UK train companies that refuse to fit laminated safety glass on their older trains are putting the lives of passengers at risk, claims the Rail Safety & Standards Board. A report by the Board has shown that most of the people killed in UK crashes at Potters Bar in 2002 & Ufton Nervet in 2004 died as a result of being thrown through breakable windows. Nevertheless, train companies are delaying the replacement of breakable windows, which are found in almost half of British trains, with laminated glass in order to save money. The safety board's report details several fatal rail crashes in the past decade & concludes that breakable windows were one of the greatest causes of passenger deaths. In contrast, in the 95mph crash that occurred in Cumbria in 2007, the train's laminated windows prevented any passengers being thrown out. UK train companies First Great Western & GNER are refurbishing some of their trains and fitting laminated glass. All GNER trains are due to have the glass by 2009. first and Stagecoach, two for the UK's largest train firms, said that no decision had been made on when laminated glass would be fitted to the full fleet of their trains.
