Railway Dictionary update

 This from our lexicographer friend Barry Spotter...

The word for today is:

Optimism: hopefulness and confidence about the future or success of something.

See also: Late, Expensive, Missing, etc...

CrossCountry restores THE marque

In these confusing and worrying times...

It is nice to see a classic and reassuring brand restored to Britain's Railway - courtesy of the sole national passenger operator, offering scheduled services across all NR Regions (did you see what I had to do there? No matter).

Eye salutes CrossCountry's leadership team for authorising this livery.

A strong brand, that always signified an ambition to deliver a simpler, better railway.

And still cleverer to promote this via viral marketing?

Varsity Line sent down!

Good news for fans of Scorched Earth Policy.

Following his swift departure from the Tory leadership election, Grant Shapps has now announced the demise of East West Rail.

This via Cambridgeshire News:

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps says the remaining stages of the East West Rail project should be cancelled. He made the statement during an interview with LBC...

When asked what he would do if he was in charge, he said: "I would cut East West Rail on what's called two and three, the second and third stages. The charges of it, it would save £3-5 million."

This genuinely exciting new cross country railway, aims to restore the lost direct route linking Oxford to Cambridge, serving growing regions in-between and offering new direct connections between the GWML, WCML, MML, ECML and East Anglia 

"Oxbridge" are famed university cities, with global reputations for research, innovation and world beating future technology.

So DfT will restrict the first part of the newly reopened route to errr... diesel traction!

With the smallest of vision, the first part of this new railway reconnecting Oxford and Bletchley, might also have offered a simpler, better railway to passengers and Railfreight customers from across Britain, especially those seeking a direct route between East & West - avoiding congested routes into and out of London?

In happier news, post reshuffle, Pilot Michael Green can always swiftly fly to speedily address audiences in both Oxford & Cambridge, as well as points in-between; aerodromes and traffic allowing.

Just as well, as Eye hears Senior Common Room invitations may now be less abundant...

Shapps consciously uncoupled

Alas, the Curse of Eye strikes again!

Mere hours after Steve Strong - Our Man in the Lobby - shared his searing analysis of Michael Green's leadership bid, it crashed and burned.

Shapps has caped, and is now attempting to rescue demic Rushi Sunak, the erstwhile and Machiavellian Chancellor.

Just moments ago, we asked Steve for his exclusive analysis on the very latest developments.

Here is Eye's report, Live from Westminster:

Intern: Hello Steve, what's happening?

Steve: I'm in the pub, who is this?

Intern: I'm from Railway Eye, the...

Steve: Who? Never heard of it! Now, why don't you just pis... (owing to technical difficulties the call ended at this point).

There you have it: Eye - First with all the railway news pixable!

UPDATE: No, we will not offer a reimbursement of any investments in the 100/1 shot! What goes up, can also come down. Evidently.

That there Westminster...

This from Steve Strong, Eye's man in The Lobby...

Even you navvies will have noticed it's all kicking off in Westminster.

Your very own Grant Shapps has stepped up to the plate, thrown his hat in the ring and declared "Michael Green for PM!" (Subs, please check this).

Alas the uber-loyalist Shapps, who stayed true to the PM, appears less well served by his own ministers.

Today Rail Minister Wendy Morton came out for Liz Truss. 

Meanwhile, former HS2 Minister Andrew Stephenson (now Co-Chairman of the Conservative party) is probably too busy running the leadership election to actually name a preference?

Late-out-the-gates, Shapps is currently back-of-the-field - having secured single digit MP backers. (Bowler-tip Guido Fawkes).

In happier news, you can currently get 100/1 on a Shapps premiership.

Farewell Lee Rowley

This is a shame. 

Lee Rowley was a very good BEIS minister who actively engaged with and supported the rail supply chain.

With great regret, I resigned from the government this morning. It has been an honour being Equalities and Local Government minister. It was a privilege to have worked with so many great ministerial colleagues and civil servants in these roles. pic.twitter.com/XkNfnzjQVX

— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) July 6, 2022

Hopefully Lee will return to government under the new Prime Minister. #JustSaying

The Race for GBR!

Good news for fans of moving government agencies out of London. 

DfT has published the shortlist of those towns and cities bidding to host the new HQ of Great British Railways. 

No great surprises, although the omission of Darlington, Swindon and anywhere in Scotland may raise some eyebrows? The astute will already have noticed that locations in Wales were entirely absent from the 42 that made the original longlist.

Here is Eye's cut out and keep guide to the shortlisted locations: 

• Birmingham - already home to the HQ of NR's North West and Central Region, HS2 and parts of DfT. Not so much levelling up as dosing Andy Street on amphetamines. Not Derby 

• Crewe - definitely the right number of letters but sadly spelt all wrong. Not Derby. 

• Derby - Heart of the Railway, right number of letters and in the correct order. The centre of Europe's largest cluster of rail supply chain businesses. Very good, carry on. 

• Doncaster - starts off well with the correct letter of the alphabet, but then goes rapidly downhill from there. Not Derby 

• Newcastle-upon-Tyne - really, I mean really? Far too many letters, some nice bridges mind. Not Derby 

• York - Famed for being home to lots of old stuff and also the HQ of NR's Eastern Region. Did nobody read the brief about moving away from established NR culture. Also Not Derby. 

Psephologists will now be studying Tory marginal seats backing each location...

GWML & ECML on Go-Slow

This from Rev E Gunter...

Much excitement over on the twitter-snore, following rumours that Hitachi are fitting speed limiters to all 800 series trains.

Apparently the inhibiter will cap speeds at 200kph, perhaps in response to some lively running?

Any thoughts on the news that the UK's latest @HitachiRailENG train fleet run by @GWRHelp @LNER @TPExpressTrains @LumoTravel is to no longer run at a maximum speed of 125mph. All trains within the Class 800/801/802 fleet are to be fitted with a speed limiter of 200 km/h.

— Railway Performance Society (RPS) (@railperf) July 4, 2022

 

Whilst a pleasingly round number in kilometric terms, in old money this is a mere 124mph (give or take).

So farewell GWR, LNER, TPE and Lumo, your 125 privileges are hereby revoked!

And proof positive that if you give the metric-zealots an inch, they will indeed take a mile.

Celebrating a railway Open to All

This from Barry Spotter...

Seen at Appledore Station:

Good to see Southern providing dedicated parking spaces for seniors.

Railway Euphemisms #1

An occasional series celebrating railway obfuscation.

This from Wrexham.com:

Alexia Course, Director of Transport Operations at TfW explained more about the issues surrounding the Class 230 introduction...

“There was an issue to do with the threshold of the power outage, we have got to the bottom of that, it was basically to do with a bit of kit.” She said while explaining she couldn’t be more detailed, as “I’m not an engineer.”

She said the part, “had a more sensitive threshold level which then resulted in this (thermal) event happening.”

“We have got to replace that bit of kit and that is what is taking a bit of extra time because we have got to order it as a specialist part, get it delivered, get it installed and get it all tested.”

Alexia said the fix will “increase the threshold levels, which means that the batteries can operate before going into a kind of thermal event mode.”

A Class 230 post 'thermal event mode'.

Or 'getting on fire' as we used to say...

A gentle step back into the water...

Someone has to say what we have all seen...

Due to popular demand (thank you Mx GBR Twistedrail-Thienes) Railway Eye is restored!

Never one to bite the hand that feeds it, Eye offers you a lovely look-a-like:

Normal service has resumed.

Usual email address: thefactcompiler@yahoo.co.uk