THE inquest into the deaths of the seven people who were killed in the Potters Bar rail tragedy begins today (Tuesday).

The independent hearing, which is expected to last for at least two months, starts at 10am at the Spirella Building in Letchworth.

It is hoped that the inquest will get to the bottom of exactly what happened when the 12.45pm King’s Cross to King’s Lynn service derailed at Potters Bar on May 10, 2002.

Judge Michael Findlay Baker QC, the man appointed to preside over the inquest, said: “Eight years have passed since the Potters Bar rail crash.

“The delay in holding an inquest has been extreme and will have protracted to an exceptional degree the distress of those who have been bereaved.

“In their interest and in the more general public interest, there must be no more delay.”

The inquest will sit between 10am and 4.30pm, Monday to Thursday.

The jury will be sworn in this morning, while the first witnesses will be called to give evidence tomorrow (Wednesday).