The mother of a gifted academic killed in the Potters Bar train crash is suing two rail firms for £100,000.

Diana Fischer-Schickler said the "miserly" £10,000 she received immediately after the 2002 disaster was no compensation for her son's life.

She is taking action against Network Rail and its contractor Jarvis, which have accepted legal responsibility for the crash.

Mrs Fischer-Schickler, of Highgate Road, Forest Row, told The Argus: "My son had a strong sense of right and wrong. I feel I owe it to him to put up a fight.

"I had no energy for the first three years but now I have found some strength."

Poor track maintenance and faulty points were blamed for the crash which killed Cambridge University graduate Jonael Schickler, 25, and six others.

Dozens more were injured when a train from King's Cross to King's Lynn derailed at Potters Bar station in Hertfordshire. Network Rail's predecessor, Railtrack, and Jarvis angered bereaved families by initially blaming sabotage and denying liability.

They eventually admitted responsibility but stopped short of taking the blame for causing the crash.

Mrs Fischer-Schickler said she was given £10,000 by Network Rail while still in shock after the crash and had received no subsequent offer of compensation.

"No amount can compensate us for our loss and grief but someone has to pay.

"My son was the youngest victim and he had so much to live for."

Her claim was lodged with the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court on Tuesday.

Jonael's death has destroyed the close family.

His mother said: "I am a single parent and his brother Johannes, who is 27, suffers from clinical depression.

"He has got a lot worse since he lost his brother. Jonael was a great support to him and a respite for me.

"He was a giant in our lives and he was taken away."

Jonael, who attended Michael Hall School in Kidbrooke Park, Forest Row, was travelling back to Cambridge on the day of the crash.

He was just finishing his PhD in philosophy.

Mrs Fischer-Schickler said: "He was a brilliant person. As well as his studies he loved basketball and the cello. He had lots of friends and had a great social conscience."

A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said reports into the crash were in the hands of the Crown Prosecution Service, which will decide whether or not to bring any charges.

If not then a coroner's inquest will be held after which the HSE may bring its own charges.

A Network Rail spokeswoman said: "We do not comment on legal matters. The structure of the railway industry has changed since Potters Bar and the system is safer. All our maintenance is now carried out in-house."

A Jarvis spokeswoman said: "Jarvis plc is committed to working with the British Transport Police and HSE to ensure the Potters Bar investigation is completed as swiftly and as comprehensively as possible."