Snow chaos on the railways must not be repeated’ City Hall warns
THE rail companies must be shunted into being more prepared for bad weather like snow which brought chaos to millions last month, the London Assembly is urging the Transport Secretary. Lord Adonis has been sent submissions from rail operators and comments from passengers about January’s chaos
THE rail companies must be shunted into being more prepared for bad weather like snow which brought chaos to millions last month, the London Assembly is urging the Transport Secretary.
The Assembly’s transport committee has written to Lord Adonis with submissions from rail operators and comments from passengers about January’s disruptions.
The chaos cost the national economy an estimated �2 billion, with commuters left stranded on freezing platforms.
“Bad weather inevitably leads to some disruption,” the Assembly’s transport chair Caroline Pidgeon said. “But the issue is the variation in the services.
“Credit should go to the rail operators who at least tried to run a normal service, which should have been the story across the network.
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“Our views must be taken on board if we are to avoid severe disruption next time it snows.”
South Eastern is singled out for planning only half its normal run, despite other train operators like Southern and South West attempting full or slightly reduced service.
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National Express East Anglia services into Liverpool Street were better after trains were modified to cope with the snow.
The Committee wants contingency plans, modifications to trains and tracks to cope in icy conditions and better compensation arrangements when things go wrong. The letter asks for these issues to be sorted.’
