IT is right that safety is the number one priority on our railways. In the eight days following the Hatfield tragedy, Railtrack has been at pains to put safety at the top of the agenda.

In the immediate aftermath we had the offer of resignation on a matter of principle from chief executive Gerald Corbett.

Whether it was intended or not, his noble gesture attracted widespread support that he was the best man to re-double efforts on health and safety.

Then we had the imposition of speed restrictions on 81 stretches of line, which potentially had the same flaws as the Hatfield track.

And yesterday we had the introduction of further restrictions, including the complete closure of a main route into Scotland.

We do not subscribe to the theory that these acts have been an over-reaction on Railtrack's part. The accident at Hatfield has shown that lives are at risk. And inconvenience and chaos are acceptable if there is even a remote chance that lives can be preserved.

But Railtrack's actions and attitudes after Hatfield must not deflect from close scrutiny of their actions and attitudes before Hatfield.

We must not forget that Railtrack knew of the potential risks at Hatfield for nine months. And yet the line was not replaced and speed restrictions were not imposed.

It has become apparent that Railtrack was also aware of similar risks on many other stretches of line, the sections of the line where speed restrictions are in place today.

It is difficult not to come to the conclusion that Railtrack had allowed much of its infrastructure to deteriorate to unacceptable standards, and that substantial parts of the network had been known to be dangerously unsafe for some time.

In the short term, Railtrack is right to take the remedial action it has, even though this has caused massive upheaval and disruption to the travelling public.

In the long term, however, there has to be a commitment to invest, and invest heavily, to bring our network into the 21st Century where it belongs, and out of the 19th Century where much of it was created.

The Government this week signalled it was prepared to make the commitment.

But in its spell as stewards of the network, Railtrack and its directors have made it clear that they do not deserve to play a part in that long-term future, and that the support for Mr Corbett was misplaced.