Committee eligibility

I was amused at the number of readers who emailed me regarding my comments about ‘in-phrases’ that are so often used today, but which we’d never say in normal life ( The Fare

Dealer, RAIL 856). The ridiculous ‘in a bid to’ was one, but readers suggested two more that are annoying: ‘set to’ and ‘pledge’.

‘Set’ means imminent, as in getting ready for a race (‘get set’). Yet we read of operators being ‘set to’ introduce new trains in 2019!

When do we ever say ‘I pledge to…’? We’d say ‘promise’, and I fear pledge is being used by the rail industry (and politicians) to actually imply the opposite - a sort of ‘promise we never expect to keep’.

The other one readers pointed out is that in disputes, guards or drivers will ‘walk out’. No they won’t. They won’t come in!

Finally, my cynical comments were related to needless committees made up of nonrailway people, and a fine example occurred in the same issue of RAIL.

We have a committee set up to look at the chaos caused by the May timetable change. Look at its members (page 10): a roads expert; the Civil Aviation Authority chairman; the chairman of Thames Water Customer Challenge Group who happens to be a member of the General Dental Council… and just two railwaymen.

Couldn’t they have at least found a rugby club chairman or a manager of a Scottish Malt whisky distillery, to really get to the bottom of the timetable chaos?

I’m sure my time will come. As I’m one of the few people in England who has never seen a football match, there must surely be a role for me to join a committee convened to probe England’s performance in the World Cup.