Alice is alive and well in wonderland - change at Crewe

So let me get this right. Network Rail, owned by us, has just been fined £14 million, by us, for causing lots of disruption and delays which affected . . . us.

So now they have been fined, by us, they will have £14 million less to spend on improving the network, for us, but we will have £14 million more to spend on something else - less of course all the admin charges, consultants fees and the like. So the end result is that rail passengers will face an even worse service with even less spent on it and probably even more delays. Brilliant!

While all this was going on, Network Rail's chairman, Ian McAllister, with impeccable timing, was getting his knighthood - so at least he has something to show for the £14 million. Apparently staff have been told that bonuses might be cut - as they were last year after the fatal rail crash in Cumbria when the four executive directors had to make do with a paltry £286,000 between them.