An inquest into the 2002 train crash at Potters Bar is now underway. The crash cost the lives of seven people and injured a further 76. The incident took place on May 10 when a train, travelling at 98 miles-per-hour from London to Kings Lynn, derailed just outside Potters Bar station in Hertfordshire.

The rear carriage of the West Anglia Great Northern train was flipped into the air and into a bridge, before it came to rest on the station platform. A jury of three men and eight women has already heard how two passengers’ warnings about the state of the track had been ignored just hours before the tragedy.

Terrence Moore, a passenger and station announcer, travelling from London to Stevenage, reported to a member of staff that he was concerned about the train’s movement just outside Potters Bar. However, according to Judge Michael Findlay Baker QC, the member of staff was too bust to and forgot to report the warning.

Mr Moore then told a signal box manager at King’s Cross of his concerns. However, the manager misunderstood what Mr Moore had told him, and carried out safety checks on the wrong track. Another passenger, Peter Prime, also became concerned about how rough the ride was going through Potters Bar the day before the crash. He reported his concerns to a steward in the buffet car, but heard nothing further.

According to Judge Baker, a number of other passengers came forward following the crash to say that they had experienced an uncomfortable ride coming into Potters Bar. Apparently no train drivers ever came forward. The inquest is set to last a number of months.