Railway Garden Competition - Farringdon

This from a Mr Mike Wallis...

Missing from the #gibbreport is this mess at Farringdon! #railwaygardencompetiton @TheFactCompiler pic.twitter.com/t5twXR6AyG

— Mike Wallis (@mikewallis11) June 22, 2017

Keep 'em coming!

Gibb Report published

Chris Gibb's report into Southern's performance has been published.

It's a chunky 163 pages so will take some reading.

However, some of the headline findings here:

• Industrial action is the main cause of problems
• Unions should accept ORR regulates safety and should work with GTR to modernise working practices
• Need for NR to establish a System Operator function (done)
• Need for two track timetable at night on BML to enable maintenance (done)
• Electrify Uckfield (see relevant appendix)
• Withdraw the 442s (done)
• Transfer East Croydon - Milton Keynes to TfL Overground, and Ashford - Hastings to SE franchise
• Sort out Thameslink 2018 train stabling, provide for future stabling to handle more trains
• Review Thameslink driver depot strategy
• Restart stalled station capacity schemes at Victoria, Gatwick and East Croydon
• Improve despatch at Victoria, London Bridge and Brighton
• Improve suicide prevention
• Implement Thameslink 2018 plan in small stages between Dec, 17 and Dec, 18
• Review off peak and small station service levels
• Align TOC and NR incentives and targets using joint delay repay
• Set up 2018 Thameslink industry readiness board (done)

Eye understands not much has been redacted from the final report (although Appendix 9 containing 'Recommendations regarding the GTR franchise agreement' is missing).

 

Electrification benefits explained!

Good news for fans of electrification!

This from the Scotsman...

Plans to close Breich Station in West Lothian, used by just three passengers a week, have been announced by Network Rail. 

The move has been prompted by the £1.4 million cost of replacing its footbridge as part of electrification of the line, which would be saved. 

It is understood the station is likely to have stayed open otherwise.

The Sparks Effect, indeed!

Just imagine how many more of those annoying station things we could close if NR electrified the entire network!

UPDATE: This from Captain Deltic...

If the clever traction engineers at Derby can fit an aluminium tube with seats and air conditioning and braking equipment and doors and bogies and lots of clever electronics and charge £1.2 million a throw for an Aventra vehicle how on earth can civil engineers justify £1.4 million for a footbridge? 

And does that include leaning-on-a-shovel-looking time?

South Eastern and West Coast Partnership bidders

This from the DfT...

South Eastern franchise

The companies which want to run the next South Eastern franchise are:

• South Eastern Holdings Ltd, a joint venture company that on franchise award will be wholly owned by Abellio Transport Group Ltd and East Japan Railway Company and Mitsui & Co Ltd
• London and South East Passenger Rail Services Lrd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Govia Ltd
• Stagecoach South Eastern Trains Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Stagecoach Group plc
• Trenitalia UK Ltd, wholly owned by Trenitalia SpA

West Coast Partnership franchise

The WCP will be responsible for services on the West Coast Main Line from April 2019 and will design and run the initial HS2 high speed services between London and Birmingham from 2026.

The shortlist contains bidding consortia which sees UK rail network experts working in partnership with companies that operate high speed railways around the globe, supported by businesses which have an excellent track record in customer services.

They are:

• First Trenitalia West Coast Ltd, a joint venture between First Rail Holdings Ltd and Trenitalia SpA
• MTR West Coast Partnership Ltd, a joint venture between MTR Corporation (UK) Ltd and Guangshen Railway Company, with the following key sub-contractors:
• Deloitte MCS Ltd
• Panasonic Systems Europe
• Snowfall AB
• Trainline.com Ltd
• WSP Parsons Brinkerhoff
• West Coast Partnership Ltd, a joint venture between Stagecoach Group plc, Virgin Holdings Ltd and SNCF C3

Can't help but feel that DfT must be disappointed by yet another small field, containing mostly the usual suspects, for these key competitions.