This exciting East Coast competition from the Independent on Sunday...
But what's this?
The IoS is half right - it's just that the train belongs to another country's state-owned operator...
UPDATE: This from The Master...
It's obvious that the picture isn't a UK station as the couple haven't been dragged off by a couple of PCSOs for threatening the security of the state by taking pictures on a railway station.
This from the Passenger Transport Executive Group, via Twitter...
pteg has appointed Pedro Abrantes to the newly created post of Economist at the pteg Support Unit.
The man with beard was said to be delighted.
Telegrammed by our man at 222 Marylebone Road
According to a holding answer from Moley on 26 February 2010:
"The Department for Transport does not hold information on when and where railway track has been added to or taken away from the national network".
With an updated version of his invaluable Atlas about to be published, surely Stuart Baker could help out his minister?
Eye hears that there are to be quite a few HLOS rolling stock deals to be signed over the next 10 days.
First Great Western, as speculated in Modern Railways, is to get 30 class 150 vehicles from LooRoll and London Midland in late summer 2010
Northern loses the 180s to East Coast but gain seven 142 sets from First Great Western and quite a significant number of Class 150s (sources suggest up to 20)
EMT gets four more 156 units from Northern so that all Nottingham - Liverpool services become four car throughout the day.
So a great victory for Manchester, Liverpool, and Leeds (prop Gordon Brown) but not so good for the Tory Shires.
Could there be an election in the offing?
Quite possibly - but even Labour's strategists can't speed up Bombardier's production lines.
Testing of the first of eight two Car 172s for LooRoll has only just begun.
These units are followed by four for the Chiltern Gau of the Reichsbahn.
Which could push the LM deliveries into next year!
Wasn't there supposed to have been a Rolling Stock Plan published last autumn?
UPDATE: This from Ithuriel...
Doesn't 'shuffling the deckchairs' give a misleading impression of purposeful activity?
Isn't it more the case that DfT is trying to find enough beach towels so that those in the unshuffled deckchairs can share two between three?
The Fact Compiler wonders if there is a measure for Deckchairs in Excess of Capacity?
UPDATE: This from Leo Pink...
That would be DIXC as in 'Whistling Dixie'.
Which is all that passengers on capacity starved TOCs can do...
Through a Pacer window darkly...
Down platform, Dinsdale.
Whilst this will shelter customers from vertical rain... comfy seat anyone?
So the Public Accounts Committee has lambasted the Department for Transport's role in the Metronet debacle.
This from the Local Government Chronicle:
PAC chairman Edward Leigh said: “The taxpayer has lost up to £410m as a result of the Department for Transport’s inadequate management of the risks arising from the Metronet contracts for upgrading the infrastructure of the underground.
Mr Leigh called the DfT’s assumptions about management of the contract “flawed from the outset” and “naïve”, while the belief that lenders would exert strong influence on Metronet’s governance and financial health was undermined because the DfT shouldered 95% of their risks.
No shit Sherlock.
Meanwhile Eye awaits a suitably contrite apology from Metronet's former shareholders: Atkins, Balfour Beatty, Bombardier, EDF Energy and Thames Water.
But we won't hold our breath.
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