IN response to the letter by Rita Bischoff regarding the German railway i.e. Deutsches Bahn .

It may come as surprise when she finds out that said German company are the major shareholders in Arriva DB, and that the following rail franchises in Brittan are under there auspices.

Cross country trains, Arriva trains Wales, Chiltern railway, Grand central, London over ground, and Northern as well as a third of the nation’s freight traffic as run under DB freight.

The problem I am afraid to say lies elsewhere, it comes from our central government who award the franchises on a bidding system based on the guide lines as they lay down, and the department for transport allocate the awards accordingly. That is why the last Northern franchise holder had no commitment to order or provide new trains, a thing that Northern DB are now trying to put right.

I visit our twin city Paderborn on a regular basis taking the Hanover Region Bahn service via Hamm and 99% of the time it is a nice clean train with plenty of seats except for the Sunday afternoon train the students catch back to university.

As for the strike it is about your safety. The government in its franchise outline did not ask but demanded a large reduction of trains run with no guards on board, even in Germany Regio Banh have a Zuggen Furher (train leader) on board for safe operation.

I know that the present service is not brilliant but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I have worked on the railway since 1988 as a guard and proud member of the rail maritime transport union, and the last thing we want to do as professional rail workers is make it difficult for the travelling passengers. But your safety is the most important thing. So please be patient I am sure you will find a better service in the not too distant future

Cllr Kevan Jones

Westhoughton South