Greater Britain Rail News Round-Up (12/01/2009)

[whole diary]

[Lee]

The RMT^▸ (National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers) has begun a campaign to reverse plans to cut ticket office opening times at a number of First Capital Connect stations (links below.)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7822944.stm

http://news.scotsman.com/latest-national-news/Oppose-rail-office-cuts-says.4864689.jp

http://www.ellesmereportpioneer.co.uk/ellesmere-port-news/uk-world-news/2009/01/12/oppose-rail-office-cuts-says-union-55940-22671759/

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/2009/01/12/oppose-rail-office-cuts-says-union-91466-22671796/

http://www.teletext.co.uk/news/national/b7e2287c620f1730ebad4d99df80db62/Oppose+ticket+office+cut+call.aspx

http://news.uk.msn.com/uk/article.aspx?cp-documentid=12696781

http://www.rmtbristol.org.uk/2009/01/first_capital_connect_ticketof.html#more

Critical blog post on London City Airport objections to Crossrail (link below.)
http://londoncityairportfighttheflights.blogspot.com/2009/01/lca-throws-tantrum-over-crossrail-and.html

Dodging fares of as little as ^2.30 has landed dozens of rail passengers in court and facing big fines (link below.)
http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/4032993.112_fare_dodgers_taken_to_court/

A petition has been launched by MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) David Mundell in a bid to get better services at Lockerbie railway station. Timetable changes last month resulted in fewer services to Edinburgh and Glasgow stopping at the station (link below.)
http://www.dgstandard.co.uk/dumfries-news/local-news-dumfries/local-news/2009/01/09/campaigning-for-a-better-rail-service-at-lockerbie-51311-22647543/

Track access Section 22 decisions 2009 (link below.)
http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.9191

Maintrain Limited, part of National Express Group, has been fined ^75,000 and ordered to pay ^8,584 in costs for failing to ensure the health and safety of people working in one of its maintenance depots (link below.)
http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.9403

[Btline]

All Ken's hard work in getting the Thameslink ticket offices being staffed is being undone!

I am assuming Boris and the Tories are behind it (you know, the people who wouldn't be seen dead in a railway station).

How much more of Ken's work is to be scrapped? The trams are shelved. The Western Congestion Charge axed - and Boris had the cheek to say that he was putting up the Tube fares due to Ken overspending - err no Boris, you are the one who is cutting millions of pounds of revenue from the Congestion Charge!

Urrrrr!

[Btline]

Sorry for the rant - I feel better now.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Amusing that Boris himself has been caught out by the congestion charge:

"London Mayor Boris Johnson has admitted being fined for failing to pay the city's congestion charge.  The mayor said he "totally forgot" to pay the ^8-a-day charge in the required 48 hours after he drove into central London last month.  "I got done by my own system," he told (the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)).  "Bing! I got a ^60 fine which I have just coughed up."

See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7817530.stm 

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

my only problem with the conjestion charge is that it should be cars only !! if you have to drive into the centre in a works van ie decorator or courier you shouldnt have to pay it

[Timmer]

All Ken's hard work in getting the Thameslink ticket offices being staffed is being undone!

I am assuming Boris and the Tories are behind it (you know, the people who wouldn't be seen dead in a railway station).

I thought ticket office opening times were down to the individual TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) not local government. I think your rant should be pointed at FCC^▸ (First Capital Connect) on this one. London Overground is under the remit of the Mayor of London and the plan is for all these stations to be staffed.

[Timmer]

I thought ticket office opening times were down to the individual TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) not local government. I think your rant should be pointed at FCC^▸ (First Capital Connect) on this one. London Overground is under the remit of the Mayor of London and the plan is for all these stations to be staffed.

Following up on this, the government has mostly rejected SWT^▸ (South West Trains) plans to cut ticket office opening hours:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7826472.stm

So FCC may not get their way with Thameslink ticket office opening times as it looks like the government has the final say. Going back to SWT, I wonder where the cuts will fall now that they can't save money by cutting ticket office opening times? The premium has to be payed somehow and it won't be from their profits!

[Timmer]

Going back to SWT^▸ (South West Trains), I wonder where the cuts will fall now that they can't save money by cutting ticket office opening times? The premium has to be payed somehow and it won't be from their profits!

Didn't take long to find one measure (not linked to the rejection of ticket office opening hours) SWT's e-motion magazine is being scrapped after the current issue which is a shame as its quite a good read. Wonder how long it will be before other TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) follow suit once their current contracts with their magazine publishers expire and done in the name of saving the environment.