DaventryRabbit
Member
My fears exactly. It will only take, say, maybe 4 or so seperate weeks of disruption/No service before the DFT Look at the tumbling revenue and decide that it has become untenable. I really fear what the December 22 and more particularly May 23 Timetables may look like.It is without doubt that I have sympathy with those who, like yourself, work in the rail industry. I'm extremely concerned however, that if there is a protracted summer of disruption, I won't be the only one to not return afterwards. Many have said to me, once you've got a car, you'll seldom use public transport again.
I do honestly feel for rail staff, my overriding concern is if people like me who have a love for the railways and spend a significant amount of income using them - and have stood by the network through all sorts of stuff, are actively looking at alternatives, I can only fear for what the future holds. I hope I'm being over the top, but if passenger numbers don't recover, the cutting axe could well be swung.
You only need to look at or remember 40 Years or so after the damaging Strikes then to see what service levels we could be sleep walking into. Remember Brian Serpell and his infamous plan? (Younger people: Google now!)
I fear that the stations which currently have no service (Gainsborough- Barnetby, Doncaster- Scunthorpe etc) may have already seen their last train....