The Cheltenham to Paddington train was hit almost head-on

It was held on Tuesday at a memorial to the 31 victims of the disaster at Ladbroke Grove, west London.

The tragedy happened when the Cheltenham to Paddington Great Western train was hit almost head-on.

The Paddington Survivors Group said it wanted to ensure safety recommendations made after the crash were implemented.

For those involved in the disaster and those who lost loved ones... the anniversary of that terrible day is always a desperately sad and emotionally-confronting day Jonathan Duckworth, Paddington Survivors Group chairman

"There's absolutely no doubt that railway safety is better than it was but the number of serious cases of signals being passed at danger in the last 12 months has gone up 19%," said group chairman Jonathan Duckworth.

"The day before the crash, safety was very low down on train company boards' agenda. The day after it was at the top."

The Cheltenham to Paddington Great Western train was hit by a Thames Trains turbo service, which had gone through a red light shortly after leaving Paddington station.

"For those involved in the disaster and those who lost loved ones... the anniversary of that terrible day is always a desperately sad and emotionally-confronting day," added Mr Duckworth.

Pam Warren had to wear a protective face mask for 18 months.

Mr Duckworth also said the group would act as a support organisation to aid survivors of any future accident.

The group's founder Pam Warren, 37, also attended the ceremony.

Ms Warren, from Reading, Berkshire, became a symbol of the crash because of the protective mask she had to wear in front of her face for 18 months.

She spent three months in hospital, has undergone more than 20 operations, and is still under heavy medication.

The former financial consultant, now divorced from her former husband Peter, said she sometimes wondered whether dying in the crash might not have been better for her.

At the end of the memorial ceremony, the Paddington Survivors Group announced it would carry out a review of safety recommendations made in the aftermath of the disaster.

The paper is to be published on 11 December, which marks three years since ministers and union leaders signed an agreement for the safety measures to be implemented.