on auto-pilot for something like 1,500 miles before it finally ran out fuel and crashed. During this extended period Payne's wife was trying to contact him on his mobile phone. Awful thing to consider.

-- Anonymous, March 01, 2001

Yesterday morning, in between trying to co-ordinate eight hospitals and four ambulance services acrss a regional boundary, I had to ring five colleagues' mobile phones. They were known to be travelling south on that or another train.

Four answered.

-- Anonymous, March 01, 2001

God. that's given me chills just reading it, Dr. Bill.

-- Anonymous, March 01, 2001

Don't want to keep bringing this sadness up again but I have just taken in our Dougal's incredible situtation.

If I understand it rightly, she had a ticket for that train, got on and got off again when the ticket wasn't valid.

All I can say is "Thank God", Dougal, thank God...whatever/whoever God is.

Hope for similar luck for your colleagues health, Dr. Bill and Softie.

-- Anonymous, March 04, 2001