The Fylde Coast Express 5th June

You may remember this video taken on Blackpool North http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTHk7EmahwM when several photographers were moved on by the Northern Rail security, one of them sent a complaint to Northern Rail and here are the comments to the reply he got, and the reply itself.



Dear All,

Thank you everyone who viewed and commented on my Video '6233 - Duchess of Sutherland at Blackpool North'

I complained to the Managing Director of Northern Rail about the actions and reasonings of the Rail Enforcement Officers in preventing me taking photos at the end of the platform.

The reply doesn't really address the problem in my opinion but you can judge for yourself.

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Dear Mr Mckever,

Thank you for your email to this department and letter to the Managing Director. I have been asked to respond to you comments.

As a fellow railway enthusiast of over 40 years I can understand your frustration at being asked to move from the end of platform 5/6 at Blackpool North. I am sorry if this caused you any inconvenience and spoilt your enjoyment of our hobby.

I can confirm Northern welcomes rail enthusiasts and photographers at stations it manages. We endeavour to ensure that they have a safe and enjoyable experience. I hope that you agree with me that we must strike a balance between the passengers and the railway enthusiasts who use the station.

We were aware that there would be a great deal of interest because of the Duchess of Sutherland was bringing a steam charter to Blackpool North. Unfortunately on previous occasions when steam charters have visited Blackpool North some of our fellow enthusiast have not followed the rules and compromised the safety of the railway. It was regrettable that a safe method of working had to be introduced.

Wayne Smith, the station manager for Blackpool North, instructed the rail response team to keep members of the public in a controlled area (the controlled area was platform 1/2 which was not in use for passenger trains). This was to allow rail enthusiasts to photograph the locomotive safely. I appreciate that this photographic location may not have been ideal for you. All the other platform were kept clear for passengers using timetabled services. This included platform ends.

Blackpool North is an extremely busy station on Saturdays with a large ebb and flow of passengers. To manage passenger flows the operational platforms are closed to passengers until the train arrives or shortly before departure when they are opened.

These are the reason why you were asked to move by our Rail Response team.

Once again thank you for taking the time to write and offer valuable feedback. I sincerly hope that future use of our services gives you a more positive impression.

Yours sincerely

Phillip Mills
Customer Relations Officer.