Peanuts and monkeys

News that will have TOC owner groups quaking in their boots.

DafT is advertising for a new Commercial Negotiator.

Alongside all the guff about managing a team of Franchise Managers, negotiating Variations and advising Ministers the ad glibly states that the Commercial Negotiator will "be responsible for authorisation of contractual payments of c.£400million each year".

And the salary?

A massive £86k (plus Civil Service benefits)!

So accountable for £400million a year and the salary is less than £90k?

The Fact Compiler thinks such an important role is probably worth a bit more than this. And he can almost guarantee that there won't be a queue of senior TOC or ROSCO people, experienced in such commercial negotiations, willing to apply for the job as "poacher turned gamekeeper".

Perhaps DafT hopes they'll do it for Love?

This is getting repatitive

Has the railway suddenly become CV fashionable?

On Friday it was announced that yet another Chief Operating Officer has left the system to rescue a struggling "Blue Chip" company.

First, Mark Cooper, COO of Metronet, was called-up to sort BAE's supply chain.

Then Mike Brown, Underground COO, was parachuted in to fix Heathrow.

Latest to go is Steve Peat, Tubelines COO, who has been tasked with safeguarding BAA's investment in six other UK airports.

The Fact Compiler wonders if this will be enough to convince the Government that they should be allowed to keep all seven?

Meanwhile there are nervous whispers of a railway brain-drain.

Mappa mondeo

The Independent on Sunday has a well deserved reputation for promoting sustainability and championing the environment.

Only today its front page promised that if we all did our bit, by harnessing the power of sun and wind, we could reduce the need for new nuclear power stations and "save vast amounts of carbon dioxide".

A shame, therefore, that such environmental zeal does not extend to the Sindie's Promotions department, which had ensured every edition included a beautiful free Map of the British Isles. Sadly this was overlaid with the choking road system without a railway line or station to be seen.

The Fact Compiler's copy will be recycled.

RMT gets it right

Carnage during Tube alcohol party:

Sunday Telegraph

Very sad!