BR totem anschlussed!

Oh dear!

Is DB (prop Angela Merkel) about to fall foul of the mighty Heritage Railway Association?

Regular followers of the railway scene will of course know that the HRA is one of the most powerful lobby groups in the industry.

So what are we to make of this slightly sad rendering of an iconic railway brand on DB owned Arriva CrossCountry's website...

As any fule kno "Copyright of the former British Railways' Totem is the property of the Heritage Railway Association".

Eye looks forward to a stand off between the bicycling and bowler hatted David Morgan MBE and XC supremo Andy Cooper.

Seconds out!

The 4th Railway Package – a lesson in lobbying?

This from Sue La Manche...

Lloyds List reports that the publication of the European Commission’s 4th Railway Package has been delayed by the direct intervention of Angela Merkel, at the behest of state owned DB.

The Frenchies have also swung behind the Boche, surprisingly enough defending their own entrenched positions.

And where is the brave, newly emboldened and battle ready British Government in all of this? 

Is it perhaps speaking out in defence of the UK free-market model?  

Is it perhaps rushing to support UK businesses struggling to compete with state owned European railway monopolistic behemoths? 

Or is sat twiddling its thumbs awaiting a speech from dithering Dave, that may or may not take place on Wednesday?

So much for defending the national interest! All in all a very grube business...

UPDATE: This from Sir Bean-Counter, the accountant...

I am grateful to Lord Berkeley for sharing the thoughts of one Michel Barnier.

“One should not underestimate social and political unrest that may stem from the perception that the EU is aiming at dismantling bodies of professionals which are cemented by a strong corporate culture and a long history without it being absolutely indispensable for a well-functioning competitive market”.   

This is clearly a Damascene conversion from the man who sought to break up the Big 4 audit firms, bodies of professionals cemented by a strong corporate culture and a long history, no less!

Reading this wiki entry you might detect a whiff of a revenge strike on the UK for keeping his hands off the City.
 

Cautious RfG welcome for NR/DBS depot deal

This from the Rail Freight Group...

Consultation launched over reform of rail freight property

Commenting on the Network Rail / DB Schenker consultation on reform of rail freight property, Maggie Simpson, Executive Director, Rail Freight Group, said: 

“We welcome this consultation setting out the proposals for reform of DB Schenker's land and property interests. The proposed deal offers strategic benefits for the growth of rail freight by separating land ownership from rail haulage, and by encouraging Network Rail to take a proactive role in developing the freight business.”

“However, this is a complex deal, and RFG members and rail freight customers are likely to have legitimate concerns over any impact on their businesses. It is imperative that they respond to this consultation, and that Network Rail and DB Schenker address all concerns in full prior to the conclusion of this deal.” 

ENDS

Network Rail's consultation can be found here.

Porterbrook - Bringing home the bratwurst!

This from Tommy Atkins...

Exciting news from the nation's favourite ROSCO...

Porterbrook Leasing has signed a contract with LNWR to repaint 72 Class 150/2 vehicles operated by Arriva Trains Wales, valued at £1M

With franchising stalled this is indeed good news for the UK's increasingly beleaguered rolling stock supply chain!

But what's this?

The 150/2s are operated by Arriva Trains Wales - part of Arriva - owned by Deutsche Bahn.

They will be repainted by LNWR - owned by Arriva - part of Deutsche Bahn.

And the job is being funded by Porterbrook - part-owned by Deutsche Bank.

Deutschland über alles indeed!

Arriva snaps up Grand Central

This from Arriva...

ARRIVA ACQUIRES OPEN ACCESS OPERATOR GRAND CENTRAL RAILWAY

Arriva plc has confirmed it has acquired UK open access operator Grand Central Railway which runs passenger train services between Sunderland and London, and between Bradford/Halifax and London.

The acquisition, for an undisclosed amount, adds to Arriva’s UK Trains portfolio of the CrossCountry, Arriva Trains Wales and Chiltern Railways franchises, and concessions to operate the Tyne and Wear Metro and (as a joint venture) London Overground operations.

Grand Central is an open access operator, it does not receive subsidy from, or pay any premium to the Department for Transport. It operates four direct services between Sunderland and London Kings Cross daily, and three direct services between Bradford/Halifax and London Kings Cross. It provides approximately 700,000 passenger journeys a year.

Bob Holland, Arriva UK Trains managing director, said: “We firmly believe open access will play a valuable part of a balanced portfolio for our UK Trains division alongside our three franchises and concessions operated on London Overground and the Tyne and Wear Metro.

“Bringing Grand Central on board means we have a live open access operation up and running, one which is popular with customers and which we believe we can develop to become a key commercial part of our UK rail operations.”

- Ends -

Hmmm!

Go on then... but in the original version of course!



Well, even Her Majesty is part German!

German cracks a joke - shocker!

Who says our Teutonic friends don't have a sense of humour?

This from DB's October Press & Trade Newsletter...

British Military train 1945-1990 Tribute on 12 May 2012

21 years ago the curtain came down on one of the most difficult and yet smoothly and consistently delivered trains in the history of European railways.

The British Military Train was born in the wreckage of defeated and broken Germany, and spent its life on the front line of the Cold War. It was operated in a unique and highly politicised partnership between British Army railway operators and the two state railways of the divided Germany. There had been nothing like it before, and it is unthinkable that we will ever see the like of it again. It ran without fuss, with a very British understatement of the political minefield surrounding it.

On 12 May 2012 we acknowledge and celebrate the calm professionalism of railway people, civilian and military, British and German, who did the job, day in day out, without triggering a Third World War.

Amen to that!

Further details about the tribute to the British Military Train can be obtained by emailing: militarytrain2012@gmail.com

Operation Sea Lion delayed

Air and Business Travel News is reporting that DB services through the Chunnel will not now start until 2013

The initial plans of the German national rail network is to run three services a day to Brussels.

From there the train will divide with one section going on to Brussels and Amsterdam via Rotterdam and the other to Cologne and Frankfurt.

DB had originally hoped to reach London in 2012.

Older readers will recollect that similar German plans to cross the Channel 70 years ago were also subject to significant delay.

UPDATE: This from the Grim Reaper..

This would be hot news had DB intended to start “operations” in 2012.

However, as they have only ever intended to start in December 2013, it is distinctly un-news.

UPDATE: This from Herr Lock...

We’ve always planned 2013!

The Fact Compiler can only apologise!

Obviously he took far too seriously the claims by DB CEO Herr Grube, made on the Today Programme in September last year, that DB had wanted to start services in time for the Olympics but was being blocked by 'safety bureacracy'.

Still good to know that all is going to plan.

Chiltern goes from strength to strength!

More exciting news from DB owned Chiltern Railways.

According to the DfT...

The Department has today begun consulting Chiltern Railway Company Limited, and relevant rail industry bodies, on a proposal to impose a Penalty of £500,000 on the company for a series of contraventions of the terms of their franchise agreement.

Chiltern accept that they have breached the terms of their franchise in relation to the late delivery of two station improvement schemes, and to two breaches of requirements in relation to timetable changes. These specific breaches have since been remedied.

A copy of the Department’s letter to Chiltern advising them of the Penalty and setting out the details of their contraventions has been published today on the Department’s website.

Villiers' franchise reform proposals, based on the 'success' of the Chiltern model, keep getting more and more credible.

UPDATE: This from Chiltern...

In reaction to the DfT’s intention to impose a penalty notice on Chiltern Railways.

We accept that, in 2009, there were four technical breaches of the franchise agreement; none of which had significant consequence for our passengers or incurred cost to the taxpayer. The most serious breaches were a 16-week delay in commissioning new lifts at a single station, and a four-week delay in installing a new shelter on a platform that already had one.

Since that time, we have successfully delivered £7.25m of investment in station improvements and car park expansions, started work on the largest privately funded passenger infrastructure project since before world war two and continued to meet all the requirements of our franchise on punctuality and service quality. Next month, we will be introducing brand new commuter trains at a cost of £1.2m per carriage.

The Chiltern Railways franchise has always been focused on delivering what our passengers tell us they want. It would be a cause for enormous regret if £0.5m were diverted from investment in improvement for passengers as a result of low impact franchise breaches.

UPDATE: This from Steve Strong...

Strange.

DfT have been spurned into action over a 16 week delay in commissioning lifts at a single station but remain silent about a 16 month absence of WiFi from the entire Arriva Cross Country network.

I suppose this is a start.

Perchance DfT is not dead but sleepeth?

UPDATE: This from Jumbo...

WSMR appears to be a gift that just keeps on giving to Chiltern's German owners.

Judging by the DfT snotogram WSMR is at the heart of this fine.

Hilariously, it would appear that the DfT only found out about Chiltern's sharp timetabling practice from a WSMR press release!

Let's just add that to WSMR's tab shall we - a cool £14m and counting!

UPDATE: This from 31154...

I notice there is a "Wifi on Trains Conference" in London on 8-9 June,

According to the blurb:

"Among the companies presenting at Train Communications Systems 2011 will be...

• Russian Railways
• Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori (Italian high-speed train operator)
• WestBahn (Austrian Train Company)
• Amtrak
• Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya
• BWCS
• Department for Transport, UK
• National Express
• China Railways
• Bay Area Rapid Transit
• SJ Trains
• VR Trains
• NS Trains
• Thalys International
• Globalfone (USA)
• Icomera
• 21Net
• Nomad
• GBS (USA)

How strange, no mention of DB/Arriva/Cross Country!

No doubt the DafT presentation will reveal how successfully they've enforced their franchise commitments though?

Berlin is not amused!

This from the late Max Weber...

Germany's state owned operator is not best pleased that Arriva failed to prequalify for the InterCity West Coast franchise.

Despite assurances that owning Chiltern, Cross Country and Arriva Trains Wales wouldn't present a problem, the DfT presumably took a more cautious view of potential competition issues.

This combined with the unravelling of Chiltern's latest Evergreen project, Cross Country's continuing failure to provide WiFi and growing industrial unrest at ATW means that Berlin is getting increasingly nervous about how it is perceived in the UK.

Of course DB head honcho Rüdiger Grube has a reputation as a hard task master!

Only last November he took a scythe to the board of DB Fernverkehr, the subsidiary that runs Germany's InterCity network, for poor performance.

Experts in Bismarkian diplomacy suggest that all is well until the summons comes to attend a meeting 'ohne kaffee' with Grube.

Arriva's senior team may care to note, wherever they may be...

UPDATE: This from Rose Hill...

It looks as if Herr Grube has a full plate at the moment.

According to Logistics Manager...

The European Commission has revealed that it is investigating allegations that the German railway group Deutsche Bahn has breached anti-trust rules that prohibit the abuse of a dominant market position.

The benefits – or not – of pursuing vertical integration.

Evergreen goes from strength to strength!

Hands up everyone who is planning to travel by rail over Easter?

Chiltern passengers - put them down!

Evergreen 3 - Berlin is in charge!

This from Globetrotter...

In your story of yesterday about the Evergreen 3 engineering works overrun, you end:

“Let's see who fesses up?”

The wait is over: Von Shooter speaks!

This arrived by flying Tweet:


And here is the link to Von Shooter's apology.

Eye wonders if Berlin insisted on this public display of contrition?

Just try reading the last line of Von Shooter's mea culpa in a cod German accent and say it ain't so...

UPDATE: This from Steve Strong...

The last line of Adrian's apology says:

"Once again I am very sorry for the significant disruption to your day yesterday. We will do better."

Does this mean that in future Chiltern will aim for complete disruption of their passengers' day?

Frenchies advance to the rear - again

This from Bloomburg...

The French government said it won’t bar Siemens AG (SIE)trains from the Channel Tunnel if Europe’s rail- safety agency backs their introduction, a shift that should clear the way forDeutsche Bahn AG to begin services to London.

France will respect the European Railway Agency’s advice on operations planned by the German state railway using a variant of Siemens’s InterCityExpress train, said a government official who declined to be identified, citing official policy.

Eye wonders if the government official was called Pétain...

UPDATE: This from 5741 Duck...

Helped, no doubt, by your headline, I misread Pétain as Pétomane, the legendary French flatulist - a trumpeter who was never without his instrument!

No, I'm not making this up - google it.

Not somebody you'd want to share a tunnel with...

Stagecoach puts DB to shame!

This from the Mad Hatter...

According to EMT...

In just six months, East Midlands Trains has fitted WiFi onto all of its 27 Meridian trains and 11 HSTs. This means that all passengers travelling from stations on the mainline route to London including Sheffield, Chesterfield, Derby, Nottingham, Leicester, Market Harborough, Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough can now fully benefit from this new service.

Wifi in 6 months!

So why has the mighty Deutsche Bahn proven unable to do the same?

With the failure of WSMR, the takeover of Evergreen 3 by NR and Arriva Trains Wales now a five day railway is DB all it's cracked up to be?

Rather than assembling bid teams perhaps DB should devote additional resources to solving its current problems?

UPDATE: This from Mr Tuppence Worth...

Good work from Stagecoach.

However, those of us not having the luxury (?) of travelling in first class have to pay high fees for this service.

You can’t use it free for a limited amount of time and can only view EMT propaganda without paying up.

Indeed, if using it on a regular basis it would make far better sense to invest in mobile broadband – and you can use that elsewhere too.

One small thing though: is it the MML or those Meridians which mean mobile signals are dire when you Get On Board with EMT?

Villiers vignettes: On empowering TOCs

Oh dear!

The Saviour of the Jammy Dodger's exciting proposals to let TOC's run whole swathes of the network appear to be crashing down around her ears.

Much noise was made by Cruella about the benefits that 'thinly capitalised equity profiteers of the worst kind' could deliver to the railway were they to take on future investment.

And the model for this great leap forward?

Behold Chiltern! Masters of multiple Evergreens... or perhaps not.

The from the Grauniad today:

A £250m upgrade of the Chiltern Line that should cut journey times between London and Birmingham by 20 minutes is beset by cost claims and poor planning, according to a confidential industry report.

Network Rail, the owner of Britain's tracks and stations, is now helping Chiltern Railways complete the project

The ORR Monitor asked a slightly more robust question about the debacle now... ahem... no longer overseen by Deutsche Reichsbahn...

Q: Does NR believe that the Evergreen difficulties raises serious questions over government proposals to "encourage operators to invest in projects that have a financial return over 15 years."

A: No, longer franchises are essential to help re-align the interest of operator and infrastructure owner so a closer, partnership approach to deliver can be achieved. We believe longer franchises will encourage more private sector investment in our railway but it’s clear that large-scale, complex infrastructure projects will need experience and expertise to ensure successful delivery.

As Blazing Saddles might say: NR 'talks prettier than a $20 whore'...

Eye salutes the new spirit of sensitive diplomacy under Huggable's leadership!

For you the snow is over - says DB?

Once our Teutonic friends have bought out all the TOCs and NR's exciting new RIMs perhaps we could have a couple of these please?

With a bowler tip to the latest edition of RAILDATE.

Arriva celebrates arrival of on-board WiFi

This from The Man by the Photocopier...

Well, well, well.

With just ONE CrossCountry Voyager finally equipped with wi-fi after years of franchise breach by Arriva in Britain, look what they've managed on the other side of the North Sea!

ARRIVA Netherlands launch on board WIFI service

Arriva Netherlands today launched their complimentary on board WiFi service providing on the move connectivity for the first time, much to the delight of their rail passengers.

As Arriva's Dutch Managing Director said:

"We are delighted to be able to offer our passengers such a high quality on board service, which will only enhance the journey experience."

Quite so.

UPDATE: This from a Virgin Twice Removed...

A Virgin chum travelled with CrossCountry last week and was delighted to see the pretty little light on his PC light up, suggesting that a WiFi signal was available.

Wondering why such a momentous event had taken place without fanfares and celebratory stickers appearing in the saloon he logged on…

Only to discover he was picking up the signal from an adjacent Pendolino set at New Street.

Perhaps in future Arriva XC should just advise "WiFi available when adjacent to Bendydildos."

Wifi finally appears on a CrossCountry train

First Arriva CrossCountry wifi enabled set in traffic.

As exclusively revealed by Eye on the 21st January and seen in service on Friday.


With a bowler tip to Is 1A03 out of Chester yet, Bert?

DB masters the skies!

This exciting news from DB's Trade & Press newsletter, just landed...

Deutsche Bahn launches “flying trains” to promote Rail&Fly-offer.

Deutsche Bahn goes up in the air: Two Tuifly Boeing 737-800 have been designed in order to promote DB’s offer Rail&Fly in co-operation with over 90 airlines for rail journeys to and from major airports in Germany and Amsterdam.

The official christening of “DB Air one” in ICE design and “DB Air Two” in DB Regio design took place on 7th February 2011 at Cologne/Bonn airport.

Good news indeed.

Sadly Eye was unable to find a picture of the branded planes so our art department mocked up the following.


Apparently the noise pollution is minimal, till they land.

UPDATE: This, paradoxically, from EastWestDivide...

Am I the only one who find this kneejerk association of Germany = WW2 a bit tiresome?

Tschüß

DB continues to view GB as second class market

This by way of a gratuitous dig at the WSMR closing, Class 66 exporting and WiFi avoiding Deutsche Reichsbahn...

In a major boost for rail passengers National Express East Anglia (NXEA) is to fully introduce wi-fi facilities on its Norwich to London intercity service from 1 February. The completed initiative will be formally launched by key representatives from the region’s business community on an NXEA intercity service on Tuesday 1 February.

Meanwhile, still nothing from Arriva Cross Country on when it might meet its franchise obligations...

So. Farewell WSMR!

This from Chiltern chairman, Adrian Shooter...

It is with great regret that I am writing to tell you that we are intending to close the Wrexham & Shropshire railway company.

This has been a very difficult decision to take, but having thoroughly investigated all possible options, we feel there is no alternative but to cease operations

I am sure you are aware that the unprecedented economic environment has severely delayed the business’s move into profit. While we have worked extremely hard to increase passenger numbers, a loss of £2.8m was made in 2010 and it has been concluded that the potential for further changes to the company’s operations, including any synergy with Arriva Trains Wales, will not improve the financial position sufficiently, and there is no prospect of reaching profitability.

It is therefore intended that the service will cease on Friday 28th January 2011.

Any passengers who have already booked tickets for travel after this date will be offered alternative travel.

I must make it clear that Wrexham & Shropshire is not insolvent nor is it being placed in administration. The shareholders have ensured funding to ensure that all outstanding financial commitments can be met and all suppliers will be paid in full.

Alternative employment opportunities within the railway industry are being sought for employees, and all staff wages and full redundancy entitlements will be paid.

We are already seeking to find alternative employment within the railway industry for our staff.

We also intend to hold a recruitment fair at Wrexham on Tuesday 1st February.

Even though we are forced to close the business, we remain extremely proud of what we have achieved with Wrexham & Shropshire; with many stating that we set the standard for all other train companies to follow.

Our people are central to this and we believe they are some of the very best in the industry.

Their unfailing attention to detail and their sincere, personal interest in passengers has become the Wrexham & Shropshire way.

They are the reason we achieved 99% customer satisfaction in the National Passenger Survey of Autumn 2010, the highest ever recorded.

I would like to pay tribute to Andy Hamilton, Managing Director, and everyone in the Wrexham & Shropshire team.

UPDATE: This from today's Passenger Focus press release on the Autumn 2010 Passenger Satisfaction figures...

The highest ratings for overall satisfaction were achieved by Wrexham & Shropshire (96%) and Grand Central (95%). First Hull Trains, Heathrow Express and Merseyrail all had 93% of passengers satisfied.

Is this what is called 'going out with a bang'?