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European Railroad Discussion > West Coast - not out of the woodsDate: 05/28/15 00:04 West Coast - not out of the woods Author: 86235 No one seems to have picked this up but although Network Rail reinstated WCRC the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) - the regulator - has placed it in what only can be described as 'special measures'. It came within a whisper of losing its safety case, which would have been terminal. As it is the ORR is proscribing what WCRC can and can't do and will oversee its day to day operations until satisfied that their safety management is up to scratch. Consequently WCRC is being forced to scale back operations, which will have a long term impact on the railtour companies for which it is the traction - steam and diesel - provider.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/28/15 07:08 by 86235. Date: 05/29/15 01:20 Re: West Coast - not out of the woods Author: 55002 I can't help feeling there may have been a fair amount of political pressure from certain areas, to get WC up and running simply to get The Jacobite steam service ready for its season. Did not WC get the all clear only 3 days before the service was due to start!!?? Chris UK
Date: 06/02/15 11:26 Re: West Coast - not out of the woods Author: andersonb109 Just read in Steam Railway that all but the first 2 days of the GBVII was diesel hauled. People came from all over the world expecting steam haulage. But in typical Railway Touring Company fashion, instead of canceling in a reasonable amount of time, they assured everyone it would be "mostly" steam hauled. About 40 percent of the clients bailed out after a few days once they found out service trains and buses would be their transport in Scotland instead. It would be interesting to see how much money Mr. Dobbing and his minions refund. Not his fault this happened but they shouldn't have taken the risk. This is the same outfit that has many negative reviews on Trip Advisor, and fails to respond to the most basic question about upcoming tours.
Date: 06/02/15 11:40 Re: West Coast - not out of the woods Author: 86235 Damned if they did, damned if they didn't. If you had followed the lead up to GBVII you would have seen that WCRC were assuring their customers i.e. the train operators that the ban would be lifted. It wasn't their fault that WCRC got themselves into the mess they did, I guess it's a fine judgement but I presume most (all?) patrons were aware of the WCRC situation and what that might mean. As you say some bailed out and will get their money back, others stuck with it. It remains a pretty wretched situation with ORR saying what trains WCRC can operate and what they can't on a day by day basis. Presumably the railtour promoters - RTC, Steam Dreams etc - are looking to WCRC to compensate them for the effect this shambles has on their busienss. I wouldn't want to pay WCRC insurance premiums next year.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/02/15 12:40 by 86235. |