Last week”s UK train misery has prompted harsh words from one union anxious to bring back rail into public hands.
Tens of thousands of commuters” plans to return to work after the Christmas and New Year break were scuppered as Network Rail engineering work at Rugby overran by a catastrophic four days.
And in an extraordinary development, Virgin Trains advised its passengers not to use its West Coast Main Line services during the 48h meltdown, as it could only transport customers by coach between Birmingham and Northampton.
Notwithstanding any potential investigation by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) that could slap hefty fines on Network Rail, the RMT union has laid the boot in with some excoriating criticism of what happened.
”The private train operators have been making the most of having something to complain about, but now is not the time to let them off the hook,” said RMT general secretary Bob Crow.
”Between them, the privateers have leeched more than ”10bn in profits out of the industry. Franchising doesn”t” work, the contract culture doesn”t work, the train-leasing companies make profits that would make Al Capone blush and the whole lot is overseen by a watchdog with two heads.”
Crow is nothing if not consistent. He has been issuing clarion calls to arms for some time now concerning the future of rail engineering work in the UK, arguing that operations, infrastructure and rolling stock should be reunited under a single, publicly-owned national body, answerable to the Department for Transport.
In short, a return to nationalisation but Crow appears to be banking on public support for the move. ”The massive problems faced by our members and hundreds of thousands of commuters have added insult to the injury already meted out in the form of inflation-busting fares increases,” he said.
”The very fact that Network Rail is so dependent on a maze of contractors and sub-contractors is at the root of the problem. It is ludicrous that work planned months ahead should have over-run so seriously because there weren”t enough contract staff to do it.”