Tim Farron makes the trains run on time

Good news from the Guardian:

A vintage train operator that normally runs journeys for enthusiasts has stepped in to provide rail services to the Lake District after the operator Northern cancelled all of its trains following a timetabling fiasco. 

West Coast Railways, which runs charter trains along some of the UK’s most scenic routes, formally launched its first service on the Lakes line on Monday, two weeks after Northern suspended all journeys and introduced a replacement bus service.

A 40-year-old diesel engine and carriages will carry passengers free of charge along the 10-mile route from Oxenholme to Windermere six times a day, from 9.25am to 7pm. It is understood that the Department for Transport will meet the £5,500 daily cost of running the service.

And there's more:

Tim Farron, the MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, worked with a local passenger group to arrange for West Coast Railways to run services on the line. “We’re nine hours into the service and we’ve been on time throughout the day,” he said. 

“It’s a victory for the can-do over the can’t-do. We’ve shamed the Department for Transport and Northern rail by making something happen. We are doing them reputational damage every time we run a train and they don’t.” 

He added: “Let’s be honest, Northern rail run trains that are a bit less old, but a lot less nice. Northern rail run Pacers, which are a bit less elderly but without the charm.”

Well done to Tim and the local campaigners. If privatisation had allowed more such local initiatives I would find it easier to support it.