Morning:
14°c
Hoon is warned rail cutbacks will result in second Hatfield
Dick Murray, Transport Editor27.01.09
CUTBACKS in rail maintenance could lead to another Hatfield, Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon was told today.
The three biggest rail unions - the RMT, TSSA and Aslef -have joined forces to warn that passengers' lives are being put at risk by industry-wide cutbacks and the axing of up to 2,000 jobs.
In a joint letter to Mr Hoon the unions say: "We fear conditions are being created which could lead to another Hatfield, Potters Bar or Grayrigg," and are demanding the Government order an industry-wide halt on job and service cuts and a freeze in shareholder dividends.
In the letter to Mr Hoon, Gerry Doherty, leader of the TSSA transport union, said: "Passengers paid through the nose to ensure record profits during the boom. Now they want passengers and staff to pay for the bust with worse services."
Keith Norman, Aslef's general secretary, said Network Rail's proposed cutbacks "threaten to jeopardise the safety of the network."
Network Rail confirmed it was cutting back on works and a spokesman said: "Track renewals today are too expensive and we are deferring next year's work to subsequent years when cheaper and more efficient ways of doing track renewals come on stream." However, he insisted that "safety remains our top priority".
At Hatfield, in October 2000, four passengers died and 34 were injured when the King's Cross to Leeds express derailed at 117 mph. At Grayrigg, Cumbria, one died and 22 were injured in February 2007 when a Virgin express left the tracks because a set of points - the responsibility of NR - was found to be missing.
Reader views (5)
The events like Hatfield came after years of neglect by Railtrack of the well maintained network they inherited from British Rail.
The fact is that just like waiting another century to head for the nearest star will be quicker than starting now.
The same can be said for rail maintenance as once Network rail takes delivery of new track maintainence and laying machines it will be able to upgrade more track at less cost thus delivering a better railway.
It still needs to ensure that where problems arise they are fixed ASAP but upgrading can wait.
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex
Bob in Cheam - your money is going straight into the Government. Some train companies are paying the DfT a premium of over £1bn over the life of the franchise. It's all about clueless civil servants in Whitehall who effectively write the timetable, limit the number of carriages the companies can lease and then write the premiums based on above-inflation price increases.
- Joe, Birmingham
Hold on, my ticket price rose 8.6% this year, as it has every other year since privatisation, I'm pretty sure the overheads have been going up at the same rate as inflation (say 4.5% top whack) and my train is more crowded year on year which points to an increase in passengers and thus revenue, so could someone please explain exactly how there's no money for maintenance when there had been previously?
- Bob, Cheam
Okay so as I'm not going to get a pay rise and my bonus is that I have a job still. Can I defer paying for my train ticket until my financial situation is better? Thought not - so why does the same rule not apply to these companies. They've increased the fares year on year.
- Jk, Kent
"Track renewals today are too expensive and we are deferring next year's work to subsequent years when cheaper and more efficient ways of doing track renewals come on stream." Are there any rail buffs reading this who can explain what this means? Or perhaps to confirm that track replkacement technology remains the same as it's always been, and that this is just complete and utter BS?
- Nigel, London
