West Coast Railways handed ultimatum after judicial review

West Coast Railways will have to fit central door locking (CDL) to its carriages by February 29, or cease main line operations.

The ultimatum comes after WCR's Judicial Review in the High Coart failed to overturn the Office of Rail and Road's decision to refuse further exemptions to CDL. The company wanted to continue using secondary door bolts operated by stewards.

Challenging the ORR's decision to apply the Railway Safety Regulations 1999 to charter trains, WCR had argued that they were intended for commuter services, and that their extension to charters is a "misinterpretation".

But rejecting WCR's claim on December 22, Hon Mrs Jstice Thornton ruled that the ORR's "justifiable" approach is "common sense".

WCR Commercial Manager James Shuttleworth said the company will "reflect and consider options" to enable it to continue running, and that WCR is "committed to working with the ORR to find a long-term solution which safeguards the future of heritage services"

The regulator noted that other charter operators “have made the necessary investment to install central door locking it remains open to WCR to do the same”.