RAILWAY SHORTCOMINGS
SIR,—Mr. Evans's letter shows no appreciation whatever of the nature or extent of the disabilities under which the railways are continually suffering through " incidents " at several points at some distance from each other, and the railways are, of course, not allowed to keep him informed on these matters on any particular occasion. For the purpose of assigning praise and blame, to complain that a train from King's Cross or Paddington on a particular journey was twenty-five or forty-five minutes late " with no air-raid warning in operation " is as long as a piece of string! It might represent, as he suggests, incompetent operation. On the other hand, it might be almost a miracle of resourcefulness and devotion to duty. Everything depends upon the circumstances against which those responsible have had to fight. When one is conscious daily and nightly of the heroic efforts of the engineering staffs to restore working conditions, and the remarkable expedition with which difficulties are met, one feels that such a letter as Mr. Evans has written is not only ungracious, but calculated to dampen the spirits of a body of men to whom we all owe so much. If we were at liberty to give greater publicity to daily events, probably Mr. Evans himself would realise the anti-social character of his letter.
On the question of speed of running during an alert, the risk of accident is certainly not proving to be " infinitesimal "! It increases more than in proportion to increased speed, and the proper balance between the two " disadvantages " must be constantly under con- sideration, for the public attitude towards risk is continually changing.
—Yours faithfully, STAMP.
Euston Station, London, N.W. 1.
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