It has nothing to do with it being an OLR or not. It’s all to do with the resource levels that existed in March 2020 and what has happened to them since, coupled with the cost controls that now apply to all DfT TOCs.
If you had enough drivers and conductors and still do, like LNER or GWR, you are in a good place. If you haven’t, you are in trouble because getting the money required to fix it (and in good time) is an issue.
I massively bow to your knowledge on this stuff Clarence Yard but a bit of friendly challenge on that one.
I think this is to do with LNER being an OLR for 2 reasons:
1. An accident of timing - because it means LNER avoided the switchover of contracting at a critical moment which included that classic problem with the whole contracting method where Virgin were not heavily penalised for not having enough drivers when their time came to an end/Avanti were not put under enough scrutiny in terms of how many drivers they took on.
2. Because LNER has been left to its own devices more because it is being viewed as a more competent management team.
However, if you are right, this really is damning for the DfT and Treasury. There is no way the finances at Avanti are looking better than those at LNER, and the contradiction in their public carping about wanting modernised working practices mixed with their actually contracting the opposite is too much to stomach.
I really hope people who voted for this Government think their blessed Brexit has been worth it, they really are seriously incompetent and just not serious people, at a very serious time.
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