Britain's Transport Secretary says railways still safe

Britain's Transport Secretary Stephen Byers says rail travel is still one of the safest forms of transport.

Speaking in the wake of the Potters Bar crash, the Transport Secretary says the most important thing now is for the experts to carry out an investigation into the cause of the accident.

A preliminary report by health and safety executives will be made to Mr Byers.

"The first thing to say is my thoughts are with the family and friends of those people who died in the accident today," Mr Byers said..

"Health and Safety are already at the scene. I have asked them to report their preliminary findings to me.

"I think it would be totally inappropriate to pass judgement on what might have caused this accident. Safety experts are already at the scene and they will report as soon as is appropriate.

"We need to find out exactly what has caused today's accident - that's the only way of restoring public confidence in the railway network."