THE news that the Government is to improve compensation for rail travellers hit by delays of more than just 15 minutes is clearly welcome.
But, I wonder whether some of the cash that will be used to fund the scheme might have been better diverted to make Network Rail a good neighbour?
As residents living alongside the railway in my division have learnt, Network Rail can run as many trains as they like at as fast a speed as they want to and making as much noise and vibration as they feel is justified yet, in practice, there is little that anyone can do about it.
This is because the railways have a general protection under the law against the statutory offence of nuisance.
Compensating a traveller for a single journey is one thing, not compensating residents for the continual day and night pollution from noise and vibration from a railway is quite another.
No other industry would be permitted to ride quite as roughshod over local communities as the railways are allowed to do.
It is time the government realised this and used its public subsidy to the railways for the greater good of the public.
After all, railways are now a thriving business and if they must be held to higher standards of punctuality for passengers then they must also be held to higher standards with regard to their impact upon local communities.
JOHN HOWSON
Lib Dem county councillor for St Margaret’s Division
Rewley Road
Oxford
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