PUG2 RIP

Telegrammed by 222 Marylebone Road
For the first time since they took over Railtrack, Ozymandias and his fellow Network Rail board Members will be able to sleep at nights without the threat of nuclear annihilation hanging over their heads.

From 02.00 on Sunday 14 December. Virgin West Coast's new Track Access Agreement comes into force - replacing Passenger Upgrade 2 (PUG2).

Forged for Virgin by Tom Winsor, PUG 2 was the train operator's equivalent of the hydrogen bomb. At any time Virgin could have demanded the contract terms must be met.

PUG2 would have destroyed Railtrack and made a very nasty dent in NR - with the fallout and collateral damage wiping out all intelligent life in the Department of Transport (hasn't the last bit already happened? Ed).

By carrying over PUG2 to the new infrastructure owner Virgin, alone among the TOCs, could tell DfT to get stuffed and pay up - or else!. So farewell then, PUG2.

While Tom Winsor's fees are eye watering, however much PUG2 costs, Virgin must regard it as money well spent.

Freighty Christmas

Telegrammed by The Raver

Interesting to see yesterday's Railfreight Group annual bash pass off with nary a mention of the fact that EWS are making over 500 people redundant.

Perhaps that may not be such a bad thing as one client of EWS was overheard commenting that he always phones them in the morning as his account executive usually swans off to the golf club every afternoon. It made him hark back fondly to the bad old days of British Rail...

But then was it tactful of DB Schenke to pay thousands of pounds to provide chocolates and Christmas decorations for the assorted guests.

At least the colour, black, was apt!