Just a thought, but wouldn't it cost less to keep these units in service rather than pay to have the graffiti cleaned off them? Not sure how much either cost.
Will have a look at the damage on the way home tonight.
you are probably right but in the world of the privatised railway, it is not how much it would cost but who pays! As they are off lease, it now becomes the ROSCOs problem.....whilst the TOC has saved tens on millions in leasing costs per annum.....
I have found this today which is quite frankly astonishing! The new premium payment for 29 month caretaker franchise is as follows:
http://assets.dft.gov.uk/publications/greater-anglia-franchise/table-of-premium.pdf
WOW!!!! An eyewatering premium back to the treasury of £417,838,000.....that is £14,408,207 a month in PREMIUM PAYMENT / PROFIT from passengers!!!!
Even the best NX managed was £8,333,333 (give or take a few quid)......
This begs the following questions........
GA outbid the next bidder by £60m....which is money that could have actually gone into improving the crap, decrepit state of the trains.....
How are they actually going to acheive a £6m increase on NX? Even the draconian cuts they have already imposed with the stock reduction etc. simply cannot increase revenue by that amount?
We appear to be in for some drastic cost cutting to acheive these figures!!!!
Is anyone else shocked by these figures???