Thursday 11 December 2008

PUG2 RIP

Telegrammed by 222 Marylebone Road
For the first time since they took over Railtrack, Ozymandias and his fellow Network Rail board Members will be able to sleep at nights without the threat of nuclear annihilation hanging over their heads.

From 02.00 on Sunday 14 December. Virgin West Coast's new Track Access Agreement comes into force - replacing Passenger Upgrade 2 (PUG2).

Forged for Virgin by Tom Winsor, PUG 2 was the train operator's equivalent of the hydrogen bomb. At any time Virgin could have demanded the contract terms must be met.

PUG2 would have destroyed Railtrack and made a very nasty dent in NR - with the fallout and collateral damage wiping out all intelligent life in the Department of Transport (hasn't the last bit already happened? Ed).

By carrying over PUG2 to the new infrastructure owner Virgin, alone among the TOCs, could tell DfT to get stuffed and pay up - or else!. So farewell then, PUG2.

While Tom Winsor's fees are eye watering, however much PUG2 costs, Virgin must regard it as money well spent.