Thursday 24 January 2013

Another nail in the coffin for Charter operations?

Not a good 24 hours on the North Western.

With a West Coast Railway empty stock move getting on fire yesterday at Salford Crescent significant disruption was caused to a range of TOCs and their passengers.

Clearly it will be up to RAIB to determine the cause of this incident but the timing could not have been worse.

ORR is currently consulting on proposals that could see an end to Network Rail's cap on penalties charged to charter operators for delay causing incidents (currently set at £5,000) on the basis that this currently acts as a subsidy.

If these proposals are adopted then it is likely to be the death knell for the successors to BR's Special Train Unit.

Either way Wet Toast's social this weekend is likely to be a sombre affair, with the weather in mind perhaps just as well it won't be a BBQ...

UPDATE: This from Cynical Simon...


Has anyone else noticed what's being advertised in this picture?   


UPDATE: This from CLC commuter...

Is this a 'Point' less sign at Oxford Road.


If there are any points (full stops, or periods for our North American friends) used in the punctuation of this message, then they are out of sight off the side of the screen, along with some of the words.

Does that count as a pointless sign or just a terrible pun? (Sadly a terrible pun. Ed)