THE rail industry has formally sought a new deadline for the removal of all Mark 1 'slam door' trains from the Southern network.

As the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) considers these proposals, the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) has called on the industry to sustain its efforts to bring new trains onto the network as quickly as possible.

Since the SRA took overall leadership of the Southern Region New Trains Programme, over 650 new carriages have been put into passenger operation on the Southern Region network and over 350 Mark 1 'slam door' carriages have been removed from the network.

The three southern region train operating companies (South Central, South Eastern Trains and South West Trains) and Network Rail have made a joint submission to the HSE that seeks an exemption to the 1999 Regulation's deadline for all Mark 1 rolling stock to be removed by 31 December 2004.

The submission sets out a programme for the continuing introduction of new trains to replace Mark 1 'slam door' trains, with around 70 per cent of the new rolling stock - around 1400 carriages - expected to be in service by the end of 2004.

Should the exemption be granted as requested, approximately 30 per cent of the Mark 1 carriages - around 560 - would be allowed to remain in operation into 2005, with the last one expected to be removed by summer 2005.

SRA chairman Richard Bowker said: "The new timetable put before the HSE gives an accurate forecast of when the entire new fleet of Electrostar and Desiro trains are expected to be in service.

"But there will be no let up in the drive to get them into service earlier. It is essential that all parties involved in this project continue to work together to complete this programme as soon as possible."

KM-fm's James Phillis has been talking to Paul Latham, the SRA's head of media...