Will they ever restore the Oxenholme - Windermere service ?

[Mike Storey]

No one has suggested a guided busway (a la St. Ives to Cambridge) yet.....     

 

Neither would Cambridge suggest it any more.......

[jjb1970]

At the end of the day, the problem with the railways is the same as the problem with the NHS, the councils, central government services and anything else that comes out of taxation.

 

None of them have the funding they need to operate in the manner the public would want them to and the government (of any persuasion) will tell you the public that the issue isn't the lack of funding it is the people at the coalface not doing their job efficiently rather than have the awkward but honest discussion about what various levels of funding would really mean and then letting us have a vote on it.

The problem is that efficiency and value for money do matter. I've no doubt there are genuine issues with respect to money which is made available for public services and the level of service provision we expect (particularly in the NHS) but I am equally sure that a significant part of the seemingly perpetual crises in government funded services is down to what money is available not being spent wisely and to good effect. This is nothing to do with slandering public sector employees, for what its worth I have found the public sector people I worked with on a regular basis at the MoD and MCA to be very competent, hard working and dedicated. However I've noticed enough downright bad purchasing decision, bad program and project management and almost bizarre decision making based on political rather than sound technical or operational factors that I tend to think that those departments should spend the money they've got sensibly rather than asking for more.

In a railway context we can see it in things like the cost over runs in the GWML and MML electrification. The money was made available but the programs were woefully managed. I actually like the class 800 trains but the IEP is almost an object lesson in how not to procure trains (that is nothing to do with whether or not the trains are good). Some of the bungled franchise processes have cost us a few quid, not a lot in the overall government budget but it all adds up.

I see it on a smaller level at the schools my two children attend. They're laying off teacher assistants and threatening all sorts of dire economy measures, at the same time they're spending £££££'s redecorating, putting in astroturf in a gym hall (no, I'm not making that up), building a swimming pool and rebranding. I don't object to any of those things if they have money, but don't blow money on stuff the school doesn't need and then tell us that they are so short of funds they're getting rid of teaching assistants, suspending teacher recruitment plans etc.

[hayfield]

To be frank the companies which have caused all these train cancellations need to be fined heaverly, there have been a complete lack of care to ensure a change in the timetable would transition with little disturbance to the travelling public, they have had years practice running the railways so should have been aware of the potential issues and if there was a shortage of drivers the change should not have taken place until there was sufficient trained staff.

 

The fact is they have an asset which could be exploited in the tourist months, I recently stayed at Oulton Basin and rather than take the car took the train into Lowestoft so we could see the scenery. Why not have a heritage service in the tourist season, especially as the line can be worked independently from the main line, how about combined tickets with the steamer service, or encourage holiday breaks by rail with a tie in with local hotels, hardly rocket science and something the railways used to do (even British Rail) I am certain the local tourist board would love an idea like this. Still at least the local bus companies and enjoying a boom time 

[Joseph_Pestell]

To be frank the companies which have caused all these train cancellations need to be fined heaverly, there have been a complete lack of care to ensure a change in the timetable would transition with little disturbance to the travelling public, they have had years practice running the railways so should have been aware of the potential issues and if there was a shortage of drivers the change should not have taken place until there was sufficient trained staff.

 

The fact is they have an asset which could be exploited in the tourist months, I recently stayed at Oulton Basin and rather than take the car took the train into Lowestoft so we could see the scenery. Why not have a heritage service in the tourist season, especially as the line can be worked independently from the main line, how about combined tickets with the steamer service, or encourage holiday breaks by rail with a tie in with local hotels, hardly rocket science and something the railways used to do (even British Rail) I am certain the local tourist board would love an idea like this. Still at least the local bus companies and enjoying a boom time 

 

Something like this would be great. But in this day and age, can you imagine all the bureaucracy that would be involved in setting it up?

 

The current timetabling problem is a symptom of the franchised railway system. Back in BR days, it was not unknown for a timetable change to be delayed if necessary. These days, if the change had been delayed it would have impacted badly on other operators across the network. So difficult/costly to do.

[Mike Storey]

, how about combined tickets with the steamer service, or encourage holiday breaks by rail with a tie in with local hotels, hardly rocket science and something the railways used to do (even British Rail) I am certain the local tourist board would love an idea like this.  

 

They do. See ..http://www.virgintrainsescapes.co.uk/escapes/lake-district

[Mark Saunders]

To be frank the companies which have caused all these train cancellations need to be fined heaverly, there have been a complete lack of care to ensure a change in the timetable would transition with little disturbance to the travelling public, they have had years practice running the railways so should have been aware of the potential issues and if there was a shortage of drivers the change should not have taken place until there was sufficient trained staff.

 

The fact is they have an asset which could be exploited in the tourist months, I recently stayed at Oulton Basin and rather than take the car took the train into Lowestoft so we could see the scenery. Why not have a heritage service in the tourist season, especially as the line can be worked independently from the main line, how about combined tickets with the steamer service, or encourage holiday breaks by rail with a tie in with local hotels, hardly rocket science and something the railways used to do (even British Rail) I am certain the local tourist board would love an idea like this. Still at least the local bus companies and enjoying a boom time 

 

The politics of running railways causes the higher management to be changed at frequent intervals and those that are experienced moved or given a redundancy package they can't refuse!

 

Each new franchise holder seems to be repeat the mistakes of the last ones, the emergency timetable/booked cancellations goes back to early privatisation when Regional Railways North East was taken over by MTL and too many Drivers were allowed to go under voluntary severance!

 

The through ticketing for the Windemere steamers was a simple arrangement as they were also ran by BR as part of Sealink , tie ins with local hotels was also done by BR under the Golden Rail brand.

[Mike Storey]

The politics of running railways causes the higher management to be changed at frequent intervals and those that are experienced moved or given a redundancy package they can't refuse!

 

Each new franchise holder seems to be repeat the mistakes of the last ones, the emergency timetable/booked cancellations goes back to early privatisation when Regional Railways North East was taken over by MTL and too many Drivers were allowed to go under voluntary severance!

 

 

 

I don't disagree that errors have been made, but I cannot let your final comment pass. Northern have demonstrated they have more than adequate numbers of drivers for the full planned service (in complete contrast to GTR down south). They have simply not been able to train enough of them, on the new routes and traction, in the compressed time available due to the seriously late NW upgrades and electrification scheme.

 

As for the constantly stated lack of experience of the senior management of current franchises, the MD of Northern was with North West Trains for 10 years, then a few years running a PTE, then a few more in the new Transport North outfit. 3 of his 4 Regional Directors are also reasonably long serving rail people, although one is recently ex military.

[Wheatley]

To be frank the companies which have caused all these train cancellations need to be fined heaverly, there have been a complete lack of care to ensure a change in the timetable would transition with little disturbance to the travelling public, they have had years practice running the railways so should have been aware of the potential issues and if there was a shortage of drivers the change should not have taken place until there was sufficient trained staff.

Yes they have, and to reiterate my earlier comment and to back up Mike's above, they haven't suddenly forgotten how to do timetabling. Or driver training. Whereas the current Secretary of State has been in post for less than two years and is still the longest serving of the minsters currently in charge of the DfT.

Edited June 11, 2018 by Wheatley

[The Stationmaster]

I don't disagree that errors have been made, but I cannot let your final comment pass. Northern have demonstrated they have more than adequate numbers of drivers for the full planned service (in complete contrast to GTR down south). They have simply not been able to train enough of them, on the new routes and traction, in the compressed time available due to the seriously late NW upgrades and electrification scheme.

 

As for the constantly stated lack of experience of the senior management of current franchises, the MD of Northern was with North West Trains for 10 years, then a few years running a PTE, then a few more in the new Transport North outfit. 3 of his 4 Regional Directors are also reasonably long serving rail people, although one is recently ex military.

 

Their summary CVs make interesting reading and only one of the Regional Directors would appear to have possibly had any involvement with resource and timetable planning or traincrew management.   As ever simple enough to tell others what is required, not so easy if you don't have a good knowledge of how to get there and where the detail needs to be closely watched and managed.  However having said that I agree absolutely with your analysis of the Northern situation on Driver training - basically they have been shafted by NR, and probably DfT has a hand somewhere in the background due to its fiddling with franchise boundaries etc.

 

But having said that is doesn't matter how much relevant experience they do or don't have - you will always come back to basic mathematics.  And things can be summarised with simple maths involved if you know what they are - e.g. 50 Drivers to train over a road which takes 5 days to learn (on average) so that makes 250 Driver days worth of training for that particular element, which in turn means 250 days of rostered work to somehow be covered when those Drivers are released for training.  Say you can cover 10 days of booked work per week so that in turn means your training will take 25 weeks unless you can indulge in Rest Day Working.  Timetable finalised in  November and all infrastructure in place and you could get it in by May.   Infrastructure not available to train over until 6 weeks before the new service starts so using the same simplistic numbers your training will extend 19 weeks after the train service starts, with the added complication of finding in the roster the right Drivers in the right place in the roster who have already acquired the necessary knowledge to cover the newly changed route.   Hence you also - looking further south - see Driver changes at Finsbury Park to cover the central section of the new Thameslink infrastructure which not all drivers have yet learnt.

[woodenhead]

The problem is that efficiency and value for money do matter. I've no doubt there are genuine issues with respect to money which is made available for public services and the level of service provision we expect (particularly in the NHS) but I am equally sure that a significant part of the seemingly perpetual crises in government funded services is down to what money is available not being spent wisely and to good effect. This is nothing to do with slandering public sector employees, for what its worth I have found the public sector people I worked with on a regular basis at the MoD and MCA to be very competent, hard working and dedicated. However I've noticed enough downright bad purchasing decision, bad program and project management and almost bizarre decision making based on political rather than sound technical or operational factors that I tend to think that those departments should spend the money they've got sensibly rather than asking for more.

In a railway context we can see it in things like the cost over runs in the GWML and MML electrification. The money was made available but the programs were woefully managed. I actually like the class 800 trains but the IEP is almost an object lesson in how not to procure trains (that is nothing to do with whether or not the trains are good). Some of the bungled franchise processes have cost us a few quid, not a lot in the overall government budget but it all adds up.

I see it on a smaller level at the schools my two children attend. They're laying off teacher assistants and threatening all sorts of dire economy measures, at the same time they're spending £££££'s redecorating, putting in astroturf in a gym hall (no, I'm not making that up), building a swimming pool and rebranding. I don't object to any of those things if they have money, but don't blow money on stuff the school doesn't need and then tell us that they are so short of funds they're getting rid of teaching assistants, suspending teacher recruitment plans etc.

Somewhere in the now distant past someone thought it would be a good idea to inject some private sector expertise into public sector activities in the well meant thought it would save some money.  What happened next was an explosion of companies who recognised they could make a pretty penny out of consultative work, the big boys got involved, lobbied and got their feet under the table and so began a spiral of chasing efficiencies and new processes just because rather than because there is a need.  Now all there is left is constant upheaval with no job being truly finished before the next consultant rips up what went before.

 

Look at any company accounting system - flip flopping between SAP and Microsoft Business Objects, before one is fully implemented they swap to the other and never a stable state is achieved.

[iands]

Their summary CVs make interesting reading and only one of the Regional Directors would appear to have possibly had any involvement with resource and timetable planning or traincrew management.   As ever simple enough to tell others what is required, not so easy if you don't have a good knowledge of how to get there and where the detail needs to be closely watched and managed.  However having said that I agree absolutely with your analysis of the Northern situation on Driver training - basically they have been shafted by NR, and probably DfT has a hand somewhere in the background due to its fiddling with franchise boundaries etc.

 

But having said that is doesn't matter how much relevant experience they do or don't have - you will always come back to basic mathematics.  And things can be summarised with simple maths involved if you know what they are - e.g. 50 Drivers to train over a road which takes 5 days to learn (on average) so that makes 250 Driver days worth of training for that particular element, which in turn means 250 days of rostered work to somehow be covered when those Drivers are released for training.  Say you can cover 10 days of booked work per week so that in turn means your training will take 25 weeks unless you can indulge in Rest Day Working.  Timetable finalised in  November and all infrastructure in place and you could get it in by May.   Infrastructure not available to train over until 6 weeks before the new service starts so using the same simplistic numbers your training will extend 19 weeks after the train service starts, with the added complication of finding in the roster the right Drivers in the right place in the roster who have already acquired the necessary knowledge to cover the newly changed route.   Hence you also - looking further south - see Driver changes at Finsbury Park to cover the central section of the new Thameslink infrastructure which not all drivers have yet learnt.

 

Presumably then Mike, in addition to the 25 weeks you mention as an example, further additional time will need to be added to the "driver training" if new rolling stock is also to be implemented. I guess that some of the training can, and is, done in the classroom on simulators (for both new rolling stock and route learning), but at some point the drivers will need to be let loose on the actual railway to complete the specific "learning element", not easy when the expectation is to dovetail these extra required train paths whilst at the same time trying to operate an existing service. 

 

Regards, Ian.

[hayfield]

I don't disagree that errors have been made, but I cannot let your final comment pass. Northern have demonstrated they have more than adequate numbers of drivers for the full planned service (in complete contrast to GTR down south). They have simply not been able to train enough of them, on the new routes and traction, in the compressed time available due to the seriously late NW upgrades and electrification scheme.

 

As for the constantly stated lack of experience of the senior management of current franchises, the MD of Northern was with North West Trains for 10 years, then a few years running a PTE, then a few more in the new Transport North outfit. 3 of his 4 Regional Directors are also reasonably long serving rail people, although one is recently ex military.

 

They knew it was coming, had the drivers but failed to ensure the correct training was done in time.  Both bad planning and incompanticy.  If they could not do the training in time they should have informed who ever was making the change to alter their plans. But this is just one element of a greater set of totally unacceptable set of cancellations 

 

Somewhere in the now distant past someone thought it would be a good idea to inject some private sector expertise into public sector activities in the well meant thought it would save some money.  What happened next was an explosion of companies who recognised they could make a pretty penny out of consultative work, the big boys got involved, lobbied and got their feet under the table and so began a spiral of chasing efficiencies and new processes just because rather than because there is a need.  Now all there is left is constant upheaval with no job being truly finished before the next consultant rips up what went before.

 

Look at any company accounting system - flip flopping between SAP and Microsoft Business Objects, before one is fully implemented they swap to the other and never a stable state is achieved.

 

 

Whilst I can see the reasons for putting the railways into private hands, the actual result where several companies each are taking a slice of the action on what is the same line is a recipe for uncompetitive fair system. Why one company runs the realestate, another owns the stock a third runs the service but rents the infrastructure and rolling stock must be the most uncompetitive system known to man, but then the gas and electricity industries are much the same. Result the public pay through the nose for the service, and when it goes wrong everyone blames each other  

[jjb1970]

Somewhere in the now distant past someone thought it would be a good idea to inject some private sector expertise into public sector activities in the well meant thought it would save some money.  What happened next was an explosion of companies who recognised they could make a pretty penny out of consultative work, the big boys got involved, lobbied and got their feet under the table and so began a spiral of chasing efficiencies and new processes just because rather than because there is a need.  Now all there is left is constant upheaval with no job being truly finished before the next consultant rips up what went before.

 

Look at any company accounting system - flip flopping between SAP and Microsoft Business Objects, before one is fully implemented they swap to the other and never a stable state is achieved.

 

That is a bit of a simplification. I think there probably are rapacious contractors ripping off HMG, there are also plenty of contractors to HMG who make every effort to provide good service and value but are unable to because the whole set up in government departments is so messed up. I had experience as a strategic development engineer dealing with the NHS and to be honest we did take them to the cleaners but that was because they didn't know what they wanted and ignored all attempts to provide guidance along with quite a confrontational attitude with the result that it reached a point where my employer got to the point of telling me that if the people I was dealing with claimed the sky was pink and there were flying elephants in the sky then just agree with them then give them the rope and all that. I did a lot of work for the MoD verifying warship power and propulsion systems (some of my projects included the QEC, Type 26, the new RFA tankers) and again the reason for many (but certainly not all) of the cost over runs was not greedy or inept suppliers. I am not the biggest fan of BAE and RR but if you have a customer who doesn't know what they want and endlessly tinkers with designs and asks for deviations from standard spec then that customer is going to pay an awful lot more for whatever it is they're buying regardless of how well managed the suppliers side of things is. 

[ColinK]

I’ve been back at Oxenhome again.

 

Last time I was on a Glasgow -Euston train which stopped at Oxenholme, it was running a few minutes late. The doors opened just as those on the Windermere train closed and it sped off leaving angry passengers behind.

 

Today a late running WCML service stopped at Oxenholme and its passengers missed the Windermere coach by quite a margin. However, the helpful rail replacement supervisor called forward one of the standby coaches and got the people to Windermere without further delay.

[jjb1970]

At the risk of being the voice of negativity, I think Legend is right - it sounds like the way things are going people might prefer to keep replacement buses.

[ejstubbs]

I've noticed enough downright bad purchasing decision, bad program and project management and almost bizarre decision making based on political rather than sound technical or operational factors that I tend to think that those departments should spend the money they've got sensibly rather than asking for more.

 

Such things are by no means restricted to the public sector. So long as by "politics" you include internal company and even inter-company politics as well as part politics, there are examples of what you cite everywhere in the private sector. Can you say "Carillon" or "G4S"? And it is by no means always the case that such failures don't bear on the public purse. The two just named will have cost the government done money in patching the holes left by their failures. Another example: RBS was a listed company when it did most of the damn stupid things that led to it being bailed out.

 

Having worked largely in the private sector throughout my career, it alternately amuses and annoys me when I see it suggested that broken decision-making and the influence of 'politics' are exclusively to be found in the public sector.

[jjb1970]

Such things are by no means restricted to the public sector. So long as by "politics" you include internal company and even inter-company politics as well as part politics, there are examples of what you cite everywhere in the private sector. Can you say "Carillon" or "G4S"? And it is by no means always the case that such failures don't bear on the public purse. The two just named will have cost the government done money in patching the holes left by their failures. Another example: RBS was a listed company when it did most of the damn stupid things that led to it being bailed out.

 

Having worked largely in the private sector throughout my career, it alternately amuses and annoys me when I see it suggested that broken decision-making and the influence of 'politics' are exclusively to be found in the public sector.

 

I don't think anybody thinks the private sector is free of inane decision making, however private companies who are badly managed tend to go downhill and ultimately they end up bankrupt, in liquidation or being bought out by a better company.

[Mike Storey]

They knew it was coming, had the drivers but failed to ensure the correct training was done in time.  Both bad planning and incompanticy.  If they could not do the training in time they should have informed who ever was making the change to alter their plans. But this is just one element of a greater set of totally unacceptable set of cancellations 

 

 

 

Whilst I can see the reasons for putting the railways into private hands, the actual result where several companies each are taking a slice of the action on what is the same line is a recipe for uncompetitive fair system. Why one company runs the realestate, another owns the stock a third runs the service but rents the infrastructure and rolling stock must be the most uncompetitive system known to man, but then the gas and electricity industries are much the same. Result the public pay through the nose for the service, and when it goes wrong everyone blames each other  

 

I do not disagree that the best solution might have been to delay implementation, but that has little to do with the system being partially in private management, The massive disruption to other services across the network, no matter who operates them, would have been horrendous. Bad or worse was the choice faced. A similar shambles greeted the first few months of operation of the original Thameslink re-opening, in the 1980's entirely under BR, despite several years of planning. Part of the problem was delayed crew training, although rather more minor than this, but there were huge infrastructure and new train teething troubles.

 

Your analysis of the current contractual matrix completely ignores the fact that the dominant player, and the one which has caused the greatest problem for Northern Rail, is a nationalised company. So I am not at all clear how you achieve any rational conclusion, rather than using emotion and dogma.

[Mike Storey]

Somewhere in the now distant past someone thought it would be a good idea to inject some private sector expertise into public sector activities in the well meant thought it would save some money.  What happened next was an explosion of companies who recognised they could make a pretty penny out of consultative work, the big boys got involved, lobbied and got their feet under the table and so began a spiral of chasing efficiencies and new processes just because rather than because there is a need.  Now all there is left is constant upheaval with no job being truly finished before the next consultant rips up what went before.

 

Look at any company accounting system - flip flopping between SAP and Microsoft Business Objects, before one is fully implemented they swap to the other and never a stable state is achieved.

 

The whole point of using consultants to manage change (as opposed to managing design, construction or other functional task, for which the client is not permanently staffed sufficiently) is to introduce challenge to the "way we have always done it". They rarely have "the solution" (unless they are flogging something). They are there to help foment change. The difficulty is that drastic change is often seen as essential by the client, when incremental change is probably a wiser solution (and in my experience, often counselled by the better consultants). 

[jjb1970]

Consultants are a bit like ROSCOs, an easy target to heap opprobrium on when as often as not they are not the problem. As with most things there are good and bad consultants but any bought in service depends to a certain extent on the customer having some understanding of what they want and need (those two things may not be the same). 

[2750Papyrus]

 

My experience of consultants is that they pick the brains of employees who are usually ignored and then present the results as their own work. A consultant is "someone who borrows your watch to tell you the time".

[phil-b259]

To be frank the companies which have caused all these train cancellations need to be fined heaverly,

 

And how exactly would that help?

 

If you actually read all the responses so far you will see that the with Northern, the company that actually screwed up was the GOVERNMENT OWNED Network Rail (late timetable planning + abysmal electrification progress) and NOT the private sector franchise owner as left wing politicians / trade unions want you to believe. All fining Network Rail does is take money away from the DfTs budget and given to HM Treasury to spend on other things.

 

As for GTR, there is plenty of evidence that as well as Network Rail screwing up the timetable planning, driver training was held up because the mandarins in Whitehall refused to let GTR 'waste money' buy starting training early enough. This is all down to the fact that not only is GTR a management contract, but all fare revenue gets passed directly to the DfT who then pay GTR. Thats after said Mandarins had also delayed the procurement of the 700s so there weren't enough spares to undertake intensive timetable training back in March & April anyway.

 

Fines do not magically conjure up freshly trained drivers - which is the heart of the problem and why it will take months to resolve. True the situation should never have occurred in the first place, but I doubt anybody who has taken the time to learn the finer details of the situation thinks that the prospect of 'large fines' would have made any difference whatsoever given that such fines basically comes down to the Government fining itself!

[locoholic]

And how exactly would that help?

 

If you actually read all the responses so far you will see that the with Northern, the company that actually screwed up was the GOVERNMENT OWNED Network Rail (late timetable planning + abysmal electrification progress) and NOT the private sector franchise owner as left wing politicians / trade unions want you to believe. All fining Network Rail does is take money away from the DfTs budget and given to HM Treasury to spend on other things.

 

As for GTR, there is plenty of evidence that as well as Network Rail screwing up the timetable planning, driver training was held up because the mandarins in Whitehall refused to let GTR 'waste money' buy starting training early enough. This is all down to the fact that not only is GTR a management contract, but all fare revenue gets passed directly to the DfT who then pay GTR. Thats after said Mandarins had also delayed the procurement of the 700s so there weren't enough spares to undertake intensive timetable training back in March & April anyway.

 

Fines do not magically conjure up freshly trained drivers - which is the heart of the problem and why it will take months to resolve. True the situation should never have occurred in the first place, but I doubt anybody who has taken the time to learn the finer details of the situation thinks that the prospect of 'large fines' would have made any difference whatsoever given that such fines basically comes down to the Government fining itself!

 

You are ignoring the fact that the good folk of Lancashire and Yorkshire were already thoroughly cheesed off with Northern when the current debacle began, because of previous staff shortages - so you cannot absolve the private sector of all responsibility and lump all the blame on DfT and Network rail.

 

Also, you need to watch your blood pressure in some of your responses, as you come across as very aggressive!

[locoholic]

This business of passengers allegedly being OK with replacement bus services should be setting off all sorts of alarm bells, because there will be people in DfT and elsewhere who will use any such events as evidence that peripheral bits of the rail network can be lopped off permanently with no harm done. Do the names Beeching and Serpell mean nothing any more?

[Market65]

I’m seeing Hull, Bridlington and Scarborough being closed down, along with Scarborough, Malton and York. Scarborough has for too long been a kind of grudge service by both operators. When was the interior of the station roof last repainted? At least 15 years ago. The tracks are not in good condition with a very bad case of twisted rails in Platform 3.

The platform tracks in Hull Paragon station are much worse. It’s only a question of time before a serious derailment occurs there. I have photos of both stations.

And then the Whitby line has to be under serious threat of closure too. It’s just a long and twisting siding with a silly service these days that can never pay its way.

 

Now, when Beeching closed the Beverley, Market Weighton to York line, a replacement bus service was provided. It lasted about three years or so. Then the service that existed prior to the closure replaced it, a two hourly service. And, of course, a lot of people, it must never be forgotten, get sick on buses. I’m one of them. So if my town of Beverley is cut off, I’ll have to use the car. Or bike. It will not be the bus.

 

Then there’s the employment question, access to hospitals, and schools. The train is the best answer. A bus gets stuck in ever increasingly congested and bumpy roads. Can we ever learn the lessons that the past - Beeching cuts in this instance - provide? It’s looking unlikely.

 

Regards,

 

Rob.