ATOC issues old record

Deep breath.

It would appear that private sector Train Operating Companies want to reopen lots of stations!

This from the Sunday Telegraph...

The Association of Train Operating Companies is due to give unprecedented backing to the restoration of disused track and the reintroduction of passenger services on other routes which currently only carry freight.

Excitingly ATOC members propose using taxpayers money to do this rather than their own.

No matter.

The list of lines is strangely familiar...

Lines... include the Uckfield to Lewes line in East Sussex, the Bristol to Portishead line and Yorkshire's Harrogate-Ripon-Northallerton route... the restoration of the Manton Curve in Rutland... while reopening the Woodhead line from Manchester to Sheffield...

Can it be?

This is surely an echo of Railtrack's 2000 Network Management Statement?

Is Michael taking up Gerald's mantle?

Careful, there is no Woolworths left to move to.

UPDATE: This just in from Leo Pink...

Gerald Corbet is now at LRC, where they specialise in ensuring that F***-ups don't have embarrassing results.

How come he was overlooked to be NR's new Chairman?

Bin laiden?

A naughty reader has sent Eye the following picture:

Amusing captions invited.

Unless of course it is just a bin at Fort William?

UPDATE: A very quick response from 'No trace at all'...

"Dave bin in?"

Very droll, can anyone do better?

Lord Adonis - prove Gordon right

After a febrile couple of weeks Gordon Brown now assures us that his administration is listening to the people.

Denied the General Election that the country so obviously needs the Eye is prepared, just this once, to give him the benefit of the doubt.

So to My Lord Adonis, Secretary of State for Transport, falls the honour of proving that the Government is indeed listening.

According to the Yorkshire Post yesterday:

"NINETY-FOUR per cent of people taking part in a Sheffield Council poll say they are opposed to the introduction of ticket barriers at Sheffield railway station, which would prevent people using the railway bridge to access the city centre.

To date 4,000 people have voted on the Sheffield City Council website.

So Andrew - are you listening?

Rumble in the bungle

Good news for Scott Wilson.

According to Building magazine:

"Scott Wilson has emerged as the big winner from the latest round of contracts awarded by Crossrail to help design the £16bn London rail scheme."

But what's this?

Can this be the same Scott Wilson that undertook an assessment of noise and vibration prior to the opening of the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine (SAK) route for Clackmannanshire Council?

An assessment that was subsequently heavily criticised by engineering consultancy Arup, for failing to follow "standard practice".

Hopefully environmental impact assessments won't form part of their new Crossrail work.

UPDATE: This from Dan...

Could that be the same Arup that competes aggressively with Scott Wilson for the same contracts?

The phrase "They would say that, wouldn't they" springs to mind.

Thank you Dan. So Scott Wilson did follow "Standard Practice" then?

Lost and found #1

Found!

One Pacer engine from yesterday's 19.37 Blackpool to Liverpool service.

Discovered trackside between Broadgreen station and Wavertree Technology Park

Perhaps Northern or Angel could get in touch.