Is that Farmer Smith or Mr Shuttleworth?Just seen the report on the news, that chap from WCR thinks he can dictate the law
I thought as much. Farmer Smith has a tendency to stay out of the media spotlight, in case he says anything that may have to be bleeped-out!James Shuttleworth
Just seen the report on the news, that chap from WCR thinks he can dictate the law
The Jacobite issue was featured on ITV lunchtime news today
I didn't see the actual clip unfortunately just the preview
I watched his appearance on the STV local news at 6pm. No idea if it was the clip used by ITV at lunchtime. When asked about running coaches without central door locking he said "It is safe" and "not necessary or required" and that DfT should allow WCRC to continue operating. As @68000 says he thinks that he can dictate events. Given WCRCs past record I can't see DfT budging - unless he suddenly discovers a few million quid for the conservative party down the back of the sofa.James Shuttleworth
If what you have said is correct then they are lies.I watched his appearance on the STV local news at 6pm. No idea if it was the clip used by ITV at lunchtime. When asked about running coaches without central door locking he said "It is safe" and "not necessary or required" and that DfT should allow WCRC to continue operating. As @68000 says he thinks that he can dictate events. Given WCRCs past record I can't see DfT budging - unless he suddenly discovers a few million quid for the conservative party down the back of the sofa.
I would hope DfT will simply tell WCRC where to go. It is a regulatory matter (ORR) and shouldn’t be anything to do with DfT.I watched his appearance on the STV local news at 6pm. No idea if it was the clip used by ITV at lunchtime. When asked about running coaches without central door locking he said "It is safe" and "not necessary or required" and that DfT should allow WCRC to continue operating. As @68000 says he thinks that he can dictate events. Given WCRCs past record I can't see DfT budging - unless he suddenly discovers a few million quid for the conservative party down the back of the sofa.
The last paragraph is the most interesting:WCRC pulling all of the 'political' strings now. Article in today's Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/busines...=Edi_FAM_New_ES20240412&utm_campaign=DM307622
A Department for Transport spokesman said: “The ORR is the independent rail safety regulator, and it would therefore be inappropriate for the department or ministers to intervene in their decision to refuse a further exemption to West Coast Railways, which was upheld by the High Court.”
is behind a paywall can relevant quotes be provided please?WCRC pulling all of the 'political' strings now. Article in today's Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/busines...=Edi_FAM_New_ES20240412&utm_campaign=DM307622
Paywall !WCRC pulling all of the 'political' strings now. Article in today's Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/busines...=Edi_FAM_New_ES20240412&utm_campaign=DM307622
West Coast lost a High Court appeal over the ORR’s ruling last December and the regulator is now considering a revised application from the rail company to resume operations.
The company has also requested a temporary licence to permit Jacobite operations over the summer, but with the regulator not expected to respond for several months at least half the season has already been lost.
In the meantime, West Coast has been forced to fully refund passengers who bought tickets for the Hogwarts Express. Some 77,000 tickets costing between £55 and £98 apiece were already sold for a season that should have started last month, meaning more than £4m must be returned to customers.
West Coast said it has been singled out by the ORR as other main line operators have an exemption to use the same carriages affected by the ban.
In their letter to Mr Merriman, the MPs claimed there was no safety reason to justify the refusal to grant the temporary exemption.
West Coast itself has operated with an exemption for the past two decades, while similar rolling stock is also in everyday use on dozens of private heritage railways across Britain, where running speeds limited to 25 mph mean the central locking rule doesn’t apply. The Jacobite operates at up to 40 mph on parts of the West Highland route.
As well as the Hogwarts Express, West Coast also provides locomotives and coaches for the Cumbrian Mountain Express and Dalesman services over the Settle and Carlisle line. It also operates the Great Britain, which takes nine days to tour the country and costs almost £4,000 for a premier berth.
At the December court ruling, the judge upheld evidence presented by the ORR that the cost of installing the door locks could actually be as low as £700,000 and could be covered by a £10 increase in the ticket price of the Jacobite service.
An ORR spokesman said: “The law states companies cannot operate rolling stock with hinged doors for use by fare-paying passengers on the mainline, without the means of centrally locking them in a closed position.
“Other charter heritage operators, which use the mainline railway, have made the necessary investment to install central door locking on ‘hinged door’ rolling stock (or have committed to do so over a transition period) and it remains open to WCRC to do the same.”
A Department for Transport spokesman said: “The ORR is the independent rail safety regulator, and it would therefore be inappropriate for the department or ministers to intervene in their decision to refuse a further exemption to West Coast Railways, which was upheld by the High Court.”
The para that you quote is absolutely correct and what l would have written in policy advice for Ministers. For the situation to be otherwise would mean that the supposedly independent regulator actually wasn't. Politicians seeking to benefit one party in the marketplace would likely lead to other parties which incurred expenses litigating too.The last paragraph is the most interesting:
Thankyou for posting this ..Taken from the last section of the Telegraph article linked above.
In my career in engineering insurance we had a couple of cases where the clients behaviour and attitude to risk dictated that our advice was to pull the plug and walk away.Thankyou for posting this ..
As someone who spent his life in Industry … mess with the safety authorities at your peril..
At a loss to know how West Coast gets insurance cover ..
The recent publicity in national newspapers and on TV will surely have brought the matter to the insurer's attention, even if they were previously unaware.In my career in engineering insurance we had a couple of cases where the clients behaviour and attitude to risk dictated that our advice was to pull the plug and walk away.
In both cases the insurance company concerned did so as the threat to the business and it's reputation was deemed to be too high.
...then they'll get hammered by the insurer for not declaring a material fact won't they?The recent publicity in national newspapers and on TV will surely have brought the matter to the insurer's attention, even if they were previously unaware.
It might be splitting hairs, however let's be clear on cause and effect here: WCRC did not lose their previous exemption for breaches.The WCRC statement is self-serving duplicitous rubbish too as ORR quite rightly point out. Not only are the exemptions which others have subject to conditions but WCRC lost their own previous exemption due to their own egregious breaches of conditions.
TY for that. You are absolutely correct that accuracy is key here.It might be splitting hairs, however let's be clear on cause and effect here: WCRC did not lose their previous exemption for breaches.
They (along with other operators) had an exemption to use secondary rather than central door locking until 31 March 2023.
Other operators were granted a further 5 year exemption from April 2023 having agreed a plan with ORR to fit CDL during this window.
WCRC launched legal action instead and were granted a temporary exemption whilst the case was ongoing.
During this period, they were found to be breaching their exemption conditions on the Jacobite and were accordingly issued a prohibition notice on the Jacobite (only), which was subsequently resolved.
ORR revoked WCRC's temporary exemption on conclusion of the high court case.
ORR's statement in the article demonstrates that WCRC are being treated equally and without prejudice - which was one of the high court findings.
Interesting development. Wonder where this CDL-compliant stock has come from? https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2024/04/scotlands-jacobite-steam-train-services-to-resume.html
Well problem solved !….Interesting development. Wonder where this CDL-compliant stock has come from? https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2024/04/scotlands-jacobite-steam-train-services-to-resume.html
West Coast Railways have confirmed that the Jacobite steam train will resume from the 15th April.
The Jacobite is popular with passengers around the world but had to be suspended as the operator awaited a temporary exemption that would allow it to operate the trains without central door locking.
WCRC is to introduce a fleet of carriages with central door locking from the 15th April with passengers asked to rebook if their journey was cancelled.
Trains will be shorter than usual with no Harry Potter coach and reduced First-Class capacity.
The carriages will only be used until WCRC can secure the exemption to allow the usual Mark 1 and Mark 2 coaches to be used.
Usually from May, the Jacobite is ran twice a day, but with the reduced capacity, The Jacobite will only run the morning service.
“We are thrilled to have the Jacobite back up and running and look forward to welcoming customers on board. The team has done an exceptional job in getting a fleet of carriages ready to kick-start our 2024 season.
“We continue to engage both the ORR and Department for Transport with a request for the temporary exemption so that we can operate our heritage carriages on the main line. Our customers have told us for many years that travelling in these carriages is a highlight of the Jacobite experience. The exemption will also enable us to run an extra First-Class carriage and our famous Harry Potter carriage.
“For now, we are delighted that we can start to take visitors across the Scottish Highlands to visit Fort William, Mallaig and Glenfinnan. We understand those communities have been impacted by the suspension of the Jacobite and I hope this offers reassurance to local business owners.”
James Shuttleworth, Commercial Manager, West Coast Railways
I'm sure any insurer will have been fully aware of these shenanigans throughout. It's a very niche market after all....then they'll get hammered by the insurer for not declaring a material fact won't they?
Would this be bad enough that they'd lose their cover as a result, and be unable to turn a wheel anywhere until they sort it out?
They already have compliant Mk 2s.Interesting development. Wonder where this CDL-compliant stock has come from? https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2024/04/scotlands-jacobite-steam-train-services-to-resume.html
The Mk2s will be running the Great Britain tour, at least to start.I'm sure any insurer will have been fully aware of these shenanigans throughout. It's a very niche market after all.
They already have compliant Mk 2s.
The Daily Telegraph has just caught up with the story, implying that this will be the end of steam trains in BritainAnd how far they could have got during the low season to have carriages ready for when the season returns....
I have absolutely no doubt a lot of the press will paint this as H&S against the world.