MPs v railway bosses

09/06/2008 by admin.

Ian Davidson, Labour MP for Glasgow South West, was having some fun at the Public Accounts Committee this morning - at the expense of National Express MD David Franks. After repeatedly batting away awkward questions with the plea that he could only speak for the East Coast Main Line, Mr Franks was reminded by the terrier-like MP that he was there to speak for the Association of Train Operating Companies and was therefore obliged to answer for them all!!!

Mr Davidson then pressed the Department for Transport’s Dr Mike Mitchell - an erstwhile colleague of Mr Franks if my memory serves me -about the fact that the rolling stock leasing companies took no responsibility for comensation payments when the stock fails.

The civil servant had to be pressed several times on whether he personally believed that it was fair. But it was only when he couldn’t avoid it that he revealed that the department had lodged a complaint to the Competition Commission!

Meanwhile, the hangdog Network Rail chief executive Ian Coucher, continues to look like he is carrying an invisible but very heavy train on his shoulders!!

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