Rail survey was meaningless
ANOTHER raft of figures (“ScotRail ranks bottom of poll on satisfaction for passengers”, The Herald, January 16) is delivered to our beleaguered railway system. As with all such mathematical equations to meet so-called targets (the same bedevils the NHS) they are, by and large, meaningless.
Comparisons are odious as, for example, those for Grand Central for 64 per cent satisfaction, it being a non-franchised open-access operation although part of the Arriva group of train operating companies that provides five and four daily services, respectively, between Sunderland and Bradford to London King’s Cross and only requiring a relatively small figure of rolling stock to do so.
As for the accompanying analysis (“It is not who runs the trains that is the problem but who fixes the track”, The Herald, January 16), the problems of ScotRail v Network Rail are also aired once again with the glib statement that everything would be magically resolved by Scottish Government intervention with the trade unions as cheerleaders. How is it possible to be so naive? The costs of all this anyone? Collective pride about the railways will never apply generally speaking to the travelling public. Dissent and criticism was rife all through the nationalised years from 1948. One could almost say ‘twas ever thus.
John Macnab,
175 Grahamsdyke Street, Falkirk.