DfT issues ITTs for LTS and Thameslink 3000

This from the DfT... 

The first invitation to tenders have been published by DfT since launch of a new rail franchising schedule.

The government has today (26 September 2013) published 2 invitations to tender (ITT) for the Essex Thameside and Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN) rail franchise competitions. 

These are the first to be issued to bidders since the Department for Transport launched its new rail franchising schedule in March.

They have been shaped by the recommendations made by the independent Brown review into rail franchising. 

ITTs ask bidders to set out detailed proposals of what they will deliver should they win the franchise competition.

Rail Minister Simon Burns said:

"Rail franchising has been a force for good on our railways and the department has been working hard to roll out its new franchising schedule. 

"These are the first invitations to tender to be issued since the independent Brown review into rail franchising, which endorsed the government’s approach to the railways.

"We are now looking for innovative bids that provide value for money for taxpayers and put passengers right back at the heart of our railways." 

It is anticipated the successful bids will be announced in May next year. The Essex Thameside contract will begin in September 2014 and run for 15 years.

The Thameslink and Great Northern elements of the TSGN franchise will start in September 2014 with the Southern element being phased in by July 2015. The franchise will run for 7 years. 

ENDS

Owner group responds to latest DfT Consultation - Exclusive

Eye has been sent a copy of a response to the DfT's consultation on the new London and the South franchise, launched yesterday.

According to the Department...

The franchise is expected to cover most of the existing First Capital Connect franchise, including the Thameslink line which is undergoing a £6 billion upgrade. Services currently run by Southern will be added to the new combined franchise from 2015. This would see a single train operator to take responsibility for all rail services from Brighton to King’s Lynn and Southampton to Ashford with London at the heart, creating the largest franchise in the UK rail market.

The top secret response to the consultation comes from TOC owners Arrational StageginAhead Firellio Group.

It says...

Dear Justine

Whilst broadly supportive of the proposals for a vast new franchise covering London and the South we do have one slight issue.

Namely the risk associated with having to put 30% of the country's entire fare box revenue through our books and the likely impact on our cashflow and market rating.

In consequence we are only able to offer effusive support for these proposals, furthermore we suggest an urgent meeting with both you, and the genius that thought this one up, at the usual little Bistro round the corner for trebles all round!!!

Love and kisses

Your mates on the Board

That is all.

Christmas Travel Tips - FuCC

This from Pedal Steel...

How to spot that First Capital Connect Great Northern is running an emergency timetable.

Platform staff have no idea when the next train is arriving.

All trains are listed as cancelled - until they arrive.

First for walking by on the other side...

Oh dear!

This from the BBC...

Staff at a rail company gave no medical assistance to a commuter who collapsed, it has emerged.

The man collapsed three weeks ago at St Albans station on a line into London run by First Capital Connect.

But bystanders were forced to give medical help. The company later said even if staff were trained, they were only permitted to help other employees.

Eye wonders whether there is a chapter on rendering assistance to stricken fare payers in Sir Moir's lovely book?

"Moving people is what we do best" claims First.

Perhaps not.

UPDATE: This from the First Capital Connect press office...

I think the piece above about FCC may need a bit of first aid of its own.

It was an FCC staff member who initially was so concerned about the customer's state of health that he encouraged him to leave a train early at St Albans so he could get assistance. He should be commended not derided.

When the customer subsequently collapsed, staff and other passengers made sure the individual was as comfortable as possible while we called an ambulance and made an announcement for any doctor that may have been on the station at the time.

Staff trained in first aid can give assistance to customers, but there was not one available at the time so the guys on the ground did exactly what they're trained to do - they called the paramedics who arrived within 7 minutes.

Having said that, we know we're not perfect so our MD has met the lady who made the complaint to see how we can do things better.

First for losing another one

Hot on the heals of losing Michael Caine it now appears First has lost another one.

Tom Joyner, Ops Director of FuCC, has also been misplaced.

Happily all is not completely lost.

Eye understands that Jackie Townsend returns to the industry in his stead.

UPDATE: This from the Shunter...

It's a bad day.

North London rumblings

This from the Sleeper

First supremo Mary Grant told West Hampstead public transport enthusiasts that Cricklewood Thameslink station would close, when a new, gleaming replacement was built at Brent Cross, a mile away.

Unfortunately, Cricklewood Thameslink is on the doorstep of ex-Mayor Ken Livingstone, who will not be too pleased.

Other members of the chattering classes also use the station.

Luckily for North London chatterati, Brent Cross has a stop order on it from the Secretary of State, so this matter will await whoever gets their feet under that particular desk after the election.

First for saving shoe leather...

This from Paul Robertson...

I thought you'd be amused by this view of a First Capital Connect 365 whose driver obeyed very strictly the instruction to draw up close to the stop marker on platform 11 at King's Cross last Thursday.


Good to see FuCC reducing interchange times with the Tube.

FuCC up?

This from Storm Force...

Our friends at FuCC have a major problem.

North of London: up is south; while south of London, up is North.

North of London: down is north and south of London, down is south.

Get my drift?


Well, clearly FuCC don’t.

Eversholt Rail Awards - funniest ever!

Extra-ordinary news from last night's Eversholt (nee HSBC) Rail Business Awards.

There were incredulous gasps when it was announced that Worst Group had won Business of the Year!

As Mary Grant glided onto the stage one hard-nosed operator was heard to spit:

"If First had put as much time into managing their demic franchises as they have obviously spent on making awards submissions they might actually have deserved it."

But the biggest laugh of the evening was reserved for the presentation of an award to FuCC for its communications skills!

No doubt furious Thameslink passengers, shivering on platforms and desperately trying to find out whether the train they're waiting for will actually run, are reassured to know that FuCC has an award winning Internal Comms team.

Talk about adding insult to injury!

Until these industry bunfights actually reflect the experience of the railway's paying customers they are in danger of doing more PR harm than good.

Meanwhile Eversholt must be wishing they'd stuck with their old branding.

Adonis to strip FuCC of franchise in April?

Poor old FuCC.

Her Majesty's Daily Telegraph has now joined the legion calling for First to be stripped of the franchise:

The Government could do this as early as April because of a "break clause" allowing the Department for Transport to remove the company for poor performance after four years.

Eye thinks not.

Our resident legal expert, Hugh Fee, points out that the 10th April termination date referred to in the contract was dependent on performance between April 07 - April 08.

So whilst the Noble Lord might huff and puff he still can't bring FuCC's house down.

UPDATE: This from Thameslink Tommy...

Poor Neal Lawson don't you mean.

The guys only been in the job two weeks and he's already been roasted by the High Speed Evangelist.

Your readers might be interested to know that the shortfall in FuCC's driver establishment had its origins in the obsession with driving out costs championed by a previous MD.

Obviously the elimination of "spare drivers" was seen as an easy target.

Older hands knew that this wasn't wise but in the aggressive management climate that existed at the time no one felt brave enough to say so.

So as drivers left, no replacements were recruited and over time cancellations due to "driver shortages" became more and more frequent.

Hopefully driver spare ratios are being maintained over at East Coast?

FuCC goes on the offensive

After a bruising three months First Capital Connect has started going on the offensive.

According to The Herts Advertiser...

A spokesperson said: "Yesterday's performance on the Thameslink route saw 96.88 per cent of trains arriving on time which is our best performance on the route for some time. We still have a lot to do to sustain this and are doing everything we can to ensure consistency."

Of course to pretend that one solitary swallow makes a spring would be really offensive to hard pressed passengers still experiencing short formed trains...

UPDATE: This from Hirundo rustica...

One can only concur.

What the hard pressed passenger needs is a whole fleet of swallows, preferably silver on a red, grey, white and black livery.

FuCC... errr... deeply FuCCed! Or not...

This from the BBC...

A minister has refused to rule out nationalising an "appalling" London commuter railway line that suffered almost three months of disruption.

Indeed.

But Eye thinks not.

Readers may wish to look at a political map of the constituencies through which the Thameslink route passes.

The sea of blue gives the clue.

With no votes to be gained FuCC just ain't on 'The Grid'.

If only they had voted Labour... Meanwhile in Aberdeen, trebles all round!

First for shifting the blame!

Good to see that FuCC takes responsibility for its recent piss-poor Thameslink performance.

These weasel words sent to Nadine Dorries MP:

Dear Nadine

I am pleased to confirm that the result of the ASLEF ballot was that around 70% of our drivers voted in favour of accepting the pay offer.

We intend to operate the full timetable on the Thameslink route from Monday 18 January. There are likely to be some short formations (four carriage trains instead of eight) and a few cancellations until 3 February, by when we plan that any Class 319 trains with faulty traction motors resulting from the recent severe weather will be repaired and back in service.

It is worth adding that, were it not for the late delivery from Bombardier of our 23 new Class 377 Electrostars, of which we still have only 21, 80% of the remedial modifications to the traction motors required following last February's snowfall would by now have been completed. As it was we had far less opportunity to take these trains out of service as they were needed to deliver the timetable effective from March 2009 which required us to provide trains to SouthEastern Trains destinations.

Kind regards’

Not a hint of an apology. Nice.

First for pisspoor Thameslink performance

From the Velopodist
Does Railway Eye have any idea why so many FCC trains failed all of a sudden today?

The TOC is running a very restricted version of its already restricted insufficient-drivers timetable.

The press office say the problem is that the traction motors conked out after Wednesday's snow.

They say the Thameslink route imposes special strains on the trains.

Is this poor performance down to defective Class 319s...

Or defective management?

UPDATE: This from Charles Yerkes...

On the Thameslink route FuCC have been running a 2 train per hour service since Friday, it would normally be 12tph.

Of course an OHLE failure last night didn't help.

UPDATE: This from the Waterbaby

Can we officially confer the title of "the Misery Line" upon the Tooting - Wimbledon - Sutton route?

FCC gave up running trains this way on January 7 apparently due to the 'poor weather', effectively closing the line until further notice.

Somewhat inconveniently, Southern trains between Dorking and London through Sutton and SWT trains through Wimbledon seem to be running broadly normally.

Given the Sutton loop sits entirely within Zones 1-6, what price some TfL TLC?

The contrast with the new rolling stock and increased frequencies coming to both the dilapidated GOBLIN and North London Lines is all too stark...

UPDATE: This from Thameslink Tommy...

The high casualty rate amongst the Class 319 fleet strengthens the case for ordering a replacement Thameslink fleet and quickly.

No doubt the provinces will be delighted to receive these knackered hand-me-downs.

UPDATE: This from Flatcap and Whippet...

We're not complaining about getting the 319's tup North

They can join our queue of knackered 323's waiting to be fixed on shed.

Queen FuCCs - Official

From Her Majesty's Daily Telegraph...


Dontcha love Her!

All together now... God save our gracious...

Mary Grant says sorry - Official

Are there no end to the talents of First Group's Mary Grant?

On Friday rail boss Mary enchanted the industry, and raised loads for street children, by doing a winning turn (or two) at the annual Railway Children fundraiser.

Eye understands that Mary was so taken by the roar of the crowd that she has decided to release a sung apology to furious FuCC commuters suffering a shortage of trains...




For those unable to view YouTube a hard copy of Mary's apology can be found here.

FCC Great Northern dispute - it's getting messy!

Fancy a job as a train driver?

Well Jobcentre plus is the place for you!.

Realise your dreams in six easy steps!

Step 1 Visit here - probably best to copy the link and post in a new browser:

Well done. You should now see this:


Step 2. Now tick 'Transport/Vehicle' and press next.

Well done, you should now see this:


Step 3 - Now tick 'Driver' and press next.

Well done. You should now see this:


Step 4. Now tick 'Train Driver' and press next.

Well done, you should now see this:


Step 5. Just press next.


Step 6. Just press next.


Well done!

Now select from any of the locations along FuCC's Great Northern route and bingo...


Here's your job! (click on the image in case its now been removed)

Someone's got to be having a larf - haven't they? (with a bowler tip to railforums.co.uk)

UPDATE: This from Charles Yerkes...

I note that the recruitment agency does work for Birse Civils - perhaps they're recruiting?

FuCC dispute - Loss of MD puts Grant in firing line

This from the Noble Lord's statement in the Upper House yesterday....

I spoke this morning to Mary Grant, the group rail manager of First Capital Connect, who assured me that every effort was being made to run as full a service as possible. I made clear to her our expectation that that would happen.

It is important that First Capital Connect continues to use all reasonable endeavours to restore the service, but this situation could be ended immediately if the concerted action on the part of the staff was ended. That step should be taken immediately.

Is First Group's lustre beginning to tarnish in Marsham Street?

Today's FuCC disruption

This from Longrider...

It is easy to simply blame the unions... but it takes two to make a dispute and if the unions are to blame for causing the disruption, the employer is to blame for giving them such an easy target.

Words of wisdom and worth a read.

FuCC news

***So who is to be the new MD of First Capital Connect?***