Stockade station - Birmingham International

This from D0260...

Further to Eye's piece on the Coucher Memorial Fences at Stockport, welcome to Birmingham International, or should that be HMP Elmdon?

About a month ago each and every platform end, north and south, was fenced at the top of the platform end ramp.

These photographs are the north end of Birmingham International station, taken from Platform 4, nearest the NEC.


A similar thing has happened at Coventry, but as the platforms there are narrower, the fencing is not quite so intrusive.

At Birmingham International the sides of the fencing, usually finished in triangular wood, now sports a sort of giant egg-box of shredded rubber tyres.


How much did this lot cost?

Indeed!

Eye was pleased to see that Nigel Harris over at RAIL has also taken up the cudgels against the apparent relentless march of these costly genuflections to the Elf''n'Safety Taliban (see Stop & Examine in the latest issue).

Perhaps ORR readers can advise whether this really offers a value for money solution to a percieved safety risk?

Bob Crow - just a pussy cat

This from the Tax Payers Alliance...

With Trade Union Leaders flexing their muscles with strike threats and warnings about impending public spending cuts, the Tax Payers' Alliance presents its first Trade Union Rich List.

The list compiles the detailed remuneration of all Trade Union General Secretaries and Chief Executives whose total remuneration exceeded £100,000 in the financial year 2008-09.

According to the TPA the RMT's Bob Crow earns £105,679 a year.

Now the TPA is not the most subtle of organisations, so to illustrate their findings they provided the following endearing image...


Eye will pay Fifty Guineas to the first industry MD who attempts to tickle Bob behind the ears.

An apology to our German readers

The Fact Compiler has been taken to task for stereotyping our Teutonic friends in the previous post.

Clearly in the new Europe this can not be tolerated.

To make amends Eye is happy to run this picture of the launch of ScotRail's new Class 380 EMU at Siemens, Wildenrath, yesterday.


No stereotypes there then.

Railway Garden Competition - Wildenrath

Railway Gardens German Style - efficiently defoliated!


No doubt the individual responsible for the visible fronds is currently contemplating a bleak future on the Eastern Front.