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COMMENT SEAT BELTS: NO WAY Mike Crowhurst responds to two viewpoints expressed in April’s Rail Professional, concerning safety in the wake of Lambrigg – one of which suggested seat belts for passengers and the other airline-style overhead lockers for luggage Ian Hammond’s article and Ian Turnbull’s letter in April’s issue call for a response from the passenger viewpoint. Both focus on the issue of safe stowage of luggage, especially in overhead racks. Turnbull’s suggestion of latched, not locked, lockers seems an eminently sensible one. Do remember, however, that aircraft have stewards who are specifically tasked with ensuring that all luggage is safely stowed before take off. Trains do not have anything like the same level of staff. Having said that, the stupidity of a minority of rail passengers when it comes to stowing luggage is quite mindboggling at times. Some rolling stock design also contributes to the problem. Luggage space on Virgin Voyagers is notoriously inadequate, and they’re used on a route that carries more than its share of leisure business – with baggage requirements to match. The overhead racks on these trains are barely adequate for handbags, let alone my soft sports bag which fits easily into the overhead space of every other train – or plane – I have ever used. But when it comes to seat belts, I’m afraid I have to disagree. Firstly, remember that air passengers are only required to use their seat belt during take off and landing, or when the captain anticipates turbulence. What is the equivalent on a train? Yes, belts could be provided, but how many would bother to use then? Would the driver in a situation like Lambrigg or Ufton Nervet have had time to turn on a ‘seatbelts ‘ sign or make an announcement? Hardly. And if compulsion is proposed, who is going to enforce it? The prospect of the crew of an intercity train patrolling eight or 10 coaches trying to suppress the steady stream of buffet and toilet traffic, not to mention restless children, hardly bears thinking about. It would require at least one crew member per coach for a start. Cars and aircraft are required to use seat belts because they are inherently less safe modes of transport. Oddly, coaches, but not buses – except on school runs – are also required to use them. But on none of these modes are standing passengers carried, except buses – and then only rarely. If seat belts were to be obligatory on rail, standing passengers could never be carried and pre-booking for all rail journeys – as for Eurostar or TGVs – would be inevitable. Has Hammond thought through the implications? Can you imagine the fisticuffs for the last seats on the 8.15 to Waterloo, or the delays while unseated passengers are ‘persuaded’ to alight? A huge increase in British Transport Police strength is indicated. No, the solution to unsafe overcrowding is not seatbelts and strong arm tactics, it is more trains! Passengers do not choose to stand in cattle-truck conditions – they are given no option. The widely publicised overcrowding on First Great Western services recently was caused by a combination of government mishandling of the franchise and operator’s cost saving to meet DfT diktat. My own experience on Virgin Cross Country, between Leeds and Birmingham during restricted service last autumn, is another example. The normal two trains per hour on the York and northeast corridor were replaced by a single train per hour, due to a shortage of paths on the diversion route via Leicester. Fine, but this resulted in two trainloads packing into each train with totally predictable chronic overcrowding, entirely due to Virgin’s failure to use the stock available to double the capacity. Despite complaints, no explanation for this failure was ever forthcoming. After having twice endured standing for over two hours, I took to travelling via Manchester for the duration. Heaven help anyone trying to enforce a ‘no-standing’ rule in this situation without riot police to hand. If demand for flights increases, more aircraft are put on – and the industry demands, and usually gets, more airport capacity. If demand for road space increases, the vociferous road lobby demands more motorway widening – and usually gets it. But for some reason predictand-provide never applies to rail. The present shambolic structure of the industry seems incapable of responding to increased demand and resorts to trying to price-off the problem, while passengers are left to put up with intolerable conditions as highlighted by Transport 2000’s Sardine Man campaign – and Hammond complains that trains are unsafe. Forcing people off rail onto road or air, by pricing or otherwise, is not going to make us safer. Meanwhile, the Government drags its feet on rail infrastructure projects like Crossrail, demands ever more studies and pulls the plug altogether on essential light rail schemes in cities. This is no way to run the country’s transport system. But there is a more insidious aspect to this. We have already learnt that there are those in the DfT who would like to see an allpre-book railway system on the airline model. This would, of course, suit operators and the Government just fine, as the size of demand – and subsidy – would become predictable and controllable. But it would be the end of the railway as a walk-on transport system. In short, it would suit everyone except passengers. And any prospect of rail taking more of the pressure off road and air would vanish. Banning standing and requiring seat belts in the name of safety would play into the hands of these people. As so often with the insurance industry and safety lobby, a myopic concentration on risk reduction in one area in isolation produces mistaken priorities and increased risk elsewhere. Obviously, no passengers want an unsafe railway, but a realistic overview is needed of all forms of transport. No, Hammond, if you are worried about standing passengers and overcrowding, persuade the Government and the City to fund more trains and more rail infrastructure, and concentrate on making less safe modes, such as roads, safer instead. Mike Crowhurst is the chairman of Railfuture. 36 RAIL PROFESSIONAL : MAY 2007
PEOPLE PEOPLE ROUND-UP CARILLION DIRECTOR IS TO CHAIR ENGINEERING BODY Peter Samuel, 56, has been elected chairman of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) North East region. Samuel, regional director for Carillion Regional Civil Engineering in the North, has over 30 years’ experience of management and technical roles. He was vice chairman of CECA for two years. Samuel said:‘These are exciting times for CECA and it’s an honour to be a part of an organisation that aims to highlight and promote the positive contribution of civil engineering contractors.’ HUXLEY JOINS THE CLUB TT Club, the specialist transport insurance provider, appointed Andrew Huxley as regional sales director – a new position – which sees him taking responsibility for developing business within Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Huxley has 24 years experience with major broking houses in London and abroad. FTA ANNOUNCES NEW PRESIDENT Following a year as vice president, Andy Haines, head of logistics at Tate & Lyle Sugars Europe, is the new president of the Freight Transport Association. Haines, who joined Tate & Lyle in 1979, has always worked on supply chains. His association with FTA began in the early 1990s in northwest England. He is 49 years old. Five new members have also joined the board, including Eddie Fitzsimons from Freightliner. THOMPSON REPRESENTS RAIL ON PENSIONS FORUM Meagan Thompson, the corporate governance counsel at Railpen Investments, has been appointed to the board of directors of the UK Social Investment Forum, a network for socially responsible investment. Railpen manages the Railways Pension Scheme. GARNETT JOINS TFL BOARD Ex-GNER chief executive Christopher Garnett is to join the board at Transport for London. Garnett, who lives in Putney, stepped down from the East Coast franchise-holder last August, following an unsuccessful legal challenge to open access operators on its routes. He is also a member of the Board of the Olympic Delivery Authority and so brings a wealth of experience of managing large and complex organisations in the transport field to his TfL position. Joining him on the board is Dr Rana Roy FCILT, an international consulting economist based in central London. He has researched, published and advised extensively The National Express Group has taken on Frazer Smith as its group sales and marketing director. Smith joins the company from Capital One, the financial services company, where he was senior vice president of diversified businesses. He career has been varied, with companies such as Royal Bank of Scotland, United Biscuits, Reckitt & Colman, Lawton to power European sales John Lawton, 48, has been appointed European marketing director of industrial battery manufacturer Enersys Motive Power. Lawton, who has been with the company for 18 years, said: ‘It’s a very exciting time for the industry. We’re moving towards ever quicker and smarter solutions which will assist industry to make significant energy cost savings and reduce power consumption.’ on the reform of transport taxation, pricing and investment and is currently acting as chief technical adviser in economics to the Rail Safety and Standards Board research programme on sustainable development. Two advisors to the board have also been appointed. Peter Anderson is the managing director of finance at Canary Wharf Group, while Shiria Khatun is a councillor in the East India and Lansbury ward of Tower Hamlets. Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said: ‘It is vital that the board and its advisors reflect a wide range of knowledge and experience and I am delighted in these appointments.’ Frazer Smith BRITS JOIN EUROPEAN FREIGHT LOBBY The European Association for the liberalisation of rail freight (ERFA) has elected a new board. Luca Ronzoni, of Nord Cargo, remains president, with Martin Henke, of VDV, becoming VP. Tony Berkeley, of Britain’s Rail Freight Group, has become a director, as has Freightliner’s Konstantin Skorik and EWS’s Graham Smith. The other directors are Bernhard Kunz , Jeroen Le Jeune, Denis Paillat, Markus Vaerst Martin Vosta. Monika Heiming, secretary general of ERFA said:‘The great interest from many other market players in joining ERFA is a strong sign that they believe in the future of the independent and private rail freight operators.’ NEW NEG MARKETING DIRECTOR ANNOUNCED Dawson takes over sales at Midland Mainline Midland Mainline has appointed Rachel Dawson as sales and marketing director. Dawson, 39, was previously working at Travelodge, the the budget hotel chain, where she was head of marketing. Before that she spent six years at EasyJet. She will be responsible for sales, marketing, communications and revenue management, heading up a team of 16 staff at the company’s HQ in Derby. ‘As current holder of the Passenger Operator of the Year McKinsey and Sony on his CV. Group chief executive Richard Bowker said: ‘I’m delighted we have attracted such a high calibre individual to join the senior team at National Express Group. ‘Frazer brings skills and experience that will be invaluable in transforming National Express Group into a leading retailer of travel and transport services.’ Rachel Dawson Award, we certainly have a lot to shout about,’ said Dawson. ‘And a continued focus on promoting Midland Mainline will put us in a great position to support our parent company, National Express Group, in its bid to win the new East Midlands franchise.’ MAY 2007 : RAIL PROFESSIONAL 37
Page 1: PROFESSIONAL THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE
Page 4 and 5: NEWS Putting rail on the political
Page 6: NEWS ISLE OF WIGHT’S TRAINS SOLD
Page 9 and 10: POLICY TRANSPORT MUST GO GREEN Chri
Page 11 and 12: NEWS ANALYSIS FEATURE Justin Graing
Page 14 and 15: INTERVIEW ‘We are key to UK plc,
Page 16 and 17: TRANSPENNINE EXPRESS FIRST PAST THE
Page 18: TRANSPENNINE EXPRESS Vernon Barker
Page 21 and 22: SMOKING BAN Bob Crowley, head of em
Page 23 and 24: INFRASTRUCTURE Main picture: wwwlra
Page 25 and 26: INFRASTRUCTURE At 8.1 metres in dia
Page 27 and 28: COMMENT LEARNING FROM PAST MISTAKES
Page 29 and 30: Compare, for instance, the thousand
Page 31 and 32: LEGAL OPINION although the new (200
Page 33 and 34: IRO NEWS DIARY OF EVENTS SCOTTISH A
Page 35: BUSINESS NEWS TRAVEL PERKS ROW THRE
Page 39 and 40: PRODUCTS AND SERVICES SIEMENS Leadi
Page 41 and 42: TO LIST YOUR APPOINTMENTS CALL Rob
Page 43: TO LIST YOUR APPOINTMENTS CALL Rob

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