BRING BACK THE SPECIAL

From the Guardian.

A senior policeman has called for the return of football-special trains to carry fans around the country, after warning that match day travellers are disrupting services.

Specially chartered trains were a fixture of the 1970s and 1980s when football-related violence was at its peak and the British Rail network was a conduit for pitched battles between hooligans - earning one notorious set of West Ham fans the nickname of the Inter City Firm. However, scheduling is now at the behest of privately-owned train operators who will not run unprofitable services or do not have spare carriages to run special trains.

The deputy head of the British Transport Police warned yesterday that his resources were being stretched by the pressure of herding growing numbers of fans around the country on match days. Even when services to match day hotspots such as London, Manchester and Liverpool pass off without arrests, non-football going passengers can be frightened or irritated by fans' behaviour, said Andy Trotter, deputy chief constable.

Although "an awful lot" of fans behave impeccably on the way to matches and during games, some of the antics on the rail network and London Underground were unacceptable. "There is an argument for the football specials, the trains that take fans backwards and forwards, but that's a matter for the train operators."

Mr Trotter said he would like to see fans taken off trains: "I would much prefer if there is something done not to have them coming on the system at all."

The arrival of the Premier League and the Sky Sports broadcasting schedule has created a three-day footballing weekend which has added to the strain on the BTP's 2,700 officers, he added: "This is not only on a Saturday, it's on a Sunday and it's on a Monday. Sky TV dictates certain times and it's a real challenge."

Mr Trotter was speaking at a transport security conference in London yesterday, where he was asked by a local authority official if the BTP could herd match day "animals" into special trains.

Manchester United head the transport disruption league, according to BTP figures. Its fans have been involved in 16 incidents on trains and tubes since August, followed by Coventry with 12. Last season the most disruptive club was Chelsea, whose fans notched up 19 incidents. A spokesman for Virgin Trains, whose west coast route serves around 16 clubs, said reviving specially charted trains was hampered by lack of spare carriages, unlike in the British Rail days when redundant stock was wheeled out for many football services. GNER, which carries thousands of fans between London, Leeds and Newcastle every weekend, takes stewards from Middlesbrough football club on match day services to help quell any unrest. However, a spokesman for the train operator said timetables were specified by the government and did not allow for specially charted trains.

The chair of the Football Supporters' Federation, Malcolm Clarke, said bringing back football specials was the right idea for the wrong reason. "If there was enough demand for a football special and it could be run at a certain time I think a lot of people would be happy with that. But we don't accept that a lot of football fans who go on trains are hooligans."

Incidents attended by British Transport Police on the rail and London Underground networks this season:

1 Manchester United (16 incidents)
2 Coventry (12)
3 Aston Villa (9)
4 Chelsea (9)
5 Liverpool (9)
6 Cardiff (8)
7 Leeds (8)
8 Millwall (7)
9 Birmingham (6)
10 West Ham (5)

Source: BTP