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Bombardier & Croydon Tramlink threaten to sue website

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yorkie

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http://www.tramlink.co.uk/news/index.shtml

R - I - P

Latest News Service

6th April 1999 - 12th December 2005


The News Section has today been discontinued and the archive removed from my server. I run this website as a hobby to inform and entertain, and I have enjoyed doing so. However, the enjoyment of editing the news wears thin when you get threatened with legal action twice in a week on completely unrelated reports, one of them published over 3 years ago.

I do not appreciate legal threats by email whilst on holiday or being shouted at by phone during my lunch breaks. Perhaps I should be flattered that companies believe that multi-million pound contracts, or incident recommendations will be decided on the basis of a few words, or even April Fools Jokes, by an amateur on a humble tram enthusiast website.

This is not an action I have taken lightly. I have spent many hours of my time researching stories and compiling reports from my wide network of contacts. The aim throughout has been for timely, detailed, accurate reporting. Everything has been reported in good faith, based on the information received - in many cases from multiple sources.

I am very grateful for the 1,623 "brown envelope" emails received from loyal insiders since April 1999, each with a snippet of News. This section of the website would not have been possible without you. And of course, for the information from other enthusiasts. Thank you, and if you are able, I'd still be very interested to receive it.

Sadly, I can not take the personal risk of any legal action that may arise in the future, and so I have no option but to terminate this news service. The internet, and I would imagine, the Therapia Lane messroom will be duller places without it. The improvements, developments, and incidents will continue but it seems free speech is no longer permitted in this country. One day, perhaps things will have sunk to the depths of New Jersey, where a tram driver informed me I required a permit to photograph anything with the word "transit" on it. The Big Companies have won in the end.

I have decided to keep the website itself running, and will be considering over the coming weeks the new direction that the site will be taking and where my energy is best directed. If you would like to get in touch, please email me.

Happy Christmas everyone!

Stephen Parascandolo
Webmaster
6th December 2005

Also some further information from the webmaster:

Thanks to everyone for their messages of support - my inbox has been filling all day.


As it is no big secret, the parties that **threatened** to take legal action were: -

Tramtrack Croydon Ltd over "inaccurate" speculation regarding the cause of several recent incidents.


Bombardier Transportation over "libellous rubbish" that was published on my site, with fears that some reports (many dating back some time) contained inaccurate information on tram defects, which may influence other cities decisions on future tram orders. Any further "inaccurate" comments would result in letters from their lawyers without warning.


Neither company identified specific reports which they objected to. Everything that was published was done so in good faith, based on the information sent to me. However the site was only as accurate as the nformation it received.


The offers of assistance are very welcome, but at the end of the day, I publish the website and I write the website. If future reports could lead to legal action without warning, I can't afford to take the personal risk. I don't have a legal team, or a huge publishing group to fight the claim. And, I do not want to expose my sources to clear my name.


If people want to write letters of support to magazines or Newspapers, please do, but nothing short of legal indemnities on past material (edited if required), and legally binding guidelines on future articles (i.e. If I follow the guidelines, I won't get sued), will allow a return of the News in the previous format. I made some changes on Saturday and suggested this approach to TCL - I had hoped it would have been possible to have reached some agreement with them. The situation with Bombardier has unfortunately overtaken that process.


I believe the Croydon Advertiser, and Guardian will be running a story in their next editions.


I am sorry it has come to this, but I have to protect myself first at the end of the day.


How about some sort of boycott for these companies or other action?
 
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Mojo

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Careful, Yorkie, you might be at risk of being accused by Tramlink of posting
"libellous rubbish" ;)

See the thread Tramlink Censorship in uk.transport.london
 

bunnahabhain

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Well that's a shame, me and Nick met Stephen Parascandolo at the Nottingham Model Railway Exhibition a few months back, and he was a really decent chap.

Ah......Casablanca! ;)
 

Z12XE

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yorkie said:
How about some sort of boycott for these companies or other action?

Yes, from now on I will try even harder to avoid the awful 170s
 

Mojo

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Haha :lol:

I wonder if any sort of action might start to be taken against Rail Enthusiast websites, hope not :(
 

AlexS

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Boycot Bombardier? Say goodbye to travelling on the following at the very least (that I know of!)

Central Trains
ScotRail
One
Southern
South West Trains
Virgin Cross Country
Midland Mainline
Chiltern Railways
c2c
South Eastern
Hull Trains
Nottingham Express Transit
Acela Express in the USA

Do you get the picture? Unless you want to stop travelling altogether on the railways, you don't have much of a chance!
 

Z12XE

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AlexS said:
Do you get the picture? Unless you want to stop travelling altogether on the railways, you don't have much of a chance!

Dont be so stupid, not all of those TOCs have a total Bombardier Fleet.

For example One, they have hundreds of trains and 12 of those are built by Adtranz/Bombardier.

I already manage to avoid One's 170s as much as possble anyway, not because of this but because of the poor design and total inpropiate routes that One run them on
 

RJ

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156418 said:
AlexS said:
Do you get the picture? Unless you want to stop travelling altogether on the railways, you don't have much of a chance!
I already manage to avoid One's 170s as much as possble anyway, not because of this but because of the poor design and total inpropiate routes that One run them on

You mean the unelectrified ones?

Dont be so stupid, not all of those TOCs have a total Bombardier Fleet

Southern - Would a single Thumper cover for all Uckfield and Ashford Express services? And do you seriously think that 455s, 456s and 171s can cover all of the 377 services?

One - How else would they get through those certain routes they run?

SWT - Ok, fair enough, the 170s appear to be surplus.

Virgin XC - I didn't realise that they had enough 43s/47s to cover for the Voyagers.

Chiltern - Would you like to be on a 165 from London to Birmingham?

c2c - They wouldn't have any customers.

SET - There aren't enough Networkers to cover the 375s and 376s.

Hull Trains - They wouldn't have any customers.


Don't really give a **** about the other TOCs as I don't use them. Maybe you can avoid them, but it's stupid to say that others can.


How about some sort of boycott for these companies or other action?

Either the TOCs would barely notice or a lot of people would be unemployed!
 

Z12XE

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There seems to be some people around here who have had sense of humor bypasses, messages posted here are clearly people just joking.

And yes, the place I meet the One 170s is on the GEML where they are around 300 seats too small. Still a cr@p design whether they are running under the wires or not.
 

RJ

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Dont be so stupid, not all of those TOCs have a total Bombardier Fleet.

I failed to notice any element of jest in this comment. Maybe you can explain the funny bit?
 

Simming

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Croydon Tramlink - I have not botherd travelling on your trains, seeing as i find being bitten by rabie ridden dogs safer.
why bother using your trams, when walking would no doubt be quicker, and easier, and in the end cheaper

Bombardier - Can I just tell the excecutive manager, chairman, and anyone else high up, your wives are awfully nice in bed.
siemens and adtranz build better trains all round
richard branson actually hates you

done my bit towards boycotting both companies
 

yorkie

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joea1, it wasn't a serious suggestion, and I certainly didn't have anything like what you posted in mind ;)

However I already do boycott Bombardier as much as possible, within reason ;) . This can be achieved quite easily on some routes. For example a trip from York to the West Country can be acheived on HSTs via London (GNER+FGW), avoiding Voyagers. Where I have a choice, I won't choose Bombardier, but I won't take it to extremes.
 

RJ

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Simming said:
and in the end cheaper

Kids don't pay a penny :D.

Croydon Tramlink - I have not botherd travelling on your trains, seeing as i find being bitten by rabie ridden dogs safer.
why bother using your trams, when walking would no doubt be quicker, and easier, and in the end cheaper

Bombardier - Can I just tell the excecutive manager, chairman, and anyone else high up, your wives are awfully nice in bed.
siemens and adtranz build better trains all round
richard branson actually hates you

done my bit towards boycotting both companies

Who actually wrote that? The bit with the wife in bed doesn't correspond with the cheaper bit-adults don't tend to be petty like that :?.
 

class 313

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Sorry to bring up a old thread but couldnt resist

222 at lougbough had this wrote on top
dscf7226ql5.jpg
 
T

Tom

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Yes - but we know that journalists have used this site before and I know they visit forums ...
 

Nick W

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The Asda supermarket chain has been fined £9,000 for "misleading" customers over price reductions.

The customers will probably now end up paying for that fine over a few years of not as good as average discounts.

Thank goodness it's not the taxpayer this time.
 
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