Labour party official manifesto - Rail

Here are the key rail elements of the Labour Manifesto launched today...

Taken from the section on Transport (page 90ff):

On our railways, we pay some of the highest fares in Europe for increasingly unreliable and overcrowded services.

The beneficiaries of public funding siphoned off through transport privatisations have been the earnings of directors, dividends for shareholders and the coffers of overseas governments.

Labour will prioritise public service over private profit.  And we will start by bringing our railways back into public ownership, as franchises expire or, in other cases, with franchise reviews or break clauses. We will introduce a Public Ownership of the Railways Bill to repeal the Railways Act 1993 under which the Conservatives privatised our railways.

In public ownership, we will deliver real improvements for passengers by capping fares, introducing free wi-fi  across the network, ensuring safe staffing levels, ending the expansion of driver only operations, and introducing legal duties to improve accessibility for people with disabilities.

Labour will introduce regulations to designate and protect routes of critical community value, including those that serve local schools, hospitals and isolated settlements in rural areas.

A publicly owned railway system can be the backbone of our plans for integrated transport. It will be built on the platform of Network Rail, which we will retain whole, working with the devolved administrations. We will ensure new rolling stock is publicly owned and will encourage expansion of public freight services in a publicly owned railway that will leave our roads freer of traffic and our air cleaner. We will facilitate British procurements, including steel, whenever possible.

A Labour government will complete the HS2 high-speed rail line from London through Birmingham to Leeds and Manchester and then into Scotland, consulting with communities affected about the optimal route. We will link HS2 with other rail investments, such as Crossrail of the North (tying together our great Northern cities) and on to the Durham Freight Centre. We will build a new Brighton Main Line for the South East.

In London, to ensure our capital continues to prosper, we will build Crossrail 2.

To harness the economic potential of new technologies and science, we will complete the Science Vale transport arc that runs from Oxford to Cambridge through Milton Keynes. and we will deliver rail electrification and expansion across the whole country, including in Wales and the South West. We will also consult with local communities to re-open branch lines.

Read the whole thing for yourselves here.

Compared with last week's leaked version Birmingham appears to have lost its port(!),  Brighton will gain a new mainline to London and commitments to get rid of DOO have been watered down.

NR - the temptation to tinker is irresistable...

As ever, politics abhors a vacuum!

With the Shadow Transport team adopting an almost Trappist-like silence on NR nationalisation, an erstwhile rail minister has stepped in to fill the policy void.

This EDM from Tom Harris MP:

That this House notes that the Office for National Statistics is to reclassify Network Rail as a central government body from 1 September 2014, adding Network Rail's £30 billion debt to the national debt; recognises that since Network Rail's creation, Ministers have respected the company's status as a private company by not exercising executive authority over Network Rail's management or operational activity; further recognises that the reclassification of Network Rail as a central government body offers the opportunity for a new relationship between the company and ministers; and believes this new relationship should begin with an instruction from the Secretary of State for Transport to Network Rail's directors that any future proposal for executive bonuses must be approved by Ministers.

And so it begins...

Creagh outlines Labour Transport priorities

This from the Grauniad...

Creagh has previously refused to rule out renationalisation of UK railways, and said the franchising model has led to a fragmented network which consumers find difficult to navigate. Labour opposed the refranchising of the East coast mainline, and Creagh said that by pursuing "the franchise model at all costs" the government's political orthodoxy is holding back the UK. "I think it's extraordinary that the government is allowing the German, French and Dutch states to come in and bid for that railway franchise. It's got no objection to state ownership of our railways as long as it's not UK state ownership."

More here.

Labour reshuffle - final scores on doors

This via Labour List...

Transport
Mary Creagh MP
Lilian Greenwood MP
Gordon Marsden MP
Richard Burden MP
Lord (Bryan) Davies
Lord (Richard) Rosser

Eye notes a blast from the recent TSSA past...

Labour reshuffle - Creagh new Shadow SoS

A big Eye welcome to @marycreagh_mp - new Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, with a bowler tip to @LabourList and @Markfergusonuk
— The Fact Compiler (@TheFactCompiler) October 7, 2013

Labour says no change to stance on HS2 despite Maria Eagle moving. @marycreagh_mp (who is excellent btw) a big HS2 supporter too.
— Sunny Hundal (@sunny_hundal) October 7, 2013

Mary Creagh is the MP for Wakefield.

Labour reshuffle - Eagle gone?

Maria Eagle has been moved from Shadow Transport brief, details of replacement to follow. #labour #reshuffle
— DeHavilland (@DeHavilland) October 7, 2013

Developing...

Labour plans ensure Pacers have a long future?

So. This is Ed Miliband's big idea! 

"The next Labour government will freeze gas and electricity prices until the start of 2017. 

"The companies won't like it because it will cost them money. But they have been overcharging people for too long because of a market that doesn't work. It is time to reset the market." 

Quite so.

However, Energy UK has responded by saying “Freezing the bills may be superficially attractive, but it will also freeze the money to build and renew power stations, freeze the jobs and livelihoods of the 600,000 plus people dependent on the energy industry and make the prospect of energy shortages a reality, pushing up the prices for everyone."

Just what we need with an expanding electrified network. 

Time to dust off plans for new build DMU fleets.

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.

HS2balls, or 'The Silence of the Lords'

Westminster and Brighton alight today with suggestions that Labour is wobbling on HS2

Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls said in his set piece conference speech:

"We continue to back the idea of a new north-south rail link.

"But under this government the HS2 project has been totally mismanaged and the costs have shot up to £50bn.

"David Cameron and George Osborne have made clear they will go full steam ahead with this project - no matter how much the costs spiral up and up. They seem willing to put their own pride and vanity above best value for money for the taxpayer.
 
"Labour will not take this irresponsible approach. So let me be clear, in tough times - when there is less money around and a big deficit to get down - there will be no blank cheque from me as a Labour Chancellor for this project or for any project.

"Because the question is - not just whether a new high-speed line is a good idea or a bad idea, but whether it is the best way to spend £50bn for the future of our country."

Andrew Adonis has mostly not been tweeting about HS2 today...

Exciting new Eye avian competition launched

Time for an exciting new Eye competition!

Please study these two statements contained in recent press releases from the RMT and Labour tranport team:

The RMT said: "The idea of “deep alliances”, as a forerunner to infra-structure privatisation, is already being piloted on a joint operation on South West Trains and has long been demanded by the train operators as a way of seizing complete control and maximizing profits. In addition to a series of failed “mini-Railtracks” across the country, RMT also expects the Command Paper to confirm a series of other damaging and potentially lethal proposals (cont p94)..."

Maria the Eagle said: "Even though Ministers have run away from fronting up these policy changes, we now know the government's intentions for the railway and they are deeply worrying. In future, as a result of so-called deep alliances, a single regional manager will for the first time be accountable not just to Network Rail, but equally to private train company bosses. The creation of a set of mini-Railtracks will take us back to the days when decisions on infrastructure and maintenance were profit-driven."

Now using your skill and judgement see if you can guess what three word phrase is hidden in the picture below:


Do you know what it is yet?

Labour reshuffles Transport team

Amidst all the excitement of Friday's Foxtrot the following from the Labour party may have gone un-noticed:

Shadow Transport Secretary Maria Eagle MP has reorganised the responsibilities of Labour’s front-bench transport team in line with the priorities that emerged from the first year of the party’s policy review.

The shake-up has also enabled a move away from a strict mirroring of the government’s division of Ministerial responsibilities and instead seen the creation of three new cross-cutting briefs covering international, national and regional/local transport.

Ed Miliband MP’s recent reshuffle of Labour’s front-bench saw Lilian Greenwood MP join the transport team as Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Regional and Local Transport. She joins Jim Fitzpatrick MP, Shadow Minister of State for International Transport and London; John Woodcock MP, Shadow Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for National Transport; and Pat Glass MP, Parliamentary Private Secretary to Maria Eagle, with responsibility for young people’s transport.

In addition to these cross-cutting briefs, each member of the frontbench team will take responsibility for the areas of Labour’s transport policy review that have been identified as priorities for the coming year.

Demonstrating the importance that Labour is attaching to the issue, Maria Eagle MP will lead a review into reform of the rail industry. The review will look at all options for reform, with its starting point being that tackling the fragmented structure of the industry is vital to deliver better affordability for both tax-payers and fare-payers. Labour’s policy review has supported the devolution of rail services and the review will look at how best to achieve this, while identifying the right future delivery model for inter-city services.

Jim Fitzpatrick MP will lead a review looking at how we can best deliver the aviation capacity needed for economic competitiveness, while reducing emissions and increasing sustainability. While a third runway at Heathrow has been ruled out by the government, there is a growing consensus that British business is suffering from the decision not to permit aviation growth in the South East. This review will look at how best this can be achieved.

John Woodcock MP will lead a review looking at how transport infrastructure and procurement could contribute to growth and jobs through longer term planning. The review will also look at how investment in different modes, such as road and rail, could be better integrated and jointly planned. In addition, John Woodcock MP will lead a review into how surface transport’s contribution to climate change should be tackled. It will look at what the different roles of government and industry should be.

Lilian Greenwood MP will lead a review into how best to further devolve transport decision making and funding, including local roads and rail services. The review will look at the powers and responsibilities of Integrated Transport Authorities and how these could be extended and rolled out across other parts of England. The review will also seek to identify how best to deliver a reversal of bus deregulation and ensure local communities can deliver bus services in a more effective way that puts passengers first.

Finally, Pat Glass MP will continue the work that has been done over the past year in Labour’s parallel Young People’s Transport Policy Review. In particular, she will lead a review into affordability and accessibility of transport for young people and how to deliver a concessionary fares scheme for 16-18 year olds in education and training.

Shadow Transport Secretary Maria Eagle MP said: “Labour has set a new direction for its future transport policy: putting communities in charge, tackling irresponsibility at the top, backing British manufacturing, jobs and growth and making the affordability of transport our number one priority. It’s great to have such a strong parliamentary team to hold this Tory-led government to account and, just as importantly, do the hard work needed to enable us to deliver on our new transport priorities in the future.”

So now you know.

UPDATE: This from Banker76...

Two interesting things tucked away here: one the recognition that the railway industry is too fragmented. Two the recognition that bus deregulation has not worked.

Of course, they only had 13 years to do something about both issues when in power, so don’t hold your breath.

Roberts puts the boot into Mr Bean

More adenoidal whining from the Labour Party's very own Mr Bean.

Ed Millipede has been huffing and puffing about above inflation fares increases. Eye wonders if the recent op on his hooter has also destroyed some memory cells?

This from Michael Roberts of ATOC:

“Ed Miliband is at best suffering from amnesia or at worst displaying rank hypocrisy.

"Train companies are subject to rules laid down by the Department for Transport, rules that were created and rigorously implemented by successive Labour Transport Secretaries.

"It was also his party in government that switched from annual below to annual above-inflation fares rises in 2004 to reduce taxpayer subsidies to the railways."

Are you listening Mr Bean?


'Nuff said!

UPDATE: This from Captain Deltic...

How refreshing to see that Mr Roberts is continuing to put 'imself abaht a bit, as we used to say down the East End.

He assured me yesterday that ATOC has told DfT that IEP is 'an expensive solution to yesterday's problems'.

Will we soon see serried ranks of TOC MDs marching shoulder to shoulder down Marsham Street and declaiming as one:

'Down with the so called Intercity Express Programme' and 'We'll execute the plan of the great McNulty!' (That's enough Pravda pastiche. Ed)

UPDATE: This from a Mr Phil Mitchell...

You 'avin' a larf?

You oughta 'ave written 'darn the East End

Any more of this lazy stereotypin' and me an' me bruv will be comin' rarnd to give you a good slappin'.

UPDATE: This from Steve Strong...

Would the other half of the slappin' Mitchell brothers be Dr Mike? (No!!! Ed)

UPDATE: This from Howard Wade...

Or Andy of Crossrail fame? (No, again!! Ed)

UPDATE: This from NR Insider...

Surely you're not referring to our Chris, although I am sure many of us at King's Place would encourage him. (Once again no! Time to stop this, it is getting silly! Ed)

UPDATE: This from Messrs Saxby & Palmer...

Surely not Ian the well known signalling engineer? (Right. That's it. Warned you, this thread is now closed. Ed)

Politicians & promises - Check against delivery!

This from Mwmbwls...

Maria the Eagle's speech is prefixed by the warning "Check against delivery".

In view of Labour's past performance and the discrepancy between aspirations to buy carriages, orders to buy carriages and deliveries of any carriages to relieve overcrowding - it seems like sound advice.

Note also no reference as to whether the enpowerment of local IPTA's could and should include the vertical integration of the rail infrastructure.

Perhaps Liverpool MP Maria has had her speech vetted by Councillor Mark Dowd, the man behind the recent volte face on Merseyside?

Labour leader ducks a meeting with RMT!

An extra-ordinary tweet from @RMTLondon...

So Ed Milliband didn't go to Durham Miner's Gala as he 'didn't want to share a platform with Bob Crow.'

Eye thought it was only Boris who ran scared of Crow Bar Bob?

Meanwhile, in more encouraging news, the BBC is saying that Petrol-head will meet with the RMT this Wednesday to discuss the Thameslink contract.

To jaw-jaw is better than to war-war.

Miliband abolishes First Class!

This from Guido...


Note the missing antimacassar.

Full story here...

Labour launches Transport Policy Review

The Labour Party has launched its Transport Policy Review.

A website inviting contributions can be found here.

Labour abandons previous transport pledges?

Like her namesake Eddie, Labour's Shadow Transport Secretary is going downhill fast!

This from Maria the Eagle, in the Evening Standard...

"The Tory-led government has delayed the completion of vital rail projects including Crossrail and Thameslink in London, cut new carriages planned by Labour and hit commuters with massive fare increases.

"At the same time they plan to only spend £750million of the £17.5billion cost of the proposed new high-speed line to Birmingham. Labour will next month launch a root and branch review of our transport policy with nothing ruled in or out.

"It would be irresponsible to make cast-iron spending commitments for beyond 2015 before we have listened to the public and come to conclusions about our future priorities."

Where is the Noble Lord when you need him?

UPDATE: This from Captain Deltic...

Could you avoid repeating Maria the Eagle's utterances on new train orders as it raises my blood pressure?

The 1300 HLOS vehicles promised in the 2007 White Paper shrank relentlessly under the last administration, to the point that the Coalition inherited live bids for only a handful of EMUs for London Midland and the putative Manchester Scotland Franchise which, come to think of it, sounds more like an Alliance Rail proposal than Government Policy.

Meanwhile 670 days and counting!

UPDATE: This from the Worlds Greatest Living Transport Correspondent...

Shameless bit of self-marketing...

I’m organising one of my Wolmar Transport Lunches on March 7th with Ms Eagle, where leading lights of the industry can try to influence her thinking!

Details from me at christian.wolmar@gmail.com

Eye welcomes Maria the Eagle

Much excitement in Westminster this weekend following the news that Eddie the Eagle's sister has been appointed Shadow Transport Secretary.

Eddie, who was sadly unavailable for comment, said "My sister knows shedloads about transport, she even caught a bus once".

Maria Von Trapp is also famous for having a twin sister not called Maria and playing chess (according to an uncorroborated citation on Wikipedia) .

In slightly less depressing news the following also received junior shadow transport posts:

Jim Fitzpatrick MP
Andrew Gwynne MP
John Woodcock MP

Jim Fitzpatrick has some good indepth knowledge of Crossrail. Andrew Gwynne appears vaguely pro-railway and John Woodcock is MP for Furness... errr... where they once built locos and stuff a long time ago (will this do?).

Eye fears that any debate on transport cuts following the announcement of the CSR will be a pretty one-sided affair.

UPDATE: This from Steve Strong...

Aren't you missing something much more important about the Shadow ministerial appointments?

It seems that Tom Harris' blog has been saved for the nation!

UPDATE: Eye has been taken to task by both @BorisWatch and @TransportB...

Apparently it is official: Maria Sharapova likes chess, it says so here and here.

Perhaps more importantly, for the railway, Ms Eagle also says:

"I don't think you can do a proper operational ministerial job, which is about providing a function of the state, without going and having a proper look"

So. Farewell Lord Adonis! But your Pilgrimage of Grice lives on!

Sadiq says... at #Lab10

Eye salutes Shadow Transport Secretary Sadiq Khan!

His barnstorming speech today at the Labour Party conference had the Fact Compiler splitting his sides!

Take this for instance:

But talking shop with my family made sure that I never forgot the shambles of a transport system we inherited from the Tories in 1997.

That would be the shambles of a transport system that Labour promised to undo in its 1997 manifesto and then didn't?

The shambles that saw a unified railway industry disaggregated with a resulting explosion in cost most of which occurred during Labour's watch?

Or this for instance:

And in London, we saw what Labour leadership can mean – upgrades to the tube, electronic ticketing, bus services transformed, the congestion charge, and a deal for Crossrail, a scheme which will contribute billions to Britain's economy.

Who can forget the triumph of Gordon and Shriti's PPP? The splendid benefits of which Londoners continue to enjoy to this very day.

No doubt the meaning of Labour's leadership will be evident on London Underground for years to come.

Or what about this:

The value of investment in new trains.

So where, Sadi' baby, are those long promised 1,300 vehicles. We are still waiting... mostly in overcrowded carriages or on platforms due to short formed trains!

Or perhaps even this:

Passengers will not pay more for less.

So pray tell who was it that set the policy that said passengers should pay above inflationary increases to travel by train after years of RPI-1% under the evil Conservatives? That's right, your predecessor at the Department for Transport, Alastair Darling. And in return Passengers got less carriage space, less catering and train travel became a whole lot less pleasant.

No matter.

Sadiq signed off his oration with the following:

We'll win the next General Election if we show people a vision of a better fairer Britain that they can believe in.

Possibly, but don't expect that we'll believe any of those promises for one second! Once bitten, twice shy.

Don't mention the 'T' word

Telegrammed by Our Man at 222 Marylebone Road
Noticeably missing from both the Labour and Conservative manifesti is any commitment to Th*m*sl*nk.

This project is, of course, fully funded in Control Period 4 which ends on 31 March 2014.

But with London Bridge remodelling and the new train fleet deliveries running through to the end of 2016 - two years into CP5 (the Control Period of Doom) - Thameslink appears at serious risk of truncation.

And that's before the great experiment of resignalling with ETCS plus an ATO overlay for 24 trains/hour.

With CP5 promising massive cut-backs in railway funding is this mass aversion to the 'T' word an augury?