Blood clot fears on UK’s ‘cattle-truck’ railways

[John Ashworth]

It had to be in the Daily Mail...

Blood clot fears on UK’s ‘cattle-truck’ railways
By Martin Delgado
Last updated at 4:15 PM on 14th September 2008

Scientists are investigating the possibility that rail passengers could be struck down by deep vein thrombosis, the potentially fatal condition that has killed dozens of long-haul airline passengers travelling in cramped conditions.

The Rail Safety & Standards Board (RSSB), the railway industry’s main safety body, has launched a £50,000 research project to look into the risks for rail passengers of developing the condition.

Although no cases of DVT on the railway have yet been reported, rail chiefs are concerned that they could face compensation claims unless action is taken now to gauge the risk to passengers who may have spent hours sitting on overcrowded and delayed trains.

Figures from the Department for Transport, which funds the RSSB’s £12million research budget, showed that rail passengers can be packed into carriages in conditions that would be regarded as unacceptable for farm animals under European Union rules.

According to the Government, rail passengers should have 0.0062sq m of space for every kilogram they weigh, whereas the EU states that chickens should have 0.02sq m for each kilogram of weight – more than three times as much.

DVT – which is thought to affect about one in 2,000 people in the UK each year – occurs when a blood clot forms in one of the deep veins in the calf that carry blood back to the heart. In most cases the clots are so small that the body will dissolve them. But occasionally a piece can break off and lodge in a vein in the lung, causing a potentially fatal blockage.

The RSSB has described the DVT project as a precautionary measure so that ‘any risk can be actively managed rather than leave the industry open to criticism, risking reputational damage’.

But last night passenger groups said the industry’s reputation had already been damaged by the ‘cattle-truck’ conditions suffered by thousands of travellers.

Tony Ambrose, of pressure group More Train Less Strain, said: ‘It doesn’t surprise me to hear we are at risk from DVT. The new seats on First Great Western’s Bristol to Weymouth service are so close together that anyone over about 5ft 10in has to sit with their legs sideways – and that’s for a journey of more than two-and-a-half hours.

‘Things will keep getting worse until the train companies stop trying to cram ever greater numbers into the same amount of rolling stock.’

Anthony Smith, chief executive of consumer watchdog Passenger Focus, said: ‘This throws into sharp relief the fact that crowding is becoming a big issue.’

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