West Coast Railways release update on Central Door Locking issue
The Office of Road and Rail have granted tour operator, West Coast Railways[1], an exemption for the Central Door Locking issue until a court decision has been made.
News was released on the RailAdvent website last week[2] saying that WCR was at the High Court of Justice aiming to get the ORR to overturn their decision to revoke exemptions surrounding the Central Door Locking on its carriages.
WCR says that if the exemptions are revoked, it would make the business unviable due to cost of upgrading the train carriages with the CDL – expected to be in the region of £7m.
The new exemption runs from the 1st December 2023 until the 29th February 2024 whilst the court's decision is released.
James Shuttleworth, Commercial Manager at WCR said ‘We are pleased that the ORR have issued us a further exemption certificate so that we can continue operations at least until judgment on the Review is handed down, with our existing but robust safety measures in place. However, this remains a precarious position to be in, as our long experience and the value we bring to local and national communities hangs in the balance of the Court's decision. We continue to push for the continuance of the UK's railway heritage for future generations on the main line railway.'
An ORR spokesperson said “ORR has granted WCRC a new three-month exemption from 1 December 2023 to 29 February 2024 to enable it to operate whilst its judicial review is determined”.
References
- ^ Posts tagged with West Coast Railways (www.railadvent.co.uk)
- ^ News was released on the RailAdvent website last week (www.railadvent.co.uk)