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Rats cause train delays
We've all heard the excuses about leaves, signal failures and lack of staff...
Now hungry rats have been added to the list of reasons why rail services have been delayed or cancelled in Lancashire.
The rampant rodents chewed through cables on the West Coast Main Line, crippling services between Preston and Lancaster.
In just ONE day, the four-legged fiends forced 107 trains to be cancelled and caused 289 other delays, leaving commuters and trains at a standstill.
Now millions of pounds is to be spent on new cables, special "rat brushes" and pea gravel to take on the pesky rats and mice who struck in the Bay Horse area south of Lancaster on January 2.
Andy Warnock-Smith, North West organiser for the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), said: "It's some excuse.
"It's incredible. I've never come across such a reason before.
"With the amount of money spent on the West Coast Main Line, you would expect they would have fitted protective measures such as boxes or brushes to prevent cables being bitten by rodents.
"It wouldn't have cost a huge amount to do."
Roger Bell, chairman of the Ormskirk, Preston and Southport Travellers' Association, said he "totally agreed" with the RMT adding: "I think
there is still a job left over from the modernisation of the line that needs to be taken care of.
"Electric railways are by far the best, but when there's a weakness it can bring the whole railway to a halt.
"I don't know what the fundamental problem is as, touch wood, they don't
seem to have these problems south of Crewe."
The "rodent-damaged cable" reason was given by Network Rail chief executive Iain Coucher who sent an apology to Carlisle MP Eric Martlew after he complained about his delayed train journey en route to watch Carlisle United play Everton in the FA Cup.
Mr Coucher said that "rodent-proof, steel-wired armoured cable" is set to be installed along the line over the next two years.
Network Rail spokesman Keith Lumley said: "We are looking at using a new type of cable with a suitable amount of material on it.
"It does come at a price, but every time National Rail causes a delay for whatever reason, we have to pay the train operators.
"It would run into millions of pounds."
He said special "rat brushes" to cover cable and pea gravel to deter rodents were also being installed.
A high-voltage power cable was also damaged by a rodent further down the West Coast Main Line in Cheshire two weeks later when 20 train cancellations and 99 delays affected services in Lancashire.
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Weather for Preston
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -3 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Light sleet
Temperature: 3 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: South east
