This from the BBC...
But what's this?
Suddenly Mr Walton has become Mr Wilson!
Could the Beeb perhaps be thinking of David Wilson, the boss of Siemens?
Still nice of him to attend tomorrow's march. Eye is sure he will receive a very warm Derbyshire welcome...
Good to see that BBC Radio 4's World Tonight elected to interview Ken Livingstone on the National Express East Coast Story.
Out of thirsty Ken flowed the usual late night tosh about the evils of privatisation and the failings of Metronet - an infrastructure company.
Could that be the same Ken Livingstone who when Mayor decided to privatise the operations of the formerly publicly operated London Underground East London line?
Perhaps we should be told?
But not by the lame editors of the World Tonight.
Telegrammed by our Independent Expert
Radio4's 'You and Yours' consumer show ran an item today about FGW cutting back on restaurant cars.
Breathless reporter comes on 'live from the train'. (starts about 11:30 in)
But the station announcement, presumably dubbed in by an over excited editor, proclaims "Reading-Bramley-Basingstoke".
A travelling chef sausage-burger to the first Eyer who can recall the last time a restaurant car stopped at Bramley (pop. 3393).
UPDATE: This just in from an 'Anonymous' reader...
Travelling yesterday on one of our (formerly) great main lines I was told the only food left available to standard was ham or bacon.
Vegetarians are not protected by law but surely Jewish and Muslim passengers also have a right to eat on the move?
Telegrammed by our man at 222 Marylebone Road
According to a Press Release...
Anticipating progressive improvement in energy efficiency and reduced carbon emissions from the rail, aviation and automotive sectors, the work, which was carried out by ATOC shows that high-speed rail could offer a huge saving in carbon compared with air travel and result in 70% less carbon per passenger-km than would be produced from a totally modernised electric car fleet. Against a mixed car fleet, in transition away from petrol/diesel engines, the advantages would be even more dramatic: HSR would produce 30 times less carbon per passenger-km.
"The basic point is this:”, said Greengauge 21 Director Jim Steer, “to achieve lower carbon in the transport sector, we need to provide a better alternative to flying or driving medium/long distances in Britain. High-speed rail offers the transformation needed to make this possible”.
Are we seriously expected to believe that by the time HS2 is built electric cars will have the range and speed to compete with rail, let alone high Speed Rail on inter-city journeys?
This fiscal gem from the BBC...
Lord Adonis told the conference that £500m had been spent solely on compensating train companies that used the West Coast Main Line during its upgrade.
If only we could all have jobs where we were paid to do nothing.
UPDATE: This from a sharp eyed reader...
Have you not missed something in your link to the Adonis on new versus upgrade?
It says the new line was 'announced in January'.
Was it?
A company to look into the possibility yes, but surely no new line has been announced at all.
Classic spin!
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