Continent cut off!

Chaos today when a burning Chunnel freight shuttle brought international rail travel between Britain and abroad to a complete stand.

With passengers unhurt the greatest damage done was to Eurostar's reputation for slick media management.

1. According to the BBC the fire started at around 15:00.

2. TfL were only able to brief international passengers travelling to St Pancras & Stratford at 16:12

3. As at 17:58 there was still no information about the fire and disruption on the Eurostar website.

Sweet irony - on the day that Eurostar should have been welcoming the international railway community to London for the 10th UIC conference on Sustainability and the Environment many attendees were left stranded and with no clue on how to travel due to Eurostar's piss-poor communications.

Time for Eurostar to rethink its corporate comms?

Charidee

Railway Eye has been contacted by The Transport Benevolent Fund asking for help recruiting a full time organizer.

The Fact Compiler is delighted to help - details below.

The Transport Benevolent Fund is a registered charity with about 25,000 members who pay subs of just £1 a week.

Nearly 200 new members are recruited on-site every week by seven home-based salaried organizers.

The salary for a full-time organizer is around £24,000 pa with all reasonable expenses met.

TBF is looking for two more organizers - one to cover Scotland, the other railway companies in England. It may be possible to convert the latter post to two part-timers based in different parts of England.

No age limit: may suit someone who has recently retired from the railway.

Good interpersonal skills a must.

Involvement in voluntary organizations (eg trades unions) a definite bonus.

Speak in confidence to the TBF Director, Chris Godbold on 07774 210933.

Please remember to mention Railway Eye if applying for these posts.

Whimsey

Telegrammed by our man in 222 Marylebone Road.
Switching on the CERN Collider yesterday seems to have momentarily opened a wormhole into a parallel universe.

Railway hacks have been inundated by invitations from British Rail Chairman Sir John Prideaux to October's formal opening, by HM the Queen, of the newly electrified Great Western Main Line.

In other news Prime Minister Boris Johnson claimed it was "piffle" that his government had plans to close the Berne gauge Grand Central line linking Manchester and Paris.

Those whom the gods seek to destroy...

In the privatised railway of today companies come and go.

Who now remembers the former FM or Mainline Rail?

Hopefully not many, as the individuals behind them now run 'Nemesis Rail'.

As ever, attention to detail and quality are the hallmarks of their operation as can be witnessed by the slick piece of branding to be found on their workshop fire door.

Hopefully maligning the goddess by misspelling her name won't result in any self inflicted acts of retributive justice.