AM usually so flippant in this column that, for past couple of weeks, have resisted temptation to say anything about Paddington train crash. However, like anyone else who travels regularly by train I was worried, upset, scared, moved, horrified and appalled by what happened - also, a little

nervous of getting to work.

You know that statistically you're more likely to be killed in a car crash or choke on a piece of gristle than die on a train. Even so, you can't help being anxious in the wake of a crash that has caused so much injury and loss of life.

Still, despite such worries, I reasoned that chances of anything like that happening again in the near future were pretty remote. Indeed, since Paddington most of the trains seem to have been leaving bang on time, crawling along (presumably through yellow lights) and stopping for lengthy periods at red ones.

And, whereas previously all on board would have sighed, fidgeted and greeted announcement that we were waiting for signal to change with murmurs of frustration, everyone has accepted the odd delay with good grace, knowing it's better to be stuck at a red signal than go through it. So, was particularly shaken when another pair of trains crashed outside Lewes.

First alerted to fact that something was up when arrived home in Brighton one evening, twenty minutes late due to an 'incident', to find concourse heaving with angry passengers, apparently trying to get to Lewes but finding there were no trains running on the Coastway East line.

Most had left London a couple of hours earlier, been diverted to Brighton and apparently dumped there, with no way of getting home other than by taxi - the taxi queue was already stretching halfway to Hove.

One particularly angry man was making vociferous speech, to no one in particular, about not being treated like sheep...

Bearing in mind what had happened at Paddington, would have thought announcement to effect that two trains had collided, would have led to a fair number of irate passengers going home quietly, thankful they were not on board one of the trains and hoping no one was hurt or worse.

Instead there was no one at Brighton telling anyone anything and passengers were left stranded, fuming, wondering what the hell was going on and making speeches about sheep!

Ironically, radio and TV were by this time telling anyone already at home there had been a crash, while those actually caught up in the ensuing chaos were fobbed off with the enigmatic 'incident' excuse.

First reaction when I eventually did hear what had happened was that family member who commutes daily from Lewes may have been involved. Fortunately, said family member likes to be home in time for EastEnders, so, only immediate danger was threat to sanity posed by increasingly unlikely story.

Second reaction was to question own smug assumption that likelihood of another train crash happening again so soon after Paddington meant it was probably safer travelling by train now than, say, a month ago.

Still, to coin the phrase of a Railtrack boss, I shall not become hysterical and will continue to commute until the French decide to blockade British stations. If that happens we're in trouble...

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.