East Midland Railway Collision Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Transport
Baggy Shanker
Main Page: Baggy Shanker (Labour (Co-op) - Derby South)Department Debates - View all Baggy Shanker's debates with the Department for Transport
(1 month, 1 week ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Watch Debate Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Baggy Shanker (Derby South) (Lab/Co-op)
Recently, I was proud to join EMR driver Ross and driver manager Peter in travelling from Derby to St Pancras. From the cab, I saw at first hand the skill, dedication and immense responsibility that every single journey requires of our dedicated train drivers. Friday’s crash has tragically demonstrated the scale of that responsibility. My thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of driver Shaun Burton, alongside everybody injured and affected. Will the Secretary of State join me in commending the brilliant work that our train drivers do day in, day out up and down the country?
Heidi Alexander
I wholeheartedly agree with my hon. Friend’s remarks. Anyone who, like him, has been in a cab with a driver will understand the skills, attention to detail and alertness that drivers require. He is right to say that they often go unthanked, hidden away in the driver’s cab, but billions of journeys each year on our railway network depend on the service they provide, so he is completely right to highlight that.