Wolmar addresses the nation!

Good news for fans of The World's Greatest Living Transport Correspondent! (Sid and Doris Gricer? Ed)

The putative Mayor of London is joining Nigel Harris and other members of the great and good at the Transport Select Committee this morning to outline their vision for Rail 2020.

The fun and games start at 10:05 and the running order is as follows:

1. Christian Wolmar, Railway author and broadcaster, Nigel Harris, Managing Editor, Rail Magazine, and John Nelson, Chairman, First Class Partnerships Limited
2. Tom Smith, Chairman, Association of Train Operating Companies, Gatwick Airport
3. Tim Shoveller, Managing Director, South West Trains, Paul Plumber, Network Rail, and Dominic Booth, Abellio / Greater Anglia Trains 

You can view the proceedings, live, here.

UPDATE: Now you can view all 2 hours, not exactly live, but certainly here!



A good performance from all involved.

Those of a nervous disposition may wish to shy away from Mr Shoveller's realignment of Ms Ellman's compass on matters safety.

But then what are 'Chairs' for, but sitting on.

Bring back 'Madam Chairman' says Eye!

TSC turns into election hustings - Shocker

According to the June newsletter from the World's Greatest Living Transport Correspondent...

"I have been asked by a few people whether I would like to try to get the Labour nomination for London mayor next time. Although initially I thought that was plain daft, I have begun to think seriously about it. There are lots of transport ideas that should be discussed and certainly the focus last time on fares and the previous time on bendy buses showed a distinct paucity of imagination. I have a vision for London that is somewhat more radical than those scant offerings..." (cont' p94).

So Wolmar for Mayor!

Evidently our man hasn't been resting on his laurels, for within minutes of Wolmar's shock candidacy being announced, the following arrived from the Transport Select Committee...

ORAL EVIDENCE – RAIL 2020

Tuesday 26 June 2012

Witnesses:
10.05 am

• Christian Wolmar, Railway author and broadcaster
• Nigel Harris, Managing Editor, Rail Magazine
• John Nelson, Chairman of First Class Partnerships Limited

10.45 am

• Tom Smith, Chairman, Association of Train Operating Companies
• James Colman, Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, Gatwick Airport
• Ian Yeowart, Managing Director, Alliance Rail Holdings

 11.30 am

• Tim Shoveller, Alliance Managing Director, South West Trains
• Network Rail [name to be confirmed]

The industry now waits with baited breath to see what electoral office Nigel Harris intends standing for...

UPDATE: This from Dame Barbara Cartland...

Since darling Christian's oeuvre is fast approaching the size of my own, thanks to relentless promotion by the dear, dear boy, may I  ask whether he has arranged to have a table in the committee room corridor where his many fans will be able to buy signed copies of his latest work?
 

A good time to keep your head down.

With NR's bonus story still bubbling away in the background you'ld have thought that the infrastructure owner would have advised staff to keep a low profile today.

Not so.

Nigel Harris was spotted on the apron outside Kings Cross station this morning attempting to do a piece to camera on NXEC's collapse for Sky News.

Enter stage left officious looking NR cove in blue 'hi-vi'.

"Oi", he said, "you can't do that here. You have to move outside NR's boundary".

Where upon he waved his hand at some unmarked and indeterminate point some 18 inches away.

Harris and co duly complied

Not 10 minutes later when Harris was about to do a similar piece with ITV the NR jobsworth hove into view again.

Alas. Harris was a mere quarter of an inch over the illusory line leaving blue vest man to scowl before he slunk off to bother someone else.

As Nigel is renowned for his long memory expect NR to get an extra special kicking in the next issue of Rail.

UPDATE: Captain Deltic notes

When I was doing one of my rare TV interviews outside Kings Cross and was moved on a while back, the jobsworth was able to point to brass studs in the pavement to mark the boundary of the Coucher spread.

Nigel should think himself lucky they didn't call for Victoria!!

UPDATE: This from NR's Internet Rapid Rebuttal Unit...

Spare a thought for our hardworking station staff.

Their primary role is to help passengers at stations and on days like today where the world's media have descended on King's Cross (for a story that is not about Network Rail), you can forgive a few short tempers.

We make every effort to accommodate reasonable media access at our stations but when we get overstretched sometimes we will have to push people beyond the boundary.

Welcome back PJ - it's been lonely without you. And also to Eye's other NR readers. Glad to see that the soggy bit of string has been plugged back into the interweb.

Harris squares the circle!

From last night's Evening Standard City spy column...

BOBBLE hats off to trainspotter-in-chief Nigel Harris, editor of Rail magazine, who says the Budget will provoke a financial — and geometric — calamity for industry investment. “

"The railway,” warns Harris, “would do well to get its wagons in a circle to fight its corner”.

Err...

UPDATE: You're a bitchy lot!

This from John B at Here be dragons...

"Let's all go to Barrow Hill Roundhouse!"

Home of the 'screaming dog'!