[Acrosticus]

From: (JWBA68)
Date: 26/02/2004 14:27 GMT Standard Time
Message-id:

The SRA plans to designate the line a '' community railway'' to cut costs and
enhance low-frequency low-speed lines without lessening safety and quality.

How do you cut costs without lessening safety and quality? This seems to be
another case of Bowker's boys talking out of their anuses.

[Cast_Iron]

Acrosticus wrote:
From: (JWBA68)
Date: 26/02/2004 14:27 GMT Standard Time
Message-id:

The SRA plans to designate the line a '' community railway'' to cut
costs and enhance low-frequency low-speed lines without lessening
safety and quality.

How do you cut costs without lessening safety and quality? This seems
to be another case of Bowker's boys talking out of their anuses.

Shows how much you know, as usual.

[Aidan Stanger]

Acrosticus wrote:

[Watford to St.Albans]

The SRA plans to designate the line a '' community railway'' to cut costs and
enhance low-frequency low-speed lines without lessening safety and quality.

Would this make it easier to convert to a tramway?

How do you cut costs without lessening safety and quality?

By more efficient use of your workforce, taking advantage of
technological innovation, and better understanding of your requirements.

A good example is the use of steel sleepers. They're cheaper to buy than
concrete or wood, and lighter, so quicker to lay than wooden sleepers
(and don't require machines to lay them like concrete sleepers do).
Although you may regard this as a reduction in quality (the weight of
concrete sleepers is a big advantage on high speed lines) they'd make
very little difference on lines like the St.Albans branch. Even if there
were a small reduction in quality, some of the money saved could be
spent on seating improvements that more than make up for it.

There are other ways of cutting costs, but they're difficult because
they involve factors beyond your control. Even with a non unionized
workforce, you're unlikely to be able to cut wages much before people
start leaving (and you may find that those who are good at their jobs
are the first to walk). And if the companies that make the products you
require charge too much you could try making the products yourself - but
watch out for subsequent falls in the price!

This seems to be another case of Bowker's boys talking out of their anuses.

I couldn't disagree more! Things were a lot cheaper under BR. Do you
honestly think all the extra cost nowadays is due to safety and quality
improvements?