… of a “Service Status” ticker, right on the top of your website, that isn’t reliable (ignoring for a moment the fact that you can’t even run a reliable rail service for the commuters of Merseyside)?

There are no trains running on the West Kirby line this morning, thanks to a track failure at Meols, yet the Merseyrail website ticker says “all services running normally” …

… yet they Tweeted earlier this morning that there was a problem …

 Which kind of implies that someone at Merseyrail at least knows roughly how to use a computer, and indeed if you follow the Twitter link, you get to this message below …

For F**** sake chaps, it’s not that difficult. If you’re going to suggest that you’re website provides up to date travel information that passengers can use to plan a journey, then do so. Either that or just admit that you don’t know your arse from your elbow and leave us all in the dark.

It’s utterly pointless.

Now I have to work out how to get a suitcase and a large toolbox into work, in the pouring rain, with no trains running. Thanks Merseyrail/Network Rail, great timing boys.

Oh, and thanks to my girlfriend for the phone call about the problem – maybe she should start her own “Service Status” website, although it might be tricky to update standing in a freezing cold bus stop

UPDATE: Jane just called again, and described Birkenhead North station as “Hell with extra Demons”, and said that a woman on the ‘rail replacement bus’ had waited over half an hour for it to turn up. I’m taking the car …

UPDATE: 9:20, I’ve just got into work and they’ve finally made sure their website reflects the current situation. Nice of them to bother …

And what will it take to get them to offer a discount to their long suffering passengers?

Who knows?

Not me. Yet. I’ve tried to find out the amount that Merseyrail will save during the current engineering works, but it’s not proving easy.

I contacted Network Rail, and asked how much they money they would be giving MerseyRail as ‘compensation’ for the inconvenience of treating their passengers like cattle. They declined to answer, merely confirming that they would be paying compensation.

So then I tried a different tack. I was under the impression that ‘the railways’ (and therefore Network Rail) were ‘public’ nowadays, and therefore subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FoIA 2000). So I asked again, stating that I was requesting the information under the FoIA.

Nope, they’re apparently less public than I thought …

“Network Rail is a private company and is not bound by the Freedom of Information Act.”

… is what I was told by someone from the Network Rail media machine.

“Aha”, I thought. The Regulator.

The ‘Office of Rail Regulation‘, to be precise. Their principal function is to “regulate Network Rail’s stewardship of the national network“. They have confirmed that they will look into my request for information, and get back to me, within the allowed 20 day period …

Thank you for your e-mail of today, requesting information regarding current engineering work on the Merseyrail network.

I am handling your request under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FoIA 2000).

We aim to respond to all such requests within 20 working days of receipt and a full response will be sent to you no later than the 14th May 2009.

Personally, I don’t hold out too much hope. I can imagine the response will be something along the lines that Network Rail consider this to be a commercial matter, and not in the public interest. Or words to that effect.

I’ll let you know.

Oh, and I had to ask again to make sure I got the right train.