Yet another high profile convert to HS2!

Fans of Wolmayor will recollect his original implacable opposition to Crossrail.

Therefore, Eye is confident in saying that as night follows day, Wolmar will embrace HS2!
 

Indeed, judging by his website he already has.

An Ozymandias moment?

This from Leo Rubine-Redd...

It looks as though time is already withering the legacy of Rail Barbie. 

Apparently the famous Barbie Pink - more properly known as Rubine Red, has been dropped from the colour palette for the refurbished First Capital Connect Class 365 EMUs.

Yet another example of private sector entrepreneurial flair submerged under the grey tide of Whitehall conformity?

NR - the temptation to tinker is irresistable...

As ever, politics abhors a vacuum!

With the Shadow Transport team adopting an almost Trappist-like silence on NR nationalisation, an erstwhile rail minister has stepped in to fill the policy void.

This EDM from Tom Harris MP:

That this House notes that the Office for National Statistics is to reclassify Network Rail as a central government body from 1 September 2014, adding Network Rail's £30 billion debt to the national debt; recognises that since Network Rail's creation, Ministers have respected the company's status as a private company by not exercising executive authority over Network Rail's management or operational activity; further recognises that the reclassification of Network Rail as a central government body offers the opportunity for a new relationship between the company and ministers; and believes this new relationship should begin with an instruction from the Secretary of State for Transport to Network Rail's directors that any future proposal for executive bonuses must be approved by Ministers.

And so it begins...

East Coast bidders announced

This from the Department for Transport...

The shortlist of bidders that will be invited to deliver proposals for improved services for passengers on the InterCity East Coast rail franchise was announced by the government today (17 January).

The companies that have successfully passed the Pre-Qualification Evaluation stage and can now start working on developing their plans for the franchise, before they receive the government’s Invitation to Tender are:

• East Coast Trains Ltd (First Group plc);
• Keolis/Eurostar East Coast Limited (Keolis (UK) Limited and Eurostar International Limited);
• Inter City Railways Limited (Stagecoach Transport Holdings Limited and Virgin Holdings Limited).

These potential operators will need to consider how they intend to use the latest high-tech trains, built in the UK by Agility, to deliver more passengers to more of the UK's biggest cities faster and in greater comfort.

The government is expecting to see how the future operators will capitalise on the significant government investment along this route, including £240 million in infrastructure projects over the next five years to improve capacity and reduce journey times.  

Rail Minister Stephen Hammond said:

“Giving passengers more will be at the heart of the new East Coast franchise. That means new services and journeys that are faster, more punctual and more comfortable. When these companies are developing their proposals they should be looking at ways to innovate and grow the service.

“We have embarked on one of the biggest programmes of rail investment ever, with over £35 billion being spent to enhance and run our rail network over the next five years. But for our railways to continue to grow we need strong private sector partners who can invest and innovate in ways that deliver a world class service.”

Since rail services were privatised in 1993, the close cooperation between government and the train companies has heralded an unprecedented growth in the number of passengers.

While the East Coast franchise has been stabilised under government ownership since 2009, the route now needs a long term private sector operator to plan for the future and meet the increasing demands for more trains serving even more destinations.

When it started the franchise competition in October 2013 the government published the InterCity East Coast prospectus which set out the areas prospective bidders will need to consider when they start developing their proposals.  These include:

• developing innovative timetables which build on the core train service requirement published by the Department for Transport (DfT); 
• investment in innovative ways to transform the customer experience on trains and at stations;
  identifying further opportunities for investment along the route, particularly at stations; 
• making the route and train operations more considerate of the environment;
  involving communities along the route in local decision making; and 
• demonstrating how their proposals will support economic growth along the route.

To pass the rigorous Pre-Qualification Evaluation each of the bidders were asked to demonstrate that they have the financial strength, legal, operational and safety experience to run the franchise. 

The DfT is planning to issue the Invitation to Tender at the end of February and the potential operators will then have at least three months to develop their bids, before the new services start in February 2015. 

ENDS