Mildmay Line meltdown (28/05)

[Goldfish62]

So, basically, Arriva leaving a poisoned chalice for whoever inherited it.

Unfortunately that is one of the big problems with franchising: toward the end of the franchise, the incumbent doesn't have any incentive to spend time or money on it if they don't think they are going to be keeping it. So the new franchisee inherits something that is well on a downward slide.

It's the same with any contract that changes hands and certainly isn't confined to railways or buses.

 

[sh24]

It's the same with any contract that changes hands and certainly isn't confined to railways or buses.

it is, and well written contracts address this with binding commitments on the outgoing to deliver a smooth transition.

 

[NCT]

Probably a point of hindsight - are there financial penalties for handing back contracts with staff establishment below a certain threshold, and by extension physical assets below a certain quality / quantity threshold?