Open access lessons from Japan

Telegrammed by our man at 222 Marylebone Road
There is nothing like free trade.

A tip of the bowler to Derby North MP Bob Laxton for eliciting this gem in a written answer from DafT.

UK and European rail industry suppliers are able to bid for railway rolling stock tenders in Japan, although the European Commission estimates that around 98 per cent. of procurements are not competitively tendered.

And this is nothing like free trade!

Coucher raises a cheer for Scotland

It's amazing what 30, sixteen stone, men with odd shaped balls can achieve.

Despite next weekend's planned ECML blockade NR has agreed to introduce Single Line Working to allow a couple of trains to link the two nations!

Hurrah for the rugger-buggers, who appear to have broken NR's risk averse culture; something railway operators have singularly failed to do post privatisation.

There is of course no truth to the rumour that Iain only approved SLW so that a big Scots crowd can see England's ritual humiliation at Twickers.