Shaken and stirred: DfT appoints 'Directors General' for Rail Group!

This announcement from the Department for Transport, via a number of chums…

Director General, Rail Group
Polly Payne and Ruth Hannant have been appointed as Directors General for Rail Group, joining DfT from the Department for Education where they currently lead the Government’s work on Higher Education reform. 

Polly and Ruth are a very well established job-share team who together bring extensive commercial, financial and strategic policy experience to DfT, having worked in a range of roles in HM Treasury, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and UK Government Investments.

(Having had first-hand experience of colleagues undertaking a job-share role, this can work really well. And impressive that the DfT is prepared to create our first ever Directors General. 

More importantly the connection with the Department for Education will be especially valuable as the industry collectively seeks to improve skills and diversity, which will need the active support of the DfE. 

This is beginning to look inspired! Ed).

Director General, Resources and Strategy
After 6 months as Acting DG for Rail - Nick Joyce will be taking up the role as Director General, Resources and Strategy. He will succeed Jonathan Moor who is leaving DfT in December to go on secondment to the Canadian Government as Chief Financial Officer for the Canadian Border Services Agency.

Building on his experience both as Director of Corporate Finance and as Acting DG for Rail, Nick has been asked to strengthen and lead DfT's shareholding function for Network Rail, High Speed 2 Limited and Highways England.

Precise timings of handover will be determined shortly, but we expect that Ruth, Polly and Nick will be in post before the end of the year.

Director General, High Speed Rail and Major Projects

Clive Maxwell was appointed as Director General, High Speed Rail and Major Projects earlier this month. Clive will formally take up his role on 20th November.

Clive joins DfT from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, where he has held the role of Director General, Energy Transformation since 2014. He has extensive experience of working across Government, including leading work in HM Treasury in response to the financial crisis, and on consumer and competition issues at the Office of Fair Trading.

Clive’s experience of infrastructure, regulation and delivery of complex programmes will be an asset to the Department. His recent responsibilities include overseeing a number of Government Major Projects, including on Smart Meters and Heat Networks, as well as leading wide-ranging policy on energy and tackling climate change.

As well as HS2, Clive will lead our work with Transport for the North on Northern Powerhouse Rail, and be responsible for East West Rail as well as working with Transport for London on the Crossrail 2 project.

(Another example of a helpful flow of talent between BEIS and DfT, both departments having a common interest in the success of the railway's supply chain. Ed)

Non-Executive Team
DfT have also been refreshing our Non-Executive team and the Prime Minister and Secretary of State have approved the following appointments to the DfT Board:

• Ian King, CEO of BAE Systems from 2008 to 2017, to succeed Ed Smith as DfT Lead Non-Executive.
• Richard Keys, Director of Merrill Lynch International and previously Senior Global Chief Accountant at PWC. Currently Non-Executive Director at NATS and Wessex Water. 
• Tracey Westall, Executive Director at SCC (Specialist Computer Centres) and Non-Executive Director on Innovation Birmingham, TechUK and Governor of Birmingham City University.
• Richard Aitken-Davies, an independent consultant with wide experience in Executive and Non-Executive roles in the infrastructure sector in particular in rail and electricity.

Ian, Richard, Tracey and Richard will join Tony Poulter to make up the Department’s Non-Executive team, and we expect them to take these roles from early-November.

All in all, much to be pleased with here. Good effort.

Osborne undermines his own case for enhancements

So, George Osborne is on manoeuvres, again.

The former Chancellor, and now free sheet editor, made the case for Northern Powerhouse Rail in yesterday's FT and on BBC Radio 4 this morning.

Good news for fans of connectivity and rebalancing of the economy.

But what's this.

Whilst George was busy tripping the light fantastic between green rooms, his own title is running with the following headline:

Not exactly a headline that will enamour readers to the vital works that enable delivery of much needed additional railway capacity, whether in the North or the South (don't forget the Squeezed Midlands! Ed).

Perhaps time for George to focus on the day job and exercise some editorial judgement?

HS2 - Midlands and North flex their muscles

This from Snapper...

Chris Grayling's late night HS2 statement to the House was interesting.

East Midlands and South Yorkshire MPs asked whether the lack of a firm date for MML electrification meant that the soon to be tendered HS2 fleet would need to be specified as bi-modes, to operate on the as yet unjuiced Chesterfield - Sheffield classic section of the new railway?

Meanwhile, those curious about the change in priorities around Sheffield & the ditching of Meadowhall in favour of Sheffield Midland may wish to ponder on the growing stature of Transport for the North (TfN).

TfN's strategy, to ensure that major Northern cities are within 30 minutes of Manchester Airport, is clearly being taken seriously within Government.

Not only was this stressed in the documents released yesterday - it was also confirmed in by Chris Grayling during his late night appearance before the House last night.

So is this just window-dressing or are we seeing a genuine shift in power and policy from Westminster to the North?

Hong Kong and UK railway procurement

Eye notes with interest that companies owned by the Chinese state are bidding for HS2 contracts.

Meanwhile, the same Chinese state is adopting an increasingly authoritarian approach towards Hong Kong citizens and has announced it has abandoned the joint declaration with Britain; the 1997 deal which guaranteed Hong Kong’s way of life and granted it a high degree of autonomy until 2047.

As a nation we still have a duty of care to the people of Hong Kong.

Whilst our options may be limited, it would be a great shame if our government rewarded China for this breach of faith with a slice of Britain's railway, or used UK taxes to procure Chinese manufactured equipment for HS2.

Just saying.

UPDATE: This from Howard Wade...

Having insisted on bidders for the West Coast Partnership including experience of high speed operations DfT seems to be taking a generous view of 'high speed' in the case of the Chinese team. 

The 300km/h plus experience of Trenitalia (FirstGroup) and SNCF (Stagecoach/Virgin) contrasts with the 200km/h quoted on the Guangshen Railway web-site.

'But Minister, think of the embarrassment if there were only two bidders for this flagship franchise'.

Virgin and Stagecoach partner with SNCF

This from StockMarketWire.com...

Stagecoach Group and Virgin Group are joining forces with France high speed operator SNCF to bid for the West Coast Partnership rail franchise.

The government has announced that the West Coast Partnership franchise would run from 2019. 

It would include current West Coast services and the first few years of operation of High Speed 2 (HS2) services.

Stagecoach had a 50% share in the bid vehicle, West Coast Partnership Ltd, with a 30% share held by SNCF and the remaining 20% owned by Virgin. 

"It is envisaged that services under a successful bid would carry the Virgin brand," the companies said in a statement.

Let's parlez Franchise, indeed!

HS2 gets a roasting at TSC

A feisty session of the Transport Select Committee yesterday.

The committee quizzed Grayling and Higgins on the latest developments at HS2, and in particular about CH2M's decision to withdraw from a major contract.

Key take-away was from TSC Chair Louise Ellman, as captured by CityAM:

Chair of the committee Louise Ellman expressed her incredulity that the onus to flag any issues lay with the bidders as opposed to the government or HS2, “the procurer of this major, major contract with very large amounts of public money” behind it.

“Is that right? Who is responsible for identifying conflicts of interest, apart from whistleblowers or the media? Who within the company?” she asked

You can watch the fun and games, here.

Eye is sure that all this committee-room unpleasantness could have been avoided, if only Higgins had used the surreal ice-breaker deployed by his Commercial Director, Beth West, at a rolling stock event for the supply chain held on the 27th March.

Beth started off proceedings by telling astonished attendees that:

"Under your seats you will find a supply of sticky backed plastic, cardboard tubes from toilet rolls and yoghurt pots and in the next 15 minutes I'd like you all to build a prototype of the high speed train you would like to build for us."

Value for money engineering indeed.

CH2M pulls out of HS2 Phase 2b

This from PA...

#Breaking CH2M, handed £170m deal to develop Phase 2b of HS2, pulls out of that section due to "protracted delays and ongoing speculation"

— Press Association (@PA) March 29, 2017

More over at Guido, here.

DfT DG for HS2 departs for Oxford

David Prout off to the Dreaming Spires

Not a great week for HS2.

HS2 abandons classic compatible fleet - shocker

Welcome to the world of HS2 Nuspeak!

Gone is the fuddy duddy old fashioned term "classic compatible'.

In comes the snappy and exciting "conventional-compatible"!

Why use seven letters when twelve will do?

HS2 simplificating railwaytrainvehicle procurementpurchase for benefit travelpassenger! 

HS2 and UCR 2016

Not a good week for HS2.

The Guido Fawkes website is running a number of articles on the project; suggesting that a crisis board meeting is being held today and calling into question the use of 17 PR agencies.

Meanwhile, UK companies looking to supply into the new railway are getting increasingly frustrated by HS2’s apparent insistence on strict adherence to the Utility Contracts Regulations 2016.

The UK rolling stock supply chain, having been burnt by previous government procurement exercises for both Thameslink and the IEP, is calling for UK content to be a contractual requirement for the new HS2 fleet.

HS2 remains adamant that under the EU mandated Utility Contracts Regulations this cannot happen.

If Chris Grayling is serious about securing a post Brexit Bounce for Britain's rail supply chain then a more flexible approach to HS2 procurement, that favours UK suppliers, must be mandated.

Otherwise the project's multi-billion pound spend risks disappearing off-shore.

NR sources 96% of steel rails from UK

Some nice NR infographics appearing on Twitter...

Let's hope tax-payer funded HS2 will match NR's commitment to UK industry?

A message to the anti-HS2 brigade...

Another appeal overturned today.

Perhaps time for Buckinghamshire County Council and friends to realise that when you're in a hole it's best to stop digging?

Or at least stop digging with rate-payers money?

Yet another high profile convert to HS2!

Fans of Wolmayor will recollect his original implacable opposition to Crossrail.

Therefore, Eye is confident in saying that as night follows day, Wolmar will embrace HS2!
 

Indeed, judging by his website he already has.

Hitachiballs: Trading standards...

This from Howard Wade...

Reacting to today’s news that the government is to build a dedicated further education college to train the next generation of train engineers for HS2, Alistair Dormer, Hitachi Rail Europe's Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said:

"We are very pleased the government recognises the importance of good infrastructure. Hitachi Rail Europe is investing in Britain’s future through a new factory at Newton Aycliffe, in County Durham, which will employ 730 people building trains for the home and export market with Made in Britain stamped on them."

Where will this proud claim be 'stamped', we wonder?

No doubt some journalist with an inconveniently long memory will ask to be shown the precise location?

HS2 - Close but no cigar

This from Biggles...

No you fools, I said 'Alison' Munro!

Treasury Committee appoints Herod to advise on childcare

This really is just too good.

The Treasury Select Committee, chaired by Andrew Tyrie MP, has launched an inquiry into “The Economics of HS2".

And quite right too.

But what's this!

Tyrie has appointed, as a specialist adviser on transport economics, one Stephen Glaister.

Glaister, readers will recall, is of course the widely respected Professor of Transport and Infrastructure in the Centre for Transport Studies at Imperial College London.

He also just happens to be the director of the RAC Foundation; an organisation which, as any fule kno, is implacably opposed to new railways.

Here is Prof Glaister, in full modally agnostic flow, in a 2010 piece for the Gruan's Comment is free:

“The brutal truth is that for all the attention lavished on the railways, not least by politicians, it is a niche activity and will remain so – even if capacity is increased by a quarter, or a half, or even doubled. Anyway, significant expansion of the rail network is out of the question. Or at least it should be.”
 
Good news indeed for those looking for a balanced study into the economics of HS2.

Eye wonders what on earth could have induced HS2 denier Andrew Tyrie MP to appoint Glaister to such an important role?

No matter.

The select committee's first session on Tuesday 5 November will hear evidence from a range of witnesses both pro and anti the new North-South railway.

Eye will be listening with particular interest to the views of the last witness, who also hails from Imperial College...

HS2 and regional benefits...

Through the bullsh1t and bluster there appeared a great light...

Newsnight's shock revelations that #HS2 will benefit some areas and not others will go directly into my "No shit, Sherlock" folder.
— James Gleave (@jamesgleave1) October 19, 2013

Outstanding!

UPDATE: An open rant from The Rantiquarian...

Dear devoted supporters of HS2.

On BBC News 24 today we learned that building HS2 will turn Aberdeen and Cambridge into third world economic deserts.

This is the first time I have ever seen the economic disbenefit card played so blatantly.

Perhaps it is true - maybe when the Stockton & Darlington opened it caused starvation in Losthwithiel and Barrow-in-Furness...but I have never heard anyone mention it as part of a campaign.

The BBC report had everything - figures from an official report, hints of down-playing, a leaden-footed Minister failing to bring any energy to it, a bloke from Cambridge dishing out lucid special pleading. 

HS2 was 100% back-footed. 

Do they actually WANT to build this thing - from my TV it is hard to discern much energy or direction.

I know that many of you are in touch with HS2. I am not. 

Can't anyone get them to raise their game? 

UPDATE: This from the Archbishop of Walney...
 
Here on the Furness Riviera we are overcome with excitement at Barrow being featured in Railway Eye on consecutive days.

I wonder if I might make a small observation on the Rantiquarian’s comment?

When the Stockton and Darlington opened Barrow was but a tiny hamlet on the coast opposite the islands of Furness. Within twenty years or so it was on the way to becoming the centre of industrial and engineering excellence we know today. 

The Rantiquarian's example should be used as the clinching argument for HS2!

Higgins before TSC on 14th October

This from the Transport Select Committee...

Oral evidence SESSION – Work of Network Rail
Sir David Higgins, chief executive of Network Rail, has been called to appear before the Transport Committee.
Chair of the Committee, Louise Ellman MP, has said:

“We have a wide range of issues to raise with Sir David Higgins including Network Rail’s problems in meeting its performance targets; the funding settlement for the next 5-year control period; and the work of the Rail Delivery Group, of which Sir David is deputy chair. We will also want to ask about how Sir David intends to tackle his important new role as chair of HS2 Ltd”.

Monday 14 October 2013

Witness:

4.15 pm
· Sir David Higgins, Chief Executive, Network Rail

FURTHER INFORMATION:

Committee Membership is as follows:

Mrs Louise Ellman (Labour/Co-operative, Liverpool Riverside) (Chair); Sarah Champion (Labour, Rotherham); Jim Dobbin (Labour/Co-operative, Heywood and Middleton); Karen Lumley (Conservative, Redditch); Jason McCartney (Conservative, Colne Valley); Karl McCartney (Conservative, Lincoln); Lucy Powell (Labour/Co-operative, Manchester Central); Adrian Sanders (Lib Dem, Torbay); Iain Stewart (Conservative, Milton Keynes South); Graham Stringer (Labour, Blackley and Broughton); Martin Vickers (Conservative, Cleethorpes).

ENDS

HS2 to offer cash back for each mile built - Shocker

This from The Hoots-mon...

According to the BBC on HS2:

"Can a railway be worth £121m per mile?"

Mere bagatelle!

Consider the triumph that is the Edinburgh tram system. £1billion for 8 miles = £125m per mile.

So. Time for a new unit of HS2 cost: for each 'Edinburgh Mile' you get £4m change.

Bargain!

The elephant in the room at Labour's Party Conference

Cynics might be tempted to suggest that Ed Balls wobble on HS2 is a smoke-screen for the non-debate of the year.

According to LabourList Maria the Eagle was forced to shelve a debate on rail renationalisation.

Good news for 'thinly capitalised equity profiteers' everywhere.

Instead, the Shadow Secretary of State has renewed her calls for DOR to be allowed to bid for the East Coast franchise and for rail services to be provided on a not for profit basis.

One owner group is clearly taking this to heart and has shipped its entire European management team to an away-day jolly in Majorca!

All right for some. 

But who could this generous owner be?

Eye just hopes they all arriva home safely.