Changes
to
the
rules


about
central
door
locking
could
mean
the
end
of
heritage
trains
on
Network
Rail
infrastructure,
a
major
operator
has
warned.

West
Coast
Railway
Company,
which
runs
many
steam-hauled
specials
on
National
Rail
lines
as
well
as
the
scheduled
‘Jacobite’
service
between
Fort
William
and
Mallaig,
is
challenging
a
decision
by
the
Office
of
Rail
and
Road
to
revoke
an
exemption
which
allows
heritage
trains
on
the
main
network
even
though
they
are
not
fitted
with
full
central
locking
for
their
swing
doors.

Instead,
operators
like
West
Coast
have
been
permitted
to
use
a
modified
system,
which
includes
stewards
in
each
coach
who
bolt
the
doors
individually
using
secondary
door
locking.
They
are
also
responsible
for
monitoring
the
doors
while
the
train
is
in
motion.

West
Coast
has
warned
that
converting
its
coaching
fleet
to
full
central
locking
would
cost
£7
million.
This
would
take
almost
10
years
to
repay,
and
the
business
would
cease
to
be
a
going
concern.

The
operator
has
challenged
the
ORR’s
decision
in
the
High
Court
over
the
past
two
days,
but
judgment
has
been
reserved
and
may
not
be
known
for
several
weeks.

West
Coast
pointed
out
that
safety
is
its
priority
and
there
have
been
no
accidents
caused
by
its
present
door
locking
system.

The
operator’s
commercial
manager
James
Shuttleworth
said:
‘This
country
was
the
birthplace
of
railways
and
I
very
much
hope
it
won’t
be
the
death
of
our
steam
power
on
the
main
line.
Specialist
railways
are
one
thing,
but
to
truly
experience
the
beauty
and
power
of
steam
we
still
need
our
most
famous
trains
to
run
on
the
real
railway.

‘Our
services,
particularly
the
Jacobite,
have
become
an
intrinsic
part
of
Scottish
tourism;
they’re
lynchpins.
They
have
helped
build
up
local
economies,
which
we’re
extremely
proud
of.
When
we
first
started
operating
the
Jacobite
in
1995,
I
don’t
think
we
could
have
predicted
how
popular
an
attraction
it
would
become.

‘Safety
is,
of
course,
WCR’s
priority
and
WCR
supports
the
ORR’s
desire
to
continue
to
drive
safety
improvements.
The
challenge
we
have
is
the
cost
of
installing
a
modern
safety
system
on
carriages
from
a
different
era.
Our
decades
of
operational
experience
suggest
to
us
that
a
steward
to
four
doors,
with
secondary
locks
and
monitoring,
a
train
manager
and
a
guard
is
enough
to
ensure
the
safety
of
our
passengers
and
colleagues.’

Heritage
trains
running
on
main
lines
have
been
criticised
in
recent
years,
particularly
when
reckless
‘enthusiasts’
trespass
on
the
railway
because
a
train
hauled
by
a
locomotive
like
the
Flying
Scotsman
is
due
to
pass.

A
major
accident
was
only
narrowly
avoided
at
Wootton
Bassett
Junction
on
the
Great
Western
Main
Line
in
March
2015,
when
a
steam
special
almost
collided
with
an
HST
because
the
driver
of
the
steam
locomotive
had
passed
a
signal
at
danger,
overrunning
it
by
almost
700
metres
and
coming
to
a
stand
fouling
the
main
line.
The
train’s
operator
West
Coast
Railway
Company
was
temporarily
banned
from
running
heritage
specials.

In
June
2016
West
Coast
was
fined
£200,000
with
costs
of
£64,000
at
Swindon
Crown
Court,
while
the
driver
was
given
a
prison
sentence
of
four
months,
suspended
for
eighteen
months.
Both
the
driver
and
West
Coast
had
admitted
health
and
safety
offences.
The
RAIB
later
reported
that
both
the
AWS
and
TPWS
on
the
locomotive
had
been
isolated,
against
the
rules.
In
evidence,
the
ORR
said
its
inspectors
had
uncovered ‘significant
failings
in
WCRC’s
managerial
controls’.
It
added:
‘This
prosecution
has
led
to
WCRC
taking
significant
steps
to
improve
its
management
of
safety,
with
support
from
the
regulator.’