Lookalike - DB's international aspirations

This from Tommy Atkins...

According to the Railway Gazette nationalised Deutsche Bahn plans to run an ICE3 to Britain this year.

The article is helpfully illustrated with a map entitled "DB Bahn international long-distance routes".

The map appears remarkably similar to one illustrating a previously unsuccessful attempt at increasing the size of the German rail network.


I wonder if the two versions are in any way related? (No they are not! Ed)

UPDATE: This from Sir High Trevor Ropey...

I note with some concern that Swiss neutrality is at risk.

I'm sure von Moltke the elder would have urged making the Channel Tunnel the schwerpunkt, focusing on the drive to the west.

Perhaps the Fuhrer's Diaries can shed some light?

UPDATE: This from Eastwestdivide...

Well the comparison would have been funny in 1970, but I really thought we'd moved on since then.

(No, I'm not Cherman)

Auf wiederemailen.

UPDATE: This from Mizter T...

Sounds like Eastwestdivide's biennial humour overhaul is rather overdue.

Anyhow, given that DB is currently struggling to run beyond Aachen into the land of the perpetually micturating little boy, it remains to be seen how successful their cross-channel extraterritorial ambitions will be.

Plus they'll have to get passed the friendly chaps and chapesses at the UK Border Agency too...

The Big Society explained...

So.

Ministers have today written to voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations asking for their ideas on how to reduce the deficit.

Minister for Civil Society, Nick Hurd, said:

"We know that it is local people and organisations on the ground that often know what needs changing and we want to tap into their knowledge and experience to help us identify ways of doing things better and more efficiently so we can do more for less."

Indeed.

But what's this?

At almost exactly the same time that this exciting announcement was made what should drop into The Fact Compiler's inbox but the following missive from the Association of Community and Rail Partnerships:

As you are possibly already aware, our quarterly publication Train Times is currently suffering under the embargo placed upon government department publications (as it is currently funded entirely by the DfT). We are exploring ways of funding Train Times otherwise but it has become apparent that any solution will not come in time to allow us to maintain our normal schedule.

So here, in place of Train Times 59, which we would still hope to produce at some stage in the future, is Train in Between Times in which we cover the various news stories which would have appeared in TT59 had it appeared on schedule.

TiBT will not appear in printed form – this is it!

Feel free to distribute it far and wide. It’s also on our website. (Not yet it's not - but here is a link to their publications page for when it is. Ed)

Clearly there is a saving to the Department in no longer funding a hard-copy version of Train Times.

However, without Train Times, how can ACoRP effectively seek ideas from the voluntary members of Community Rail Partnerships about how to reduce costs on the railway?

No doubt the ORR and Sir Roy McNulty have already consulted all the 60+ community rail partnerships and rail promotion groups that form ACoRP's membership....

Strange train times indeed!