Passengers are the victims

Earlier in the summer, I had hoped to attend the funeral of an old friend in Birmingham. Due to the strike action, I was unable to attend.

I was unsure of the train times, and even paying the full fare (I have an OAP railcard) no trains would get me to the Birmingham suburb in time for the funeral.

I have also been wishing to go up to Liverpool to see a very elderly relative. I used to be able to do it on a Cheap Day Return, but (for the same reasons as above) it is now not possible.

Recently, I heard that another friend has died in Essex. PreCOVID, I used to visit him on a regular basis using rail. His funeral was on November 3, and I drove. I did not really want to do this, but there was little alternative.

I am sure that there are plenty of your readers with similar experiences to mine.

Reading RAIL 968, I noted that the ASLEF rep in Scotland said that “the railways of Scotland should never again be run for the benefit of shareholders over passengers”.

There must be millions of trade unionists whose pension funds rely on profits made by private companies. This probably includes ASLEF members, too.

A J Slatter, Surrey