Safety in railway design

By Justin McCracken.

18 August 2015 Britain's railways are among the safest in Europe, but 175 years ago it was a different story. In the first decades of the nineteenth century, our pioneering railway system was unregulated, uncoordinated and to be honest, downright dangerous.

As director of health and safety and HM chief inspector of railways, I lead a team of inspectors who spend most of their time out and about on the railways. We work with Network Rail, train operators and others from across the industry to help make Britain's railways safer whether you are travelling or working on them. Inspectors have been doing this for quite a while – 175 years next year.