Unreliable control

THE new policy [in Harecastle Tunnel] puts me in mind of the original (time interval) control of trains on railways, writes Bill Ridgeway.

That was changed when it was found to be unreliable and the concept of 'fail safe' was adopted.  The new policy is yet another example of people who work in theoretical isolation of the operational side of the business.

Almighty bang

I wonder how long it will be until there's an almighty bang (and possibly lost lives) and the practical implications of the new policy are realised.

We may then see the adoption of  robust, fail-safe and practical procedures which may be dressed up as 'look at the improvements we have made'.  Operational policies, practices and protocols are a necessary evil.  However they need to recognise and provide for the probability they may not cover all eventualities.