Trying the patience of Job

DfT has finally made the decision on who will manage the addition of desperately needed new vehicles to the Pendolino fleet.

First the good news!

Daft have confirmed the work definitely isn't going to be done by Virgin Trains (prop. Richard Branson).

Next the better news!

DafT have announced that the work will be done by a completely different company called "Virgin Rail Projects" (prop. Beardie Jumper).

Finally the best news!

The announcement was made today when Parliament wasn't sitting and MPs are on their summer break; thus avoiding any awkward questions about the whole sorry, convoluted and costly process.

Below a DafT official shows his contempt for Virgin's original Pendolino lengthening plan. Had this been adopted the first additional vehicles would already be in revenue earning service.


View DfT release here

M' learned friend

Tom Winsor, former Rail Regulator, has an article in today's Times on the role of industry regulators.

Tom writes:

"Regulation is not the dryly technocratic function that it sometimes appears, practised by robotic economists and pernickety lawyers with an over-keen interest in the minutiae of compliance handbooks."

Err... if you say so Tom.