MPs have asked Rail Minister Huw Merriman to help West Coast Railways (WCR) secure permission to run its ‘The Jacobite’ service.
WCR has operated the heritage service for more than 30 years. For almost 20 of those years, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has granted it an exemption to operate with hinged-door carriages on the mainline. During this time, no serious injury has been attributable to the lack of central door locking (CDL).
To operate this year’s programme, WCR applied to the ORR to renew its long-term exemption certificate and requested a temporary exemption to operate from March, while the ORR assessed its longer-term submission, as reported.
As the ORR has not yet granted a temporary exemption, WCR has suspended ‘The Jacobite’ services at the start of the season.
Eight MPs, who represent constituencies in which WCR operates or who have an interest in preserving the UK’s heritage railways, have written a joint letter to the Rail Minister highlighting that the ORR’s policies allow for exceptions to fitting CDL for heritage carriages and that the ORR should therefore consider WCR’s application, designed to meet one of those exceptions, with an open mind. The letter asks the Minister to engage with the ORR, asserting: “Regulators have enormous powers which, if exercised unreasonably, have the capacity to bring businesses they regulate to a quick end. It is for that reason they are politically accountable – it is a vital democratic safeguard.”
The WCR’s commercial manager, James Shuttleworth, said: “We are grateful to the MPs for voicing their concerns. We remain committed to working with the ORR to find a long-term solution which safeguards the future of heritage services on the main line and again appeal to it to reconsider our request for a temporary exemption.”
Passengers with bookings for ‘The Jacobite’ will be offered a full refund. They can also contact WCR via [email protected] for more details.
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