Memorial for Southall crash victims

A plaque was unveiled at the garden

A garden to remember the seven people killed in the Southall rail crash has been opened on the sixth anniversary of the tragedy.

Survivors and relatives of the victims attended a service where a plaque was unveiled after a minute's silence at the garden, next to Southall station in west London.

Seven people died and 147 were injured when a Great Western Express train from Swansea to Paddington collided with an empty goods train on 19 September 1997.

An inquiry into the crash heard the train had gone through a red signal at 125 mph before colliding with the goods train.

Some relatives said on Friday they felt nothing had been done to improve rail safety.

Janet Allen's husband Peter died in the crash but she survived because she was in a toilet in another carriage.

Mrs Allen, 68, from Bridgend, south Wales said: "As far as I can see, nothing has been done to change anything, but we have to move on and we are pleased to have this garden."

It is really nice that people can come here and just sit and reflect Southall widowJoan Petch

Joan Petch, from Croft-on-Tees near Darlington, went to remember her husband Anthony.

She said she wanted to see more investment and closer monitoring of the railways.

But she added: "I think the memorial garden is wonderful.

"It is really nice that people can come here and just sit and reflect and it also means that people are always remembering it."

The death toll at Southall was the worst in nine years, since the Clapham Rail disaster in which 35 people died.

Driver acquitted

The driver was acquitted of seven counts of manslaughter, but Great Western Trains was fined £1.5m under the Health and Safety at Work Act.

The inquiry was told that an in-cab automatic warning system was not working properly and another safety system, the Automatic Train Protection (ATP), was not switched on.

Two years later the Ladbroke Grove crash near Paddington, west London killed 31 people.

Four died at Hatfield one year later when an express train derailed and the Potters Bar accident in May 2002 killed seven.

The report into the Southall crash, published in 2000, criticised Great Western Trains and made 93 recommendations, including better driver training.