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Un-bel-ievable. I thought I'd heard it all! Absolute joke, farce.
- Thread starter Herr Tubthumper
- Start date
surrey jim
Not in Surrey
Wouldn't happen in France.. Their trains are too fat
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-27497727
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-27497727
When I worked for BR, I remember having a similar issue with the new suburban stock, which was taller than the old slam door trains, so we had to raise all the platforms.
It is absolutely disgusting how some people cluelessly spend millions and millions of other people's money and these clowns fly well under the radar of the public.
In both cases above, I find myself utterly flabbergasted at the incompetent tossers whose job it is to carry out feasibility studies before jizzing TENS OF MILLIONS on new rolling stock. Who exactly are these people?
And it's not just the trains. The government has ring-fenced defence from the budget cuts. I can understand that, but it then makes my blood boil to hear the MoD have canned development of a new fighter plane at a cost of £80m to the tax payer. Basically, it sounds like they designed it, found the cost to produce was far higher than initially thought, so destroyed all prototypes.
Really? I mean 80 MILLION POUNDS FFS.
In both cases above, I find myself utterly flabbergasted at the incompetent tossers whose job it is to carry out feasibility studies before jizzing TENS OF MILLIONS on new rolling stock. Who exactly are these people?
And it's not just the trains. The government has ring-fenced defence from the budget cuts. I can understand that, but it then makes my blood boil to hear the MoD have canned development of a new fighter plane at a cost of £80m to the tax payer. Basically, it sounds like they designed it, found the cost to produce was far higher than initially thought, so destroyed all prototypes.
Really? I mean 80 MILLION POUNDS FFS.
- Thread starter
- #7
What's the departure sequence? Escort the passengers to a waiting, and decrepit, bus?
Too fat?
Bloody useless. Why don't we just privatise the railways - then we would have better choice and lower fares for passengers, more efficient services, more comfotable rolling stock, less overcrowding, etc
Vegas Seagull
New member
- Jul 10, 2009
- 7,782
Agree. I used to jump on the ballroom dancing daughter of the BR guy that used to do the Southern timetables. He was the thickest man I have ever met that wore a suit to work. He used to bring his timetables home so his daughter could do the numbers for him.
A woman I know was in admin at a local Council when they needed a Fraud Manager. She had no experience but without the job being advertised externally she got it, with a double promotion. Her target for the 1st year was to prevent 2 (two) cases of fraud
The numerous civil servants/council/public/utility workers being weeded out of £100k jobs where they would not be employed above £40k in the private sector is not before time.
Pinkie Brown
Wir Sind das Volk
Back in the early 80's, the New South Wales railways in Australia purchased a batch of HST's for their long distance services. Basically the same as the Inter City 125's that were about in the UK at the time (& still are I believe?) After many tests and trial runs it was clear they were totally unsuitable for much of the local terrain and track. With an election looming, the government who authorised the purchase as something to bang the drum about on the campaign trail were in an awkward and embarrassing position. What were they to do?
Simple - The railway company lowered the speed limits for the 'normal' diesel hauled trains and ran the HST's at 5km higher of the diesels original speeds. They then could spin the HST's as being a "new faster service" for the public.
Bungling incompetence isn't limited to the privatised railways of this country.........
The Trident replacement submarines, up from 20 billion to 30 billion. They haven't even been ordered yet, but the builders know they can increase the price by 50% cos the Government is politically pledged to buy them, no matter the cost.
beorhthelm
A. Virgo, Football Genius
- Jul 21, 2003
- 36,015
the price has increased as the prices banded about are about 10 years old. you know what, it'll have cost more than £30bn once they're delivered, because thats going to be some time off in the future too.
this is basic finance, future cost will rise.
No he's right. Costs have not reason by 50% in ten years.
We all know that any price quoted to the government will increase by huge amounts, because firms can get away with it.
Just think about Trident, increasing by one thousand million pounds per year.
One thousand million pound, sounds hell of a lot more than a billion
- Jan 3, 2012
- 17,354
When you talk of "spending other people's money", I presume Abellio Greater Anglia is a private company. But probably getting subsidies for running the service.
And I am not an engineer, but I wonder if the situation described might have been difficult to foresee. There was an example a few years ago, though, of Virgin Trains introducing new rolling stock for Cross Country Services which, when they tried it out, could not pass through the entrance to the tunnel at the London direction End of Southampton Central Station because the nose was too long. That, I would have thought, should have been entirely foreseeable.
When I talk of "spending other people's money", I am talking about incompetent tosspots who think little of wasting millions from a corporate or public purse, but would of course haggle over the cost of anything offecting his own domestic budget like anyone else.
Cian
Well-known member
Irish Rail had a different "too light" issue in the 1990s - single car 2750 class railcars were too light to set off the magnetic track circuits, meaning they'd disappear on the signalling systems and no longer be protected by the train protection system. Luckily neither of them (they only had two at this stage) actually crashed.
They're now run in 3 car consists, which the circuits can see. Rather seriously defeating the point of buying single cars for really low use lines!
They're now run in 3 car consists, which the circuits can see. Rather seriously defeating the point of buying single cars for really low use lines!
- Jan 3, 2012
- 17,354
Fair enough. I'll go along with that.
I'm probably being slightly paranoid on behalf of the public sector.