Shoud NR be fined for RT's failings?

[TomJ93]

Reading the news about Potters Bar,Network Rail have been fined and issued a sincere apology over Potters Bar.

I understand it is tragic for the family's of the victims, but I think Network Rail apologising makes them seem bad, whereas they should say "We sincerely apologise for failings that took place under the guidance of Rail Track, but we have learnt from our predecessors' mistakes and will endeavour to prevent another tragedy caused by carelessness." I feel the current one may make people feel NR are the company responsible.

In my opinion they do a fantastic job.


Just my two cent

 

[Dennis]

Yes - they took on the liabilities as well as the assests.

 

[LE Greys]

Doesn't seem very fair. "Sins of the father" and all that. But I suppose that they did take on the rights and responsibilities, so it might be just, but perhaps not fair.

 

[OxtedL]

Perhaps unfortunate, but yes, has to be done, otherwise every time someone tried to sue a company it would magically transform into another.

 

[WestCoast]

As I understand it, the cash to pay for Network Rail's fine will be mainly funded from taxpayers so it does seem like a bit of a circular payment.... :?

 

[Masbroughlad]

Someone has to take responsibility. If not Network Rail, then maybe the Government? Or party who privatised the railway - that would make most sense!

 

[WestCoast]

Someone has to take responsibility. If not Network Rail, then maybe the Government? Or party who privatised the railway - that would make most sense!

If they hadn't gone into administration, some fine for the Jarvis contractor might have been very appropriate.

 

[TomJ93]

I can understand the fine, but not the unnecessary tarring of NR's name.

 

[Masbroughlad]

Under BR, it would have been BR...........

 

[WatcherZero]

I can understand the fine, but not the unnecessary tarring of NR's name.

The Government had to be seen to be punishing someone for the sake of the victims and media, even if it was just a slap on the wrists.
They couldnt exactly have a long and very costly inquiry and no one brought to justice, think what the media would do.

 

[4SRKT]

Under BR, it would have been BR...........

Under BR, things wouldn't have been handed out to charlatans who took money for not doing work, and the whole ghastly situation might never have occurred.

No, of course NR should not apologise. Express regret, pay the 'fine' (ha!) etc. But apologising for something on behalf of someone else just diminishes the power and meaning of apology. It's like this sort of ridiculous hand-wringing stuff you see with modern politicians apologising for the slave trade, as though that had any power to change anything.

Apology is a personal expression of regret and culpability by a person or group of people. Unless the same people who cocked it up in Railtrack are still in NR and in a position to apologise, then apologies are meaningless. You can't mean it if you didn't do it.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Under BR, things wouldn't have been handed out to charlatans who took money for not doing work, and the whole ghastly situation might never have occurred.

No, of course NR should not apologise. Express regret, pay the 'fine' (ha!) etc. But apologising for something on behalf of someone else just diminishes the power and meaning of apology. It's like this sort of ridiculous hand-wringing stuff you see with modern politicians apologising for the slave trade, as though that had any power to change anything.

Apology is a personal expression of regret and culpability by a person or group of people. Unless the same people who cocked it up in Railtrack are still in NR and in a position to apologise, then apologies are meaningless. You can't mean it if you didn't do it.

I quite agree with you on the point that you have made about the way the apology was made. It may have appeared to the senior management at Network Rail that "something" had to be said by them to show that they were more sympathetic to public feelings than their predessors were.

On a similar note, a few years ago, a British Government apology was sent to Australia for the way that the aboriginal people were treated by the British when Australia was first being settled, and the American Government made a similar apology some while ago about the methods used to move the Members of the Indian Nation to reservations in the 19th century.

 

[ivanhoe]

Network Rail did the right thing. They come out with a lot of credit for the way they have conducted themselves. They have also brought closure for many people.

As for whether it was fair, of course it was. Governments created Railtrack, put them into Railway Administration and created it's successor Network Rail. All liabilities transferred over . As I have said, they did the honourable thing.

 

[OxtedL]

They have also brought closure for many people.

Well, maybe...

...but some of the families seem fully aware that it is simply a transfer of public money, and were hoping for individuals to be prosecuted (references have been made to fat cats in some media), so perhaps closure is the wrong word.

From BBC:

Considering how far within Railtrack the failings went, Judge Bright said that although there were very serious failings by Jarvis, "overall responsibility for the breach of duty lay with Railtrack at senior management level and their failures were significant and extensive".

The judge said there were individuals who bore responsibility for the maintenance failures which led to the tragedy.

He added: "I do not doubt that those who lost loved ones in the crash might have hoped to see those individuals held to account for their failure.

"However, they are not before the court and it's Network Rail Infrastructure who fall to be sentenced for an offence committed by Railtrack plc."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13389147

 

[YorkshireBear]

i think its not well published, it doesnt state clearly in the media that railtrack were the culprits and network rail only inherited it.

If that was very very clearly stated so peple understand network rail were not resposible and actually have a very good maintenance record then id be happy with it.

 

[GB]

i think its not well published, it doesnt state clearly in the media that railtrack were the culprits and network rail only inherited it.

If that was very very clearly stated so peple understand network rail were not resposible and actually have a very good maintenance record then id be happy with it.

...waits for Old Timer to pop along...

 

[OxtedL]

...waits for Old Timer to pop along...

Can I just emphasise that I may/may not* withdraw my comments earlier...

*To be deleted as appropriate with retrospect.


Can I make a personal request for everyone to show restraint here, now rather than later?