On May 24, 11:40*am, "Andrew Heenan" wrote:
"Tom Anderson" wrote ...

Nice story.

true story, actually.

So do you dispute the assertion that it would take longer to fit CSDE to
the existing trains than it will take for the new trains to come into
service? And if not, do you dispute that this makes the RMT's demands
absolutely nonsensical?

I don't know; neither do you. There's so much spin around the costs and time
frames of fixing problem trains, that no-one outside the service can
possibly tell where the truth lies.

Recall, for example, the problems with SWT's 458 units; we were told that
the visual display was a few mm too small, that the door control buttons
were a cm or two out (both disability access issues), and fixing it would
cost £140,000* per car, and so would never get done on cost grounds, thereby
removing them from service. After the ritual brinkmanship, an engineer with
a brain was located, and a system was devised and fitted at a fraction of
the stated cost, and in a timely manner.

If I had the facts of this new drama, I'd happily give a view - but there's
so many lies, half truths and plain old fashioned smoke, that neither you
nor I could even guess. Time will tell, I guess; hopefully before some poor
sod falls out of a train.

They've been running under the current setup *for 40 years*, for
****'s sake.

It's not a H&S issue, it's a willy-waving issue (and management is
doubtless being at least as daft as the union about the whole case -
the sensible approach would be to say 'meh, **** happens, anyone who
walks out of the wrong side of the train was a ****wit anyway, slap on
the wrists and brief telling-off for drivers who make the mistake').

--
John Band
john at johnband dot org
www.johnband.org