British bus and rail operator FirstGroup today hailed an “excellent” performance by its trains as it turned in a 9% rise in half-year profits to £62.1m (€89.9m).

An expert is warning that the Selby rail crash could cost the insurance industry £100m and make it more expensive to travel .

Shares in Railtrack have fallen back as news swept through the London markets of an early morning collision between an Intercity passenger train and a freight train near Selby in North Yorkshire.

A section of rail in the Hatfield train crash broke into more than 300 pieces, a report has disclosed.