Tuesday 19 June 2012

Eurocrats and ORR misaligned?

Exciting news from somebody nobody voted for!

According to the eGovMonitor...

Today, the Council and the European Parliament agreed on a new framework for railway traffic in Europe in the shape of a recast of the first railway package. This will bring about improved conditions for the European railways.

In this context, Minister for Transport Mr Henrik Dam Kristensen says (Who he? Ed):
 
"I am pleased that we agreed on a new and better framework for railway traffic in Europe today
.
"With the agreement, we have taken an important step towards developing the European railway.

"I expect the new rules to engender more passengers and more goods transport by rail in Europe. An efficient railway sector benefits both citizens and businesses alike and is an important piece of the puzzle in terms of strengthening growth in Europe".

"More goods transport by rail". Eh?

Perhaps Hans Kristensen Andersen needs to have a word with our very own Price-is-Right of the ORR?
  
UPDATE: This from Globetrotter...

Have just caught up with your latest piece on the Recast of the First Railway Package, and more particularly the heading comment ‘who nobody voted for’.

I think you will find that the residents of southern Jutland did indeed vote for Henrik Dam Kristensen, who as Minister of Transport in the Danish parliament currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of Ministers in terms of transport policy.

And of course, the latest agreement is between the Council (all elected ministers in their respective governments) and the Parliament (all directly elected MEPs), rather than the ‘unelected bureaucrats’ of the European Commission (or more accurately DG-Move) who simply did the leg-work in preparing the initial draft for the recast.

Methinks that your correspondent should consider getting an updated version of the ‘ABC Guide to Tripartite European Institutions’ (I'll be sure and buy a copy immediately after casting my vote in the In/Out Referendum. Ed).

PS: Quite what Messrs ORR-Price, McNulty & Co will make of the Recast will, of course, be very interesting to see.

Railway Garden Competition - Belper

This from Tim...


The Hanging Gardens of Belper?

England is new NR Asset Management Director

This from Network Rail...

Network Rail has promoted Jerry England to the role of group asset management director. He was formerly the group director of signalling and power asset management.

As well as working for Network Rail, chartered engineer Mr England has worked for the Highways Agency and Thames Water and will be focusing on developing more customer driven and efficient management of the company’s asset base.

Services provided by the asset management team are provided to customers including Network Rail’s devolved routes, as well as operations and infrastructure projects...

Mr England will take on the role with immediate effect, reporting to Network Rail’s chief executive David Higgins. 

Grandstanding in Committee Room 8?

Good to see the brothers grandstanding ahead of this morning's Transport Select Committee hearing!

This from the RMT...

RAIL UNION RMT will seize the opportunity at an evidence session of the Transport Select Committee today (19th June) to demand that MP’s pull the government back from embarking on the catastrophic course of cuts and profiteering set out in the McNulty rail review which the union says would create the perfect “lethal cocktail” of conditions for another Hatfield or Potters Bar disaster on Britain’s railways.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow will join with other rail unions in presenting oral evidence this morning on RAIL 2020 to the Transport Committee.

No doubt more heat than light will ensue.

Hopefully more illumination will be provided by Messrs McNulty, Smith, O'Toole and Higgins, who will also be in attendance. The session starts at 10:05.

Fans of knock about politics can watch on-line here.