Report by NICK SMITH

A TWO-DAY inquiry into the Winsford train crash begins today, Wednesday.

It will take the form of a hearing where witnesses will be invited to come forward and explain the circumstances leading up to the crash, which happened just before 9am on Wednesday, June 23.

Representatives from Railtrack - including an independent chairman - First North Western and Virgin will meet in Manchester to try to establish what caused the smash near Winsford Station.

The drivers of both the Pacer train and the Virgin Inter City express, from which 31 people emerged injured, will also be taking part in the inquiry.

The findings will not be published, but passed on to Her Majesty's Inspectorate, which forms part of the Health and Safety Executive, which is holding its own investigation.

A Railtrack spokesman said: "The purpose is to establish the cause and lessons learned and to implement procedures to make sure it doesn't happen again.

"A panel of experts will listen to the information available. We don't leave anything to chance trying to deal with an incident like this."

Meanwhile, the Health and Safety Executive is looking into the operation of Pacer trains, similar to the one which was hit in the crash.

A spokesman for the HSE, which launched an immediate investigation into the crash, said: "Our investigation is principally aimed at looking at the cause of the accident and preventing a recurrence.

"As part of this, the HSE will be seeking information on the current pattern of Pacer use, particularly in circumstances where they may mix with high speed or freight traffic, and on what can be done to minimise the risks.

"The findings of the investigation will be published."

The HSE will also be looking into the speed of passenger trains approaching red lights on the track.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.