Railwatch 068 - July 1996

Yorkshire

By James Towler

Unreasonable Clause 42 of the National Conditions of Carriage requires claims for compensation for delays to be submitted to a ticket office "within two working days". This is impractical so we suggested to the Rail Regulator's office that the period be extended. They replied that it was "reasonable to have a short period for notification" because train operators were worried about fraud. We disagree, especially as compensation of only 10% (in vouchers) of the cost of the journey is hardly generous. We have won the support of the North East Rail Users Consultative Committee which believes the period should be extended to at least 21 days. The RUCC answers to the Regulator, so watch this space!

Goodbye EC, Hello GNR Brian Burdsall's tenure at Intercity East Coast has impressed, so we were disappointed his management buyout team were pipped at the buffers by Sea Containers trading as the Great Northern Railway. Now the onus is on the GNR to deliver. Improved services to and from Bradford would do for starters.

Sold a Pup? Uncertainties surrounding the reformed railway prevented the leasing of new units for the £95m Airedale and Wharfedale electrification, so West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive spent £4m refurbishing 21 ex-Network SouthEast 308s. The 35-year-old units were prone to explode and proved so unreliable that services to and from of Bradford Forster Square were cut by two thirds as a temporary measure. The Yorkshire Evening Post commented: "Such events hardly inspire confidence in the brave new world of rail privatisation". Quite.

More PTE Blues These are difficult times for the Passenger Transport Executives. At best everything is on hold - except for prices which are going up. West Yorkshire PTE'S success was built on low fares and increased frequency of services. Now fares have escalated, with rises of up to 9%. If this leads to loss of patronage and is followed by service cuts, the spiral of decline will be complete.

Humberside RIP While the creation of Humberside was a mistake, its abolition was an even greater faux pas. It championed rail services and vigorously opposed proposals to curtail them. When BR tried to do "a Ribblehead" on Goole swing bridge, it was Humberside which came up with funds to repair it. Humberside councillors and officers were positive and helpful. They will be missed.

Mr Bowler shines Highlight of the Yorkshire Aannual general meeting luncheon at the Union Bank, Huddersfield, was guest speaker Gerald Egan - The Man in the Bowler Hat. Now enjoying a well-earned retirement, the best station manager Leeds ever had was in sparkling form. He warmly applauded the watchdog role of the RDS. But it was his observations on the fragmentation of the railway that will have had most ears burning - especially at Railtrack!

In jolly good company! Our criticism that services on the Hull-Scarborough line were affected by neglected track and signalling were dismissed by an irate Railtrack spokesman as "utter tosh!" Yet who was it who wrote earlier in the year that "problems with ageing infrastructure make it very much more difficult to operate a punctual service on that line compared with most others in our region"? Why, none other than Bob Urie, managing director of Regional Railways North East.

Future branch meetings Saturday 21 September, The Community Centre, Scott Road, Selby at 1400 and Saturday 16 November, Unity Hall, Smythe Street, Wakefield at 1400. Members and guests welcome. Last word "The confidentiality of each operator's bids remains a difficulty in ensuring connections between different operators services" - Report of West Yorkshire PTE on the 1996-97 Timetable.

Note: contact details (postal and email addresses, along with telephone numbers) in old editions of Railwatch out of date. Click CONTACT US for latest contact details.