Ticket clerk drops claims he was sacked for removing a shopping trolley from the track


by Paul Clifton Ian Faletto


A former South West Trains ticket office clerk who claimed he dragged a shopping trolley off the railway to prevent an accident has withdrawn his claim for unfair dismissal. Ian Faletto,


who was not trained to walk on the railway line, was sacked for gross misconduct. Faletto, 50, had widespread support from people at his station in Lymington in Hampshire, on the branch line from Brockenhurst to connect with ferries to the Isle of Wight. His local MP Desmond Swayne handed an 8,400 signature petition to parliament demanding his reinstatement. Faletto had won a string of awards for customer service and was well known for keeping his station immaculate, often wearing a carnation in his buttonhole and frequently using his own money to keep fresh flowers on the station. He was fired last March. Arriving for an


employment tribunal in Southampton on 1 November, Faletto expected to defend his


Brentwood gets station upgrade


The £1.5m upgrade of the National Express East Anglia station at Brentwood was officially opened on Friday 11 November by Tracey Chapman, an Essex County Council member with special responsibility for highways and transportation.


Some of the improvements


include the provision of a new ticket office, self-service ticket machines, a new retail kiosk, a spacious entrance hall, new canopy, lighting, signage, CCTV, improved toilets and additional cycle parking for commuters. Andrew Chivers, NEEA managing director, explained: ‘The completion of this significant and welcome investment is the first of a number of improvement schemes we are programming across our network as part of the National Stations Improvement Programme.’


PAGE 6 DECEMBER 2011


actions, supported by the RMT union. But after he was presented with new evidence, his counsel advised him to drop his claim and the tribunal did not start. Outside, Faletto stood by the story that he


walked onto the electrified track to remove a supermarket trolley before the next train approached. ‘It is impossible to take on a large company the size of Stagecoach,’ he said. ‘They twisted and turned and the way they have treated me after 27 years’ momentous service is very disappointing.’ The story had generated headlines in many national newspapers, with much comment about the way South West Trains had handled the case. Customer services director Jake Kelly read a prepared statement after the case was dropped. ‘We are pleased that Mr Faletto has finally withdrawn his case, which proves definitively that there was never any substance to the claims he made. This case involved a serious breach of safety. The fact is that there is no evidence to show that there was a trolley on the track, as Mr Faletto claimed, and the safety of our passengers was not compromised at any point. ‘The only safety risk was caused by Mr


Faletto’s foolhardy actions in knowingly stepping down onto an area of live track for


no justifiable reason. No “trolley” incident was recorded in the station log or reported to management at the time – or even when Mr Faletto was first questioned by management. In fact, CCTV evidence would have demonstrated that what was claimed would have been virtually impossible. ‘There was no evidence, either, of any call to


a signalman or station. Any reasonable person with a proper knowledge of the railway would know that trains pass through the station at very low speed and, even if there were this kind of obstruction, would never be at risk from derailment.’ SWT said that no payment had been made to


settle the case. Ian Faletto, who lives in Totton near Southampton, continues to maintain that he has been telling the truth. Supporters who accompanied him to the tribunal said that the station is now untidy with weeds and rubbish where there used to be flowers. They claimed that South West Trains would eventually make Lymington Town station unstaffed, with ticket machines replacing Faletto. He has not found full-time work since the


incident, and admits he has little prospect of returning to a job that has been his life for nearly three decades.


ORR warns Network Rail about punctuality n


Network Rail has received a letter from the Office of


Rail Regulation warning about its deteriorating performance, following an earlier warning. The PPM has fallen from 90.9


per cent to 90.5 per cent since June, with long distance routes faring worst. ORR chief executive Richard Price acknowledged, however, that seven franchises have ‘good levels of


performance’. Freight delays have also increased, with Price warning that Network Rail would not meet its punctuality targets for freight. The letter, signed by Price (right),


said: ‘We appreciate that there has been a significant increase in the delay and disruption caused by cable thefts and other external factors, but these alone do not explain the extent of the under-performance.’


TRAMLINK’S CLEAN-UP RECOGNISED AT AWARDS n


London Tramlink has won an award for the way it restored


its Croydon service in August, following the riots which seriously


damaged the infrastructure of the network. The accolade was made at the National Light Railway Awards, after London Tramlink was given a special award by the judges for outstanding achievement. Howard Johnston, one of the judges, stated: ‘Within just 48 hours, the clearly well-organised Tramlink team had re-erected the overhead lines, made safe the damaged masts, cleared the clogged tracks, isolated the melted signals and had services back up and running under difficult circumstances.’


Croydon councillor Jason Perry,


who has special responsibility for planning, transport and sustainability, said: ‘The August disturbances were an example of the worst of human nature, but the way everybody responded to the call to help in the aftermath was a testament to the best of human nature.


One month after the troubles, a


record-breaking 20 per cent increase in usage was recorded on Friday 23 September, with 102,000 passengers using trams that day.


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