They said six years. Is this it?

So Network Rail have confirmed that they won't make their Control Period 3 efficiency targets.

According to the FT...

The company that owns Britain's rail network has missed its target to cut costs over the past five years, according to preliminary estimates, fuelling calls for rail bosses to forgo their six-figure bonuses.

But what's this?

Naughty Network Rail says the reason it missed its efficiency targets was "largely because of track renewals".

However, there is good news.

"We are aware of the challenges ahead on track renewals and are working on a number of initiatives to reduce the cost of carrying them out."

What could this mean?

Surely not bringing renewals back in-house.

UPDATE: This from our man at 222 Marylebone Road...

Old news is bad news?

What is the Pink 'un on about today, treating Network Rail's failure to meet efficiency targets as some new revelation?

Full details of the shortfalls were published on Page 114 of the the ORR Determination of Network Rail's outputs and funding for 2009-14' published in... October 2008!

Still it provided a timely peg on which to hang another NR bonus story.

Hoon for Tory Transport Secretary

Oh dear.

It appears that the Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, Theresa Villiers, is also a hoon.

This from the Daily Telegraph...

Theresa Villiers claimed almost £16,000 in stamp duty and professional fees on expenses when she bought a London flat, even though she already had a house in the capital.

Who is left to trust?

Which is the very question asked in our latest, exciting, Eye survey...

Gordon's Chinese take-away?

So Gordon Brown is meeting the Chinese Vice Premier today.

Is this a sign of movement on the 200 new DMU vehicles?

Probably not.

In the current climate it's more likely he's seeking political asylum...

Whitsun engineering works

This from the Northants Evening Telegraph....

The route proposed by East Midlands Trains ticket website:

Set off from Kettering Rail Station at 1.35pm on Saturday

Arrive at Derby Station at 2.50pm and leave at 3.42pm

Arrive at Blythe Bridge at 4.21pm and leave at 4.26pm on a bus

Arrive at Crewe at 5.51pm and leave at 6.02pm on a bus

Arrive at Stafford at 7.26pm and leave at 7.37pm on a bus

Arrive at Rugby at 10.03pm and leave at 10.10pm on a bus

Arrive at Milton Keynes at 11.20pm and leave at 4.53am on Sunday

Arrive at London Euston station at 7.41am

Take the tube from Euston station to St Pancras and arrive at 8.01am.

That's an 18 hour journey to cover approximately 70 miles. Good effort.

Tautology

Pictured at Crewe yesterday...


The bucket is a nice touch!