Monday 21 March 2011

DafT determined to reduce delays - Not!

This from John...

The DfT press office today confirmed that an announcement on the preferred bidder for new Thameslink rolling stock will be made in Spring 2011.

When confronted with the fact that it is already Spring, and that Spring could last until early May, the spokesman just kept repeating "Spring 2011".

So it could be any time - we still don't know.


When asked why the announcement was already a year late, and why they still couldn't confirm a firm date, the spokesman just commented that the bids had to be given "due consideration".

No wonder TOCs are complaining that government involvement delays the whole process.

Even a year after their first target, they seemingly still have no idea when they can make an announcement.


A Thameslink train arriving 5 minutes after time is officially classified as late - what are we supposed to term the delay of a whole fleet by a year?

UPDATE: This from Theydon Bois...

It is perhaps time to remind ourselves of Captain Deltic's Third Law of Informed Sources: -

"Always mistrust schedules based on the seasons"


Born out of bitter experience waiting for the APT to enter revenue service.

UPDATE: This from Captain Deltic...

Informed Sources Third law refers:


Mistrust all forecasts based on the seasons.