Letters November 25: Glib attack on railway staff fails to address the real issues

IT was with some interest, and consequential head shaking and tutting, that I read the piece by David Behrens on the future of the Northern franchise (The Yorkshire Post, November 21). Mr Behrens is clearly experienced from the perspective of the passenger, and his opinion is fashioned from frustration at the service he receives.

He sees staff as “self serving”. I am unsure as to from where this barb originates. He bemoans the creaking infrastructure, yet these same “mediocre” staff manage to deliver a service daily, working with equipment that is up to four decades old, using a signalling system dating from the 19th century.

Admittedly, that service has issues, but they will not be solved by lambasting staff when the blame lies largely at the heart of government. This misaligned approach to the subject is equalled only by his complete failure to grasp how privatised railways work, especially when speaking of Northern’s “failure” to buy new trains. What David fails to realise is that procurement of rail carriages is controlled by the Department for Transport, and not individual operators. New carriages cost in excess of £1m each, largely due to the fractious manner in which the industry was divided at privatisation. Any order for new vehicles, or improvements to infrastructure, have to be ratified by Government Ministers, even if financed privately.

Another issue where David opts for glib swiping is the issue of leaves on the line. As a driver of many years’ experience I can tell your readers that leaves on the line are a very real phenomenon.

Have you ever driven a car and encountered black ice? Have you ever tried to brake, but ended up skidding, with absolutely no control over your vehicle? Imagine experiencing that while at the controls of a train heading towards a red signal, and an open level crossing, with cars and trucks obliviously crossing your path.

David saved his party piece for his jibe about Northern “failing to take on unions” by removing conductors from trains. Northern are, once again, a prisoner to governmental whim and fortune. For any stretch of line to be certified for driver-only operation, it requires a requisite level of signalling technology, radio communications, and infrastructure facilities that are not there at this time.

Whole swathes of the network over which Northern operate would require massive deluges of capital investment, not just in signal boxes, but also in the trains that David has complained about.