Survivors call for sackings

LONDON, England -- Survivors and relatives those killed in the Paddington train crash have voiced scathing criticism of the UK rail industry.

In the wake of the Cullen inquiry into the 1999 disaster, published on Wednesday, survivors have called for prosecutions and sackings across the industry.

The crash happened just outside Paddington station in west London after a commuter train ignored a red danger signal -- known as signal 109 -- and crashed almost headlong into a London-bound Great Western express.

Lord Cullen's inquiry has accused Railtrack -- the firm responsible for the maintenance of the UK rail infrastructure -- of "institutional paralysis," and has made 88 recommendations in the report.

Birgit Andersen, who lost her daughter Charlotte in the crash, said: "The long wait is over for this report. I appreciate that Lord Cullen has put time limits on his recommendations. It is an encouraging sign he will follow up whether the implementation will take place."

"But I still find it so puzzling that no one can lose a job," she added.

Louise Christian, solicitor for the Paddington Survivors Group, said "The note of scepticism we will add -- and we will add it loud and clear -- is whether there will actually be action and change based on the recommendations in this report."

"You can make recommendations until you are blue in the face, but unless you have action and change you have nothing."

Tony Knox, survivor of the crash, was damning in his criticism of Railtrack.

He called for commentators to stop blaming train driver Michael Hodder, who also died in the crash, saying "if Railtrack choose to hide a signal there is very little you can do."

"Although Great Western Railways admit clearly they wrote to Railtrack on three occasions to complain about signal 109, they never passed that information on to us -- we are just the mugs who pay good money to die on their trains."

Knox demanded an apology from Railtrack, adding "sorry is bloody inadequate, but will do for a start."

He proposed the distribution of leaflets entitled "Wanted: Gerald Corbett -- for serial killings on British railways," referring to the company's chief executive at the time of the accident.

"Corbett has overarching responsibility (for the accident) and he has blood on his hands," he said.