7081 east end refurb

The train has to remain in service, though a changeover can be requested if it cause's "passenger discomfort".

Nice grey area this one - how do you define passenger discomfort? err, the punters are going blue Gov.......

Like I say, a changeover can be requested - indeed, on this occasion it happened - but don't bank on the change over actually happening, cos most times, it probably won't ;D

Under the umbrella of PPP, everything has a cost.

Basically, whenever an 'incident' occurs on the railway, it generates an 'item'. The circumstances are taken into account (time of day, location, cause of incident, etc), then someone is blamed and the company fined. In the case of equipment failure that makes that asset unavailable for it's intended use (ie, train fault) the contractors are fined. If the asset cannot be used because of LUL (ie, no staff available), then LUL is fined. Incidents caused by something out of anyones control, ie, lightning cause's power failure, is exempt, though ultimately the cost is bourne by LUL.

As far as train defects go, we have a booklet for each stock which provides guidelines on what is the appropriate course of action when defects are discovered - though even that still leaves grey areas. Ultimately though, the safety of a train and it's passengers is totally the responsibility of the driver - what he/she decides at the time goes, regardless of who it cost's. A manager will only get involved if the driver breaks rules, such as driving in service with no pilot light or cannot fix simple problems like switching an MCB.