Unused Trains Must Be Released Say Unions

[madhattie]

From the Bristol Evening Post

Overcrowded trains in Bristol would be a thing of the past if operator First Great Western released its "mothballed" carriages, claims a rail union.The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) said the firm was keeping carriages in private railway sidings across the Bristol region.

It has called on Railways Minister Tom Harris to demand that the firm, which operates the Greater Western franchise, releases them.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "It is nothing short of an act of deliberate sabotage of the region's rail services that long-suffering commuters are shoehorned daily into fewer and shorter trains.

"Railway staff bear the brunt of the anger and frustration experienced by rail users, while we now see perfectly serviceable trains withdrawn from passenger service to be squirrelled away in railway sidings.

"There are reports of passengers fainting from overcrowding, and being left behind on platforms unable to squeeze onto packed trains.

"Train service cancellations have been running at more than 60 per day since the new winter timetable was introduced in December."

He said his union would oppose attempts to fix the shortage of trains by laying on buses in the Bristol region.

He said: "If the management responsible for the current monumental fiasco of wholesale train cancellations, unprecedented delays and staff shortages of their own making aren't up to the job, then the minister should take the Greater Western franchise in-house and run it directly in the public sector, where it belongs.

"FGW's ineptitude must not be used as an excuse for continuing to allow serviceable trains to languish in rail sidings and yards when the public needs them to provide essential train services. I am calling on Tom Harris to act now to release any trains currently mothballed under 'warm storage' arrangements."

First Great Western spokesman Adrian Ruck said the company had handed back four trains to a leasing company after the contract expired and that was partly to blame for a lack of capacity.

He added: "But the fact is that since December we have been running a smaller timetable, and we need fewer trains. The issue we have is one of maintenance rather than rolling stock itself."

He said that on any one day "a handful" of trains had been out of action and under repair

The firm hoped to have all its trains up and running soon, he said.

In the meantime, the firm has taken six carriages from two branch lines in Cornwall to be used in Bristol and Bath this week.

[madhattie]

First Great Western spokesman Adrian Ruck said "But the fact is that since December we have been running a smaller timetable, and we need fewer trains.

Something I shall remember the Labour party being responsible for come the election. There goes my vote.

[thunderer]

I know I am preaching to the converted, but why hand back trains at the end of the lease when there is overcowding and demand. Any other business would re-lease such assets.

Of course the article doesn't mention how many trains are parked away at Long Marston.

Do a Virgin / GNER and run the system under a management contract is a fairly good idea.

[tugboatcharly2]

You have all lost the plot, FGW are only interested in money and it is not how they get it but how much less they have to do to get it and they succeded and now the LOOE BRANCH and ST IVES BRANCH has to be the losers; perhaps some one might now think that privatation is best which is a big joke and rest assured if a conservative goverment comes into being you will all be going on the motorways in buses no trains never ever.think about it