As rail passengers and taxpayers, we have a major stake in how the organisation which is responsible for our national railway infrastructure is run, and these articles highlight a number of serious issues and concerns.
Who is at the wheel of Network Rail?
The first piece is by Andrew Gilligan and is in the main body of the paper. I read it and came away with the conclusion that the senior leadership of this body isn't "fit for purpose". Too much money, distorted performance & safety statistics, and a cavalier disregard for the interests of the travelling public.
Network Rail emerges from the ashes of Railtrack
The second piece is in the Telegraph's Business section, and is written by Andrew Cave. It is a more sober, detailed analysis written around the theme of the appointment of David Higgins as CEO, but it is nonetheless still highly critical of this public-funded body's operation to date (it mentions for example that Mr Higgins' predecessor had a company Aston Martin on top of his £1.2 million a year salary/bonus/pension package).
(Nb: The paper and online versions of the Andrew Cave article have different titles, introductions and dates but the main body of content is identical)
The financial services industry has come in for a lot of grief over the last 2-3 years, much of it undoubtedly justified. My personal view though is that greed, incompetence and the mismanagement of a public service is a far worse offence.
What do you think?
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