04/01/2008 12:10:28
Rail services have finally returned to normal on the West Coast rail route, after several days of disruption caused by overrunning repair work near Rugby.
Network Rail, the company responsible for the repair and maintenance of track in the UK, may now face huge fines from the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR). The government watchdog is investigating a complaint from Virgin Trains (VT) about the late-running work, which principally affected VT services.
"This has been a fiasco and our customers expect and deserve better," said VT's chief executive Tony Collins.
Managing director Chris Gibb added: "I want to be able to provide a good service to customers, I want to know in advance when the engineering work is going to take place and not be told at the last minute."
Network Rail has said that the delay was caused by a failure to arrange enough electricians to complete work on the overhead wires. Operations director Robin Gisby admitted: "We've made a muddle of the last couple of days. We got it wrong."
Meanwhile, a train has struck a lorry carrying potatoes at a level crossing on the main Glasgow to Aberdeen rail line. Although no serious injuries are reported, it is expected that the line may remain closed until this afternoon.
