The issue here is one of performance versus maintenance/safety, not helped at all by the attitude of the TOCs/FOCs and their unwillingness, or perhaps inability, to see the bigger picture in their continuing rush towards this 24 hour Railway that I personally think no-one really wants or can afford. After all how many people are going to be travelling in the early hours of a Sunday morning that are not coming home from nights out and probably not the best for it as well and bringing with that the resultant issues that occur ?
There is no system in the world that I know that does NOT have to shut down for at least 4 hours a night for maintenance and for longer for renewals.
It is all very well and good having systems and procedures in place however suitable and sufficient access remains within the gift of the organisation and not the men at the sharp end.
Add to that a culture (still prevelent) where performance will always be seen to win out - when was the last time someone willingly agreed an over-run to complete work ?
Whenever problems occur during any Possession there is always massive pressure from above, with the well shielded but ever present threat to the future work security of those involved and as well as their employing Company, for then work to be completed within the time. There is no consideration as to how this can be achieved simply a series of increasingly senior figures demanding the track be handed back.
This iniquitous pressure is passed down to the men on the ground, who are then placed into situations whereby they feel they have no alternative to cut corners, especially when Nelsonian blind eyes are passed by the very senior management who should be making the hard decisions and stopping this. They will not because they know that their futures are at stake every bit as much as the men yet proper safety management can only be achieved by senior management walking the talk.
From an Industry point of view, the Industry is very poorly served by a toothless safety regulator who is perfectly aware of what is going on - after all they have undertaken study after study and concluded the same several times over - yet appears to only have the appetitite to "go after" the major Infrastructure Contractors, whose safety systems are far more advanced and whose safety culture is far greater advanced and compliant than the very body who they are working for. Yet the ORR sem only willing to tackle the smaller less controversial issues, whilst every month the CIRAS report produces case after case where swift hard enforcement action is needed. Until this happens and the ORR grow the balls to take the hard action that is required, frontline staff will continue to walk the tightrope which wehen the slip off it brings the iniquitous threat of prosecution from enforcement authorities and a legal system that is happy to tackle the periferies yet content to leave the real source of the problem (culture and aggressive management) untouched.
The Police are simply seeking the first available person they can charge irrespective of the wider issues.
Personally I feel the ORR ought to be going after senior management in the TOCs/FOCs because they are after all part of the "corporate" Industry culture. Only when really senior people are sat across the table speaking under Caution will things change.