Exciting news - the Government has finally published the Rail Strategy!
Just shy of a year after it was originally announced.
No matter.
Meanwhile, Integrated Partnerships tailored to the franchise de jour have been announced.
Good news indeed.
Especially for operators of passenger trains on both the East Coast and across the East Midlands!
So Eye wonders who will claim ownership of this key junction between the two routes?
Oh dear!
What are we to make of this, from the increasingly excitable twitter feed of Admiral Scrumptious?
15 mins late into Liverpool, stuck behind freight train. Freight on rail during day is hugely disruptive of passenger traffic and also eats up passenger capacity. Big issue!— Andrew Adonis (@Andrew_Adonis) November 22, 2017
@Andrew_Adonis just checked TRUST root cause of delay into Lime Street - signal failure at Runcorn not a late running freight train— Christopher D Wilson (@chrisdwilson006) November 22, 2017
This written answer from Rail Minister Paul Maynard…
Andy McDonald (Middlesbrough): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Rail Delivery Group; and if he will make a statement.
Paul Maynard (Blackpool North and Cleveleys): The Government is supportive of the Rail Delivery Group’s role of providing industry leadership in the railway to achieve better outcomes for rail users. We continue to work closely with them to ensure they are well placed to provide the strategic leadership needed to deliver key reforms in the railway.
There's lovely.
This from Rob Roy…
Good to see that VT East Coast has their finger on the pulse in this information age.
One would have thought that someone might have noticed that the warning about Cross Country industrial action on Sunday the 19th is no longer current today?
A big Eye welcome to Caroline Murdoch, NR's Group Communications Director designate.
Caroline steps into the shoes vacated by Barney Wyld who left NR's top comms role for Rolls Royce last month.
Caroline currently works for the National Crime Agency, heading up the Corporate Affairs function. She has previously worked at the Met and TfL and brings over 20 years’ experience to Network Rail from national communications, public affairs, crisis communication management, marketing and internal communications within both public and private sectors.
Scot Marchbank continues as interim, until Caroline joins NR in late February/early March 2018.
Today the government announced that the YP's railcard would be extended to 26 - 30 year olds.
.@Conservatives have set out plans for a new discounted rail card for 26 - 30 year olds - helping to keep the cost of living down for around 4.5 million more people pic.twitter.com/wKmZgIuIQb— CCHQ Press Office (@CCHQPress) November 21, 2017
So The Treasury is now determining rail marketing approaches. More evidence of govt micro management (extending the YP Railcard not a bad idea, mind) https://t.co/GGgXNRcTKm— Michael Holden (@holdmch) November 21, 2017
Declaring an interest. But rail card policy seems to be going down like a cup of sick with 31-35 year olds. Hammered for a decade by fees, rent and graduated into the crashed job market.. What is in it for them, Chancellor?— Harry Cole (@MrHarryCole) November 21, 2017
26-30 railcard is a good policy (and maybe good politics: cheap and popular, tho doubt it'll move many votes).— James Ball (@jamesrbuk) November 21, 2017
But it *will* piss off a good few people our age for the reasons Harry lists. https://t.co/DnX9PqrlVi
Maybe we should just cut rail fares by a third for everyone instead of giving increasingly large groups railcards— Ned Donovan (@Ned_Donovan) November 21, 2017
Fine. Won't help with their commuter fares, but fine. However, needs to be alongside a British equivalent of German BahnCard, or Swiss Halbtax: a bit more expensive (or smaller discount), but universally available. https://t.co/qoWw4fhKwL— [Restricted] Animal (@politic_animal) November 21, 2017
You worry about the scale and breadth of a Budget when the drop two days out is extending the young person's Railcard— steve hawkes (@steve_hawkes) November 21, 2017
"Young people aren't voting for us". "Chuck them a new railcard. That'll do the trick". British politics, 2017. We're all screwed, aren't we.— (((Dan Hodges))) (@DPJHodges) November 21, 2017
This from the Archer…
I thought BMRFC members might like to see what the Mids Div would be sporting on the field this season (Is there an English version of this? Ed)
This from Strawbrick…
This beauty is to be found at Shoeburyness Station car park
This tosh from Eurotunnel…
Groupe Eurotunnel has today changed its name to Getlink.
This new name, reflecting the dynamism of connection and exchange, marks the Group’s passage into an exciting new era for mobility infrastructures.
“Getlink is all that is Eurotunnel and more than just Eurotunnel! Originally the promoter of the Channel Tunnel, itself an historic technological achievement, over the past ten years the Group has transformed and is now in perfect shape to take on the challenges of new forms of mobility”, stated Jacques Gounon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Group. “The core mission for Getlink is the development and management (cont' p94).
Getlink? Get lost!
This from the Transport Select Committee…
Committee to explore transformative potential of ‘Mobility as a Service’
Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is a broad term for a range of digital transport service platforms, from quite niche online car and bike-sharing schemes to hugely popular, high profile taxi and private hire smartphone apps.
MaaS apps can provide value for money, convenient, on demand services and are transforming how people, particularly younger people in cities, use urban transport. But, while door-to-door journeys in cities tend to utilise several transport modes— walk/cycle/minicab; train; bus; walk/cycle, for example—the most popular smartphone apps to date have tended to be single mode, typically taxis and minicabs.
Proponents of an emerging model of MaaS, in which multiple modes of transport are brought together under a single app, believe it has the potential to make getting around via public and shared transport so convenient it will negate the need for people in and around cities to own their own car, with potentially massive benefits in relation to urban congestion, air pollution and health.
The Transport Committee is launching a new inquiry into the transformative potential of this type of integrated, multi-mode MaaS app, and overcoming barriers to implementation in UK cities and regions.
Lilian Greenwood, Chair of the Transport Select Committee, said:
“Integrating urban transport modes into a single, integrated MaaS app represents a really exciting opportunity to transform how we get around in our cities.
“An integrated MaaS app can create a single, seamless journey, cutting out the hassle of separate ticketing for different legs of a journey. The app can plan and book your whole journey from door-to-door in the most efficient way possible, using real-time service data across all the transport modes in the city. This could substantially reduce reliance on the private car; ease congestion; increase productivity; and lead to more pleasant, healthier cities with better air quality.
“Integrated MaaS is a much talked about concept, but it is not generally well understood. We want to increase public understanding; find out if the bold claims are justified; and, if they are, recommend ways the Department for Transport and others can support and facilitate its implementation in the UK."
Submissions can be made here.
Timely for the Rail Supply Group, as it seeks a Sector Deal.
This from Abellio/Mitsui...
Merseyrail’s Jan Chaudhry-van der Velde appointed Managing Director of West Midlands Trains
Merseyrail Deputy MD Andy Heath to succeed Jan at Merseyrail
Jan Chaudhry-van der Velde has today been appointed as Managing Director of West Midlands Trains, which will take over the next West Midlands franchise on 10 December. He joins from Merseyrail where he has been MD since 2015.
Prior to joining Merseyrail, Jan spent three years as Abellio UK’s Deputy MD. In this role he was a member of the Merseyrail board and played a critical role in the company’s successful bid for the ScotRail franchise.
Jan has also held a number of director roles outside of Abellio including Operations Director at South West Trains, Commercial Director at Southern and Operations & Retail Director at Thameslink. He first joined the sector in 1989 as a British Rail general management trainee.
Merseyrail’s new managing director will be Jan’s former deputy, Andy Heath. Andy first joined Merseyrail as Trains Manager in 1998 and has been Operations Director since 2005.
He will be stepping into the role on 10 December, following Jan’s departure.
This from the Transport Select Committee...
The process for deciding the funding and outputs of Network Rail for the control period 2019-2024 is underway. Against this background, the Committee wishes to understand whether the current system of planning and delivering investment in rail infrastructure is adequate. The Committee is particularly interested in submissions addressing:
The impact of postponing renewals from the current control period into the next and the implications of the Secretary of State’s decision to remove enhancements from the control period process
The adequacy of the control period process in enabling the delivery of long term rail infrastructure objectives
Many congratulations to railway snapper Paul Bigland and ACoRP fixer Dawn Wolrich.
Paul and Dawn tied the knot on Saturday with friends and family in Huddersfield.
Friday saw an act of Remembrance at Derby station.
Led by Railway Mission Chaplain Ralph Coleman, the short service saw wreaths laid by EMT, BTP, the Rail Forum and other local groups.
Regular Eye readers may recall these sorry images from Hampton Court station.
Oh dear!
This twaddle from Beardie Rail on the East Coast.
This from a Mr T…
While at the Post Office in my local Co-op in Manningtree, I happened upon a few Network Rail A4 Lever Arch files dumped on a shelf amongst some boxes
Good news for fans of the bleedin' obvious!
This from the Grauniad:
Britain’s biggest rail franchise, which includes the strike-hit Southern service, is likely to be broken up when it expires in 2021, the government has said.
Passengers on Southern have experienced widespread disruption since it was incorporated into Britain’s biggest rail franchise, run by Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), in 2015.
Why, yes. Yes indeed!
And what's more DfT have confirmed this is what will happen.
This from an Eye reader with a long memory…
As those who read RSSB reports may recall - there is a view that "on platform" cameras give a much better view of the Passenger Train Interface than "on train" cameras.
BUT there is a feeling in the industry that this was ahem... overlooked to ensure the cost and resposibility for maintaining DOO equipment didn't fall on Network Rail.
So - imagine my surprise at finding this letter from 24 years ago, which appeared in the September issue of Modern Railways.
The DfT has issued a consultation document on Community Rail.
This follows a passionate speech by Pete Wilkinson last month, in favour of community rail, at the ACoRP awards in Derby.
The consultation introduction sets the scene:
The Government believes community rail is well placed in ensuring the railway reflects the communities and customers it serves. Community rail policy was last reviewed in 2007 and in the decade since there has been considerable change, with community rail continuing to develop amid an evolving and growing rail network.
The purpose of this consultation is to provide those with an interest in community rail in England and Wales an opportunity to inform future policy
The consultation document can be found here.
Remember. Vote early, vote often.
Suffice to say it has not been universally welcomed...
🤔🤔🤔 caps? No caps? Someone couldn’t decide! pic.twitter.com/YiyeQBlRQC— Joanna Seabright (@JibberJabberJo) November 1, 2017
This is not a design, it is a printer malfunction. https://t.co/lzwmwcuNLj— The Fact Compiler (@TheFactCompiler) November 1, 2017
That has to be one of the worst fonts ever designed. Gives no confidence that the company can run a street food stall let alone a raileay— Martin Popplewell (@chrisswain132) November 1, 2017
That's just horrible. Why rebrand at this late stage of a long franchise with a well established image.— Chris Jackson (@cmajrail) November 1, 2017
*Railway rebrand alert*... and it's... it's... so dull I'm falling asleep. Swing and a miss Chiltern, sorry. pic.twitter.com/C4dkuxWSf8— Sam Jessup (@samjessupdesign) November 2, 2017
This from a Mr Euroland…
Spotted just outside the railway, outside Stirling.
Some interesting research by Ipsos MORI.
The research was undertaken across 28 countries in September.
Key findings for the UK railway and ahem… anyone planning a Budget!
Ipsos MORI found 46% of Britons choosing tracks and stations from a list as priorities for investment, ahead of new housing supply (43%) and flood defences (38%). These were last year’s top three, but rail was in third place a year ago.
Along with new housing supply, rail infrastructure is given higher priority in Britain relative to other G8 countries. In Britain, 38% rate the quality of rail as very/fairly good, compared to 51% in France and 60% in Japan (it is, though, 29% in Italy).
The higher priority given to investing in rail infrastructure compared to other countries does not reflect experience. Seven in ten (69%) rate the experience on their last journey positively, higher than the global average of six in ten (62%). However, British rail users are significantly more negative about the value for money of their last journey.
Details here.
More tracks a greater priority than new homes!
This ought to give one or two people pause for thought.
Meg Hillier taking no prisoners at Monday's Public Accounts Committee hearing into TramTrain…
Chair: I have to say that whatever you take from Mr Carne’s comments about the regulator—we as a Committee have been critical about the role of the regulator in the past—it is staggering that the Department did not challenge the costs more. We cannot quite believe that that happened.
Bernadette Kelly: Without question, we would provide much greater challenge and seek far greater assurance on these project costs now than we may have done back in 2012.
Chair: Can I make you an offer, Ms Kelly? The next time you are looking at a project, this Committee would love to look at it prior to the point at which it is agreed, just to have a good rummage through the numbers. I would be very happy to do that.
Bernadette Kelly: I hope that what you would see now is that there is a really rigorous process. If it would be helpful to the Committee to provide some further information on exactly the process that Mr Carne and I have outlined, we would be delighted to do so.
Chair: We would be interested to see that. As I said, the offer stands: if you have a future project that you would like us to look through in detail before it spends taxpayers’ money, we would be very happy to do that. Thank you very much.
Ouch!
Notwithstanding accusations about this MP's behaviour...
This is a good question and one that Eye suspects will be the first of many in similar vein:
MIDLAND MAIN RAILWAY LINE: CARBON EMISSIONS
Jared O’Mara (Sheffield Hallam): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the level of carbon emissions that will be caused by diesel bi-mode trains compared to electric trains on the Midland Mainline.
Paul Maynard (Blackpool and North Cleveleys): Passengers expect high quality rail services and we are committed to electrification where it delivers passenger benefits and good value for money for taxpayers, but we will also take advantage of state of the art new technology to improve journeys.
In line with the Department for Transport’s processes for appraising transport investments, an economic appraisal including the environmental impacts has been carried out using the DfT’s Transport Analysis Guidance, incorporating DEFRA guidance on transport related environmental impacts.
Using this methodology, benefits from reduced greenhouse gas emissions are assessed over a 60 year appraisal period. We expect the new bi-mode trains to deliver an overall better environmental performance than the existing diesel trains on this route and so contribute to further improving this record.
With air quality of increasing concern, particularly in urban areas, many passenger and freight operators will need to be ready to answer similar questions.
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