Poor Service ; THE BIRMINGHAM POST

For a country where the Government is said to be keen to persuade more of us to leave our cars at home and use public transport instead, travelling by rail during the festive season is proving to be an impossible challenge.

There were no trains at all on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, in contrast to most of the rest of Europe where services operated almost normally.

Train companies in Britain, when asked why they did not at least run a Sunday service, explained that there would have been no profit to be made in doing so and that they were not inclined to make a loss. The Government might have offered to subsidise well-targeted Christmas services, linked perhaps to a don’t drink and drive campaign, but did not bother to do so.

The impact of what might be called a disintegrated rather than an integrated transport policy will have been felt keenly, particularly on Boxing Day, by people wishing to travel to the high street sales or to major sporting events and among retailers hoping for a boost to the Christmas trading period. The absence of train services is likely to have persuaded many people to stay at home.

And for anyone planning to visit friends for a new year break, it is probably best to avoid train services on the West Coast Main Line between Birmingham and London tomorrow and on new year’s eve. Track improvement work at Rugby, extended by Network Rail to take in December 31, will put at least an extra hour on journeys and involve passengers embarking on a tedious coach trip between Northampton and Birmingham International.

The Rail Regulator’s investigation into the lastminute nature of Network Rail’s decision to keep the closure in place on new year’s eve is welcome, but should be extended to look urgently at what more can be done to improve trains services during public holidays.

(c) 2007 Birmingham Post; Birmingham (UK). Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.