Greater Anglia - not with a bang but a whimper

Abellio has published the names of directors of its new Greater Anglia franchise which starts on February 5th.

They are:

• Ruud Haket, Managing Director
• Andrew Goodrum, Customer Services Director
• Adam Golton, Finance Director
• Thijs Jan Noomen, Projects Director
• John Ratcliffe, Engineering Director
• Nanouke van ‘t Riet, Operations Director
• Andrew Camp, Commercial Director
• Simone Bailey, Asset Management Director
• Dave Welham, Interim HR Director

Meanwhile, according to the latest edition of Rail Business Intelligence, the launch of the franchise on Sunday next will be a low key affair.

Perhaps just as well, as Eye understands that media management may not be the new franchise's forte.

Indeed, even the World's Greatest Living Transport Correspondent has struggled to penetrate Clog Rail's wall of silence.

Last week Wolmar (for it was he) made the mistake of calling the PR on the number given in an Abellio press release, only to be told that it was nothing to do with her and that he should jolly well go away and call the main switchboard! Sadly not a word has been heard since.

Oh Abellio, Abellio, wherefore are thou Abellio!

Dutch cap on rolling stock

This from Ithuriel...

According to the Beeb:

Colchester MP Bob Russell said any company running trains in East Anglia had to be an improvement on National Express.

The Dutch company Abellio will take over the Greater Anglia franchise in February 2012 and run rail services from London to Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire until 2014.

That was, presumably, before Tony Miles' revelation that Abellio is funding its staggeringly generous premium profile by withdrawing nine Class 317s from routes where NXEA had added them.

Just as well the Department is changing the measurement for overcrowding.

UPDATE: This from a Meinheer Hertz van Rental.

I can explain these apparently generous premium payments.

It is the Dutch state saying thank you for the food you dropped to us at the end of the war.

Secret of Albino's 'winning' GA bid explained!

Much chitter-chatter in the industry over who might have won the Greater Anglia franchise.

Despite the announcement not being due for another two weeks The Grauniad felt confident enough on Tuesday to predict:

Continental Europe's grip on the UK rail industry is likely to extend to the Greater Anglia rail franchise after the Dutch national rail operator emerged as the frontrunner for one of the routes connecting to the 2012 Olympics.

Good news indeed for Abellio!

However, Eye has been struggling to understand how the DfT, normally so careful about water-tight franchise bid processes, had allowed market sensitive information to apparently seep out from Marsham Street.

Happily, Eye can exclusively reveal that this was not the case!

As became clear today via the BBC...

Dutch National Railways is introducing emergency plastic bags for passengers to urinate in as part of its first-aid provision on some commuter trains.

Spokesman Jeroen von Geusau told the BBC "When you have to wait three or four hours on a train, then it is quite logical you have some people aboard who need to go to a restroom," he said.

Given recent performance on the Anglia Route only a sadist would think of awarding the franchise to another bidder.