National Rail

Graeme Monteith, a chartered engineer from the Institution of Civil Engineers, says the freezing weather would have played a part in Network Rail's woes.

"You can't hang the blame on Network Rail for cracked rails," he said.

Such problems were difficult to anticipate, he said, and were brought on by the very cold temperatures. (via)

I am no engineer, but even I know this is bollocks. This is Great Britain, a country which has seen snows and arctic conditions since the creation of trains, and will continue to see it for a very long time. These weather conditions should have been anticipated. Instead while rail fares has increased every year, almost all the time above inflation, the service goes from bad to worse. There is absolute no excuse.