Byers 'no regrets' over railway crisis

Stephen Byers today amazed commuters by declaring that he had no regrets about his handling of the crisis on the railways.

The Transport Secretary launched a stout defence of his decision to pull the plug on Railtrack last autumn. He dismissed attacks as "media froth, sound and fury" from critics who would be "here today, gone tomorrow".

In an interview with industry journal Rail, Mr Byers said: "I'm sure there would be things that you would have done differently ... but I haven't been reflecting on those. I've been looking forward to what the next step should be."

Mr Byers revealed that when times get tough, he gets rid of his anger by going jogging. He said: "I run - but not away from problems. If you're in the Cabinet, you don't expect a quiet life."

Asked whether the problems on the railways were the fault of his predecessor, John Prescott, Mr Byers said: "It's the easiest thing in the world to blame someone else. But I think John laid the foundations on which we can move forward."

The Tories seized on the comments. Shadow transport minister Eric Pickles said: "I find it hard to believe he can say he has no regrets.

"No regrets about Jo Moore and the culture of spin within his Transport Department? No regrets about the collapse of Railtrack? No regrets about the embarrassment he caused his party?"

Labour chiefs fear that Mr Byers has become a liability amid delays and cancellations on the railways, the row over part-privatisation of the Tube, and continued congestion on the roads.

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