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£500-a-day 'ghost bus' that never picks up a passenger
Ellen Widdup07.01.09
A COACH which is not advertised and never picks up passengers runs every Tuesday from Ealing Broadway station on a 70-minute trip to Wandsworth Road.
The 50-seater "ghost bus" costs the taxpayer an estimated £500 a day and replaces sections of railway that have been closed. The service is funded by the Department for Transport. Experts say that by running it, ministers can claim that a service still operates and avoid the legal requirement to hold a public consultation to shut down the section of rail.
It is claimed that the DfT is using a loophole governing rail closures that allows ministers "to secure the provision of substitute bus services if a passenger rail service is temporarily interrupted or has been discontinued".
Rail passenger groups fear that the Ealing bus sets a dangerous precedent for closures by stealth. Driver Simon Houlton said he had been told not to expect any passengers. He told The Times he had been "told off" last week for not continuing to the final station, even though he had departed empty from the final pick-up point.
He added: "They said it's got to run the whole route, empty or not. It may seem daft but I'm just doing my job and getting my pay." Until 14 December Crosscountry ran two trains a day in each direction between Birmingham and Brighton, via Kensington Olympia, using sections of track in west London. It was used by about 80 people. A spokesman for the DfT said: "There is some limited demand."
Reader views (18)
Why all the fuss? SOUTHERN trains still run Brighton to Watford Junction via Clapham and Kensington Olympia with direct and simple change at Watford for Birmingham.
Does anyone know the Train Franchise which has closed its route to Wandsworth Road from Ealing Broadway? Is it Chiltern? Is it Virgin?
- Delboy From Peckham Se London, Peckham London UK
This was a fairly popular service linking North East England to South London, and the South coast. It was a unique service. They have introduced the bus service, one service a week, so they can say that a 'service' still exists on this route- The service runs from Ealing Broadway to Wandsworth Road station, the section of the route that is not able to be completed by any other train provider directly. So the idea is where normally passengers would board at Manchester or Birmingham, and travel on that train to Brighton, instead they get off at Reading, take another train to Ealing Broadway, take the rail replacement bus service to Wandsworth road, then continue to Brigton (with another change).
Obviously what they plan is, that after 6 months they will review this bus service and obviously the outcome is that it will not be used at all ! That is what they want, which will give them the green light to axe the service altogether.
So basically this is a quick and easy way for them to advertise a main long-distance intercity rail route, that IS used, and no alternative is available without many changes. It is easier than them having to carry out the public consultation, and probably cheaper ! This could be the future for other similar rail routes in the future.
- Ian Flatman, London
Sorry but the real issue is the lunacy surrounding train routes and how diificult it is to close them. If you want a train franchise that pays for itself then uneconomic stations/routes have to be axed.
However it is typical civil service attitude to get round the problem and waste money rather than solve the problem and save it.
- Duncan, Kent
Where does this service come from as there is no normal service between these stations. The bus service might be more useful if it were a proper bus route!
Aside from this the massive increase in passengers means we need to retain lines(even those un-used) to cope with growth, it would be better to abolish this out-dated requirement and just ensure the route remains for future use either as rail,tram or bus-way.
Until Boris gains control of ALL Londons local railways he has no power over situations like this or fare increases by his party's privatised rail companies. (well got have money for the bubbly at share-holders meetings!)
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex
It is no worse than running an empty anything in order to keep the competition out. But smells just as bad as a truck load of rotting cabbages as a result keeping the price of imports humming even higher.
Did this, by any chance, inspire the show Fiddler on the Roof?
- Peter Seekings-Foster, Mildenhall, Suffolk.
Get Boris onto this. Isn't this his department?
- The Chisholm, London, UK
Since when has a train ran from Ealing to Wandsworth? Why not join up all the defunct routes and have a bus run all day, what was that, do you mean it probably does already? How on earth did the person or people whos idea this was think nobody would get wind of it, mind boggling, on a £100k+ a year probably.
- Tony Mc, London
When it was running, it was actually quite a useful route, as you could get on and jump off at Clapham and Kensington Olympia.
Interesting to see the tactics that they use to avoid due process...
- Mark Lee, Vauxhall
What a flipping joke.
Every single day we learn of a new way they have found to waste our hard earned money and I am getting mightily sick of it.
- Deborah, London
I'm not sure that driving an empty bus is as evil as the sending people to the gas chambers to be honest Murph.
- Nj, London
I'd still rather pay towards this than an extended family of scrounging asylum seekers any day.
- Steve, London
This is the way the all railway is run, no one cares about passengers and the government supports rail fare increases whilst proclaiming they want to improve public transport, yet do their best to drive you to use your car. Most trips are now cheaper to use your own car even for one person let alone a family.
- R Ellis, E DEVON
So how does a coach from Ealing Broadway to Wandsworth Road help to replace a service from Birmingham to Brighton?
- Wittsy, Battersea UK
Beautifully put, Mr Murphy of Oz.
- Neil, london uk,
You couldn't make this stuff up. Wouldn't it be cheaper to hire taxis for the very few souls that want to make the journey?
- Thomas, London, UK
Same old, same old! The DfT think that an honest approach must be doomed to failure? Lay out the facts in cases like this and nobody will lambast you for not running an empty bus. You fools! this is my money you're playing silly buggers with. Too busy chasing meaningless targets and saving political face to do the right thing. Expect to be replaced any time soon.
- Dantes, East Kilbride
England is a monarchy, so it's illegal for the drones to screw the queen.
However, by a marvel of Darwinian evolution, English drones have evolved to screw the workers in ever more ingenious ways, while they rob them of their honey.
- John Murphy, Coolum Beach, Australia
"I'm just doing my job and getting my pay"
Ah yes. The Nuremberg defence.
- Murph, Blackheath
