Mainlining Money

Ignorant and backsliding persons, who still subscribe to the heresy that railway services have something to do with getting people from place to place as quickly and conveniently as possible, are criticising the Department for Transport over the ongoing west coast disaster. Having saved the taxpayer a million pounds in audit costs, the Government is now suffering hard words and unpleasant gestures because a few tens of millions will have to be spent alleviating the bargain. The Department for Transport has responded with unwonted promptness: it has fired a couple of civil servants and appointed one of its own board members (who just happens to be a corporate fat cat in his spare time) to carry out the appearance of an inquiry. Whatever the misgivings of passengers, unions and other bigsocietal inessentials, it is difficult to see what more could be expected.