The UK's Network Rail has been fined a record £14m for engineering overruns during the New Year.
The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) handed down the fine saying Network Rail had failed to manage major engineering work at Rugby in late December and January.
The works overran by four days, shutting down the West Coast Main Line and causing massive disruption.
Network Rail blamed a shortage of specialist engineering staff for the delays, which left thousands stranded over the holiday period.
Rail unions and opposition politicians say the fine is useless and counterproductive.
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) says it will have no impact on the fundamental problems of fragmentation and reliance on private contractors.
RMT General Secretary Bob Crow says the fine amounts to "robbing Peter to pay Paul".
"The central problem remains that Network Rail needs to take proper control of its assets, and that must mean bringing its renewals contracts back in-house, as it already has with most maintenance work," Crow says.
Liberal Democrat transport spokesman Norman Baker says the fine is pointless.
"All it means is Network Rail will have £14m less to invest in railways, and the Chancellor £14m more in his coffers.
"This is actually bad news for passengers."
Network Rail says it accepts the findings of the report and has made changes in its organisational structure.
"We will now be making representations to the ORR that this money should be used to deliver additional and concrete benefits for passengers" the company says.
The news comes as Network Rail Chairman Sir Ian McAllister heads to Buckingham Palace to be knighted for "services to transport".
By Elizabeth Clifford-Marsh
