An end to Asymetric Warfare?

This from the Derbyshire Mafia...

And this from no less a person than the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Transport! 

Followed by: 

That is probably all! ;-)

Derby does Westminster!

The Derby Mafia took over Parliament last night, courtesy of Mid Derbyshire MP Pauline Latham.

MPs, Peers, members of the Derby and Derbyshire Rail Forum, their customers and the wider industry marked the 175th anniversary of the railway's arrival in Derby.

And by happenstance, also celebrated the award of the Crossrail fleet to a local manufacturer...

Iain Stewart MP, PPS to the Secretary of State, did the honours - whilst the rest of the front bench transport team were on flood duty.

Meanwhile, Eye wonders what on earth Captain Deltic said that DG Rail could so vigorously agree with?

And from the sublime to the ridiculous!

Someone in the Palace of Westminster evidently has a very warped sense of humour:

And with floods and gales in mind, Eye hopes all those on and about the railway tonight keep safe.

Home safe!

UPDATE: This, perhaps surprisingly, from Captain Deltic...

In fact I was warmly commending DfT for its pragmatic approach to franchising and rolling stock accessibility requirements.

Who could not agree with that?

DG Rail goes on tour!

Interesting news from the 'heart of the railway industry'.

According to the Derby & Derbyshire Rail Forum the new DG Rail, Clare Moriarty, has been out and about visiting rail businesses in the East Midlands:

Ms Moriarty met with the forum’s Chairman Colin Walton and Vice-Chair Michelle Craven-Faulkner together with the Managing Directors of forum member organisations Datum, ESG and Garrandale.

Ms Moriarty also spent time with DDRF member companies Porterbrook Leasing and Railway Vehicle Engineering Limited (RVEL), concluding her visit by touring RVEL’s extensive workshops on London Road...

Ms Moriarty said that she was keen to work with partners from across the rail industry to advance a shared agenda and promote the success of rail in the UK.

Could it be that Whitehall is finally waking up to the fact that the railway industry also consists of a massive supply chain, as well as Network Rail and the TOCs?

Hopefully next in-line to experience such a Damascene conversion will be the Rail Delivery Group! (In your dreams! Ed)

Derby mafia storm the House!

Exciting news from the Home of the Railway Industry!

The Derby and Derbyshire Rail Forum descended en-masse upon the House of Commons yesterday, as it schmoozed MPs, Peers and key industry players at a Parliamentary reception, hosted by Mid Derbyshire MP Pauline Latham OBE.

But what's this?

Amidst the bonhomie was there perchance a slight divergence of view between DDRF Vice Chair, Michelle Craven-Faulkner, and EMT supremo David Horne...

Perhaps Clare Moriarty should be told!?!

Derby steals a march on industry - again!

An interesting line up for the DDRF annual conference on the 8th February:

Key note speaker is the Secretary of State for Transport, the Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin. 

He is being joined by Tim O'Toole, the Chair of the Rail Delivery Group; Richard Brown who has led the Brown Review into franchising; Martin Elwood Director of NDS at Network Rail; Maggie Simpson, Executive Director of the Rail Freight Group; and Douglas Oakervee, Non-Executive Chairman of HS2 Ltd.

One for the diary, Eye thinks!