Bakerballs: On punctuality...

This from Julian and Sandy...

Compare this from our Norm in the Daily Mail...

Mr Baker, who is fed up with the train companies’ sleight of hand told the Daily Mail afterwards: ‘It is totally dishonest to say trains are punctual when for short distance and journeys they can arrive within 4 minutes and 59 seconds and for long-distance they can be within 9 minutes and 59 seconds and still count as being officially on time. Taxpayers and passengers deserve better than this.

‘That is why we are putting pressure on the rail industry to publish proper real-time performance  figures.'

Taking his cue from two popular BBC Radio4  comedy series, Mr Baker said: ‘Punctuality should be measured by ‘Just a Minute’, not ‘I’m sorry I haven’t a Clue.’

With this from his own department:

"PPM is and will remain the government’s and industry’s key measure of rail punctuality and reliability"
 
So who is the dishonest one, eh Norm?

Virgin reveals future performance plans

Has Virgin climbed into bed with Mystic Meg?

So it would appear from this poster which cannily reveals how well Virgin will perform next month!


Sadly, despite the benefits of such foresight, next month's performance will still be worse than in November 2010!

UPDATE: This from Virgin Trains...

Hands up, we made a mistake!

The performance poster for the four weeks ending 15th October does contain a misprint, and reference to November in the bar chart should read October.

This has now been corrected and updated posters will be despatched to stations.

UPDATE: This from Mr Tuppence Worth...

I don't know much about these things but what I do know is that a year comprises only 13 4-week periods yet despite the correction of November 2011 to October 2011 there will still be 14 bars for the year.

Still confused.

UPDATE: This from Our International Correspondent...

Actually, counting across from November 2010, the red bar for November is where December 2011 should go.

Thus they are still forecasting November's results, in the slot where December's should go, so two of the other grey bars, or one grey one and the red one are, er, bollox.

I must get out more.

NR asset failures are TOCs fault - Official

Exciting news from Network Rail!

Apparently the infrastructure owner is trying to blame "ice falling from trains" for infrastructure failures.

Presumably NR's latest wheeze is designed to shift fault attribution and bolster its PPM performance during the current adverse weather conditions.

Eye has a couple of novel suggestions that might really help address the problem of equipment failure in adverse weather.

Perhaps NR should clear snow from the area "On or About The Line" so it can't interfere with trackside equipment.

And whilst they are at it why not also have a go at improving ride quality so that impacted snow and ice isn't dislodged from trains when passing over switches and crossings.

A foolish dream of course.

UPDATE: This from Network Rail's Internet Rapid Rebuttal Unit...

The weather is brutal. Transport will always be hit. Roads and airports especially so.

Remarkably, train performance, in the main has held up well in difficult circumstances.

In my experience the hallmark of the last few days is how closely train operators and Network Rail have worked together to keep most lines running.

Of course there will be a time for fault attribution and I know there are those who criticise the fact that the rail industry employs people employed to do this.

All I will say on that subject is - much as I hate to use a phrase from the world of management consultancy - it's true; if you can't measure it, you can't manage it.

Getting to the bottom of what causes specific delays means that we can focus on how to minimise such delays in the future.

The most important work going on across the network now is the tireless work of railwaymen and women who are keeping the tracks clear and the trains running the best they can in tough conditions.

And to illustrate the point here are some of NR's finest at work.


Above: Off track team on fault clearance Thatto Heath


Above: Chainsawing felled trees in Anglia

Above: Snow duty

Cus-tomer

Telegrammed by The Master
No doubt people waiting further up the line will be tut-tutting the late running of this morning's 10:21 FGW Paddington to Oxford service.

However passengers aboard were treated to the full story of why it ground to a halt on leaving Reading.

A weary Train Manager came on the PA to explain that the delay was due to a passenger trying to access the train whilst it was moving.

Staff then had to secure the door only to have their efforts undone when the self same passenger tried to exit the train on realising it was going in the wrong direction!

Railway Eye tip for ministers: Keep increasing fares, drive away passengers and we'll have a near perfect PPM.