Rutman named as new PS at DfT

So a big Eye welcome to Philip Rutnam, who has been appointed the new Permanent Secretary at the DfT.

Rutman is currently Director General Business and Skills at BIS and will take up his new post in Marsham Street on 11th April 2012.

According to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills website:

Philip Rutnam was appointed Director General, Business and Skills in December 2010. Prior to this he had been Director General, Business, since March 2009.

Philip was previously at Ofcom where he was a Partner and then Board Member. He helped to establish Ofcom as an organisation and then to lead its work on competition, economic regulation and use of the radio spectrum.

A former senior Treasury official, Philip Rutnam's career also includes working in corporate finance at Morgan Stanley in Hong Kong, a period as Private Secretary to the Financial Secretary, and responsibility for the Treasury's interest in business and enterprise. He also previously represented the UK at the European Investment Bank.

In light of the Command Paper's terse dismissal of Open Access competition, Eye is unsure what use his Ofcom experience will be...

UPDATE: This from Sir Humphrey Beeching...

I'm pleased to see that Lucy Chadwick has also been named the new Director-General of Major Projects and London.

Bobby Devereux and I both had her marked out for great things, and of course she covered the role just a year ago.

With everyone at the Department playing musical chairs, I look forward to hearing where my old friend Peter Strachan ends up.

UPDATE: This from Minster Benn...

Has Sir Humphrey been at the dishwater again?

Ms Chadwick is not taking on Mr Strachan's job.

She will be taking up the post of DG International, Strategy and Environmental.

If that isn't an Oxymoron.

Great & the good meet to focus on costs

Exciting news reaches Eye of a brand new professional association designed to bring together the great and the good of the railway!

The 'exclusive new forum for Rail's Senior Leaders to meet and network' will hold its inaugural meeting tonight.

The event will focus on 'The future of the Rail Delivery Group', followed by drinks and canapés.

And quite right too!

What better way could there be for industry executives to share and discuss the challenges set by McNulty.

But what's this?

Whilst attendance at the inaugural event is free, subsequent corporate membership of the Association of Railway Senior Executives (is this right? Ed) will 'typically cost £1,000'!

Nervous Finance Directors need not panic.


Eye understands that the association’s President has already offered his famous broom cupboard as a future VfM venue.

RMT announce date of the Revolution!

To the barricades Comrades!

This stonking piece of polemic from the RMT...

RAIL UNION RMT announced today it is holding a Budget “Day of Action” over Government plans to axe thousands of jobs, close ticket offices, jack up fares and give the train operating companies “gold plated” franchises as it implements the McNulty Rail Review recommendations.

The announcement comes on the day that the train operators, through their front organisation ATOC, admitted that they are planning to use an increase in rail demand as an excuse for jacking up fares and pumping up their fat profits.

RMT will be joined by sister rail unions and commuters in action at train stations across thec ountry on 21st March and will be specifically targeting South West Trains where a deep, commercial alliance as a forerunner for a private takeover of infra-structure kicks in on 1st April.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said: “Today we have again seen the true face of greed of the private train operators as they rub their hands at the prospect of using the surge in rail demand as an excuse to ramp up fairs and to screw the travelling public for every penny of profit that they can extract from the network.

“On budget day, RMT and our supporters will be stepping up the fight for a railway free from profiteering and exploitation and in support of the principle of transport run under public ownership as a public service.

“If the train operators get their way they will seize control of infra-structure and drag us back to the lethal days of Railtrack that led us to Hatfield and Potters Bar. They will also throw the guards off the trains, close ticket offices and de-staff stations turning the whole railway system into a criminal’s paradise where yobbos, vandals and muggers have a free run.”

Easy tiger!

UPDATE: This from Steve Strong...

Oooh goody!

I see that Crow Bar says that TOCs plan to "to ramp up fairs".

Will there be carousels and dodgems and stuff?

Pointless signs - Broxbourne

Pointless signs - Egham