Major blow for Britain's rail industry

An investigation into the accident is underway

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Experts from Britain's Health and Safety Executive were on their way to the scene of Wednesday's train crash near Selby.

Rail industry analysts said the disaster seemed to have been a tragic accident rather than a track safety issue like October's Hatfield crash.

One rail expert called for immediate checks on the strength of motorway bridge barriers.

"If a vehicle as comparatively small as a Land Rover managed to plunge through a barrier, it does suggest that barriers are not strong enough," said Nigel Harris, editor of Rail magazine.

He added: "These bridges are the responsibility of the Highways Agency and they should make checks."

Harris called the latest incident as "a terrible, terrible blow for the railways at a time when the industry is trying to bouince back from the Hatfield crash.

"This does not appear to be the fault of anyone in the rail industry -- it's just a tragic transport accident.

"One's heart goes out to GNER which was involved in the Hatfield derailment through no fault of its own and now the company is at the centre of another dreadful disaster."

Mr Harris said he hoped that the public's confidence in the railways, already dented by the Hatfield accident, would not be affected by today's crash.

The Highways Agency said that its bridges were inspected regularly.

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