Tuesday 3 November 2009

ECML to be redacted - Shocker!

An excited press release from the RMT announcing the end date of NXEC!

Of course Rail Business Intelligence and Eye readers already know that the Department plans to nationalise the East Coast franchise at timetable change.


No matter.

Railnews gives further details of the
leaked document which alerted the RMT.

The piece also contains a rather natty mock up of a Mk3 in its state owned livery.

Sadly the new East Coast logo may alarm the good burghers of Lincoln and Harrogate.

And come to that the citizens of Leeds as well.

Apparently, under state control, the ECML is to become a siding!

To be fair the logo was probably designed by the Department for Transport.

And what do they know about railways?

UPDATE: This from Leo Pink...

At least the logo is close to First Group purple.

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

Shouldn't the new logo say 'InterCity East Coast' since Roger Ford's Manifesto is bound to be adopted after the election


A Grand day out - NOT

This from the Standard...

First £1,000 rail fare in history of British train travel

The commentariat will have a field day with this.

Does anyone at ATOC consider the PR implications of fares decisions?

No matter.

Eye salutes all involved.

UPDATE: This from Peter...

As a seven day all line rover costs only £650 for seven days who would buy this ticket?

UPDATE: This from Gulliver's blog over at The Economist....

Yes it is appalling value for money, though you could suggest that £1,000 fares are indicative of too little micromanagement by Labour...

It gets even better further on!

Railway 0 Road 1

UPDATE: This from our International Correspondent...

Not that a Gentleman going properly equipped concerns himself with public fares, let alone how to pay one, but something's a bit odd about the Standard's XC fares story.

According to NRES this morning, a 1st Class anytime single Kyle-Newquay or v.v via London* = £374.50

*It won't give a walk-on 1st Class return, and why are XC setting Via London fares anyway?

Single berth Night Riviera sleeper supplement £45 each way. This doesn't come to a Grand return, even in new Sterling-lite.

Surely the Standard hasn't been sold a pup?

UPDATE: Now STV has taken up the story...

It has emerged that amid rising train fares, a ticket for a service running from the Scottish Highlands to Cornwall will cost over £1k.


Mind you, it's good to see the West Lothian Question inverted!


UPDATE: This from Rudi over at Merseyrail...

As Eye predicted - it's now gone global!

And as a favour for the linguists amongst you...

Brits treinretourtje overschrijdt 1100 euro

UPDATE: This from the TSSA...

Gerry Doherty even manages to squeeze in a mention when talking about First Group's £140m taxpayer subsidy to run 'profitable' franchises...

It is the economics of the madhouse to pay millions of pounds to private rail operators who are then charging passengers the highest fares in Europe.It makes far more sense to pay the money to cut fares on publicly-owned franchises which would operate in the public interest.

Yesterday we saw the logic of this present Alice in Wonderland system with the first £1,000 UK rail fare. It is time to end this farce which has seen a Labour Government price millions of hard working families of the railways altogether.


Nice link Gerry.

Lookalike - The R&B session


UPDATE: This from Leo Pink...

Since the R&B Session lacks captions I assume it is a competition.

I suggest Diesel head and Petrol head.