http://www.tramlink.co.uk/news/index.shtml
Also some further information from the webmaster:
How about some sort of boycott for these companies or other action?
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?