Home Explore the BBC

22 December 2009 Accessibility help Text only

	BBC Homepage [an error occurred while processing this directive]
»	[an error occurred while processing this directive]
	Contact Us Like this page? Send it to a friend!

Last updated: Wednesday 3rd January 2001, 1000 GMT Confidence in the railways fades {headline} A train pulls into Southampton Central Station Railtrack has been slammed for failing to keep track of faults and repairs. The Southern Rail Passengers Committee publishes a report today following a Christmas period of chaos on the railways. Passengers feel that they've been let down. It says this is one of the key reasons for the mayhem that's been caused since the Hatfield crash and claim better internal communications could help immeasurably. The public's faith in the railways has sunk to it's lowest point after weeks of upheaval. Passengers patience was stretched to breaking-point as information dried up, at some stations even the staff didn't know what was happening. Southampton Central Station The report says that 900 broken rails did not mean that there were 900 potential Hatfields waiting to happen last year. Despite this Railtrack checked and replaced hundred of miles of track. Although the number of complaints received in the last 12 months has fallen, the 1999-2000 total is still well over double the figure in the last year of British Rail operation. The bulk of complaints were about late and cancelled trains. Railtrack has now invested in researching the speed at which cracks develop in rails and why they happen. Top | News Index | Home

We asked commuters at Southampton Central Station if they felt well informed whilst travelling on the railways:

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Not got Realplayer? How to Download it for free

Shipman inquiry criticises police Schoolgirl flew to France with marine Windsor intruder escapes action

About the BBC | Help | Terms of Use | Privacy & Cookies Policy