The past points towards a glorious future!

The Fact Compiler reflects on history in the 10th January edition of Passenger Transport...
 

 

The next edition of Passenger Transport is published on the 24th January.

All change at NR?

The Fact Compiler's latest encomium published in Passenger Transport on the 6th December...

The next edition of Passenger Transport is published on the 20th December.

UPDATE: This from a Pedant just North of Purley...

Just before you start crowing over Eye's mystic powers to determine what the ONS would actually say...

I am sure I cannot be the first to draw attention to the homophonic error in para 3 of your reproduced item from Passenger Transport.

 

If only anyone associated with government were of principle. 

 

I am sure he is only a principal accounting officer.

A voice crying in the wilderness?

The Fact Compiler's latest impression of a broken record was published in Passenger Transport on the 22nd November...

The next edition of Passenger Transport is published on the 6th December.

What has privatisation ever done for us...

The Fact Compiler's latest column in Passenger Transport published on the 15th November...

The next edition of Passenger Transport is published on the 22nd November.

Some thoughts for NR's new CEO...

The Fact Compiler's latest column in Passenger Transport published on the 27th September...

The next edition of Passenger Transport is published on the 11th October.

Strike a light!

The Fact Compiler's latest column in Passenger Transport published on the 30th August...

The next edition of Passenger Transport is published on the 13th September.

The silence of the Lambs...

So today the Institute of Directors came out against HS2.

Don't forget to cancel your IoD membership in protest (shurely 'sign up as many people as possible to overturn this guff'! Ed)

Perhaps timely, therefore, to publish this article that appeared in Passenger Transport on the 2nd August...

The next edition of Passenger Transport is published on the 30th August.

Less is more...

The Fact Compiler's latest column in Passenger Transport published on the 19th July... 

The next edition of Passenger Transport will be published on the 2nd August.

Why not let Open Access provide ECML services?

The Fact Compiler's latest column in Passenger Transport published on the 21st June... 

The next edition of Passenger Transport will be published on the 5th July.

Eye assumes the decision to franchise East Coast passenger services is the only way to give the kiss of life to Mr Kipling's Incredibly Expensive Procurement.

Whitehall wanderings - a good thing!

The Fact Compiler's latest column in Passenger Transport published on the 7th June...

The next edition of Passenger Transport will be published on the 21st June.

Why uniform standards need to be standard...

The Fact Compiler's latest column in Passenger Transport published on the 24th May...

The next edition of Passenger Transport will be published on the 7th June.

The railway and the rise and rise of Ukip

The Fact Compiler's latest column in Passenger Transport published on the 10th May...

The next edition of Passenger Transport will be published on the 24th of May.

Time for NR to take power?

The Fact Compiler's latest column in Passenger Transport published on the 26th April...

The next edition of Passenger Transport will be published on the 10th of May.

UPDATE: This from a Mr Tony Miles...

May I add a response to your interesting (and timely?) column on electrification?

Why just Network Rail? 

I understand Siemens has an interest in power generation in another part of its empire and I’m sure others do too. Why not offer a “design, build, maintain and power” contract for new trains? The builder would be obliged to either construct a power plant of some sort itself or join a consortium that would include a power generation partner.

As you suggest with NR – there’s nothing to stop them creating additional capacity and selling it to other rail operators or the market at a good price….

Of course had IEP been let on this basis would the bidding consortium have been so happy to agree to build a load of trains which would consume additional electricity to carry round those heavy diesel engines or would they have come up with an alternative solution?

East Coast not broken, why fix?

The Fact Compiler's latest column in Passenger Transport published on the 29th March...

The next edition of Passenger Transport will be published on the 12th of April.

DfT 'can't pay, won't pay'. Nonsense!

The Fact Compiler's latest column in Passenger Transport published on the 15th March...

The next edition of Passenger Transport will be published on the 29th of March.

Could Hatfield/Stainforth have been avoided?

The Fact Compiler's latest column in Passenger Transport published on the 1st March...

The next edition of Passenger Transport will be published on the 15th of March.

Pope Kipling the First anyone?

In the latest issue of Passenger Transport, published on the 15th February the Fact Compiler gets all ecclesial...

The next edition of Passenger Transport will be published on the 1st of March.

Eye identifies some real twits - Shocker

In the latest issue of Passenger Transport, published on the 1st February the Fact Compiler opines on social media...

The next edition of Passenger Transport will be published on the 15th of February.

Eye goes off-message on HS2 - Shocker

In the latest issue of Passenger Transport, published on the 18th January, the Fact Compiler questions HS2 station locations...

The next edition of Passenger Transport will be published on the 1st February.

UPDATE: This from Nottingham Noddy...
 
There are already suggestions that the Nottingham Tram network could be extended to serve the proposed HS2 station at Toton.

However, journey times by tram to the city will be about half an hour so along with a change of mode not a very attractive proposition.

Perhaps using the Attenborough chord HS2 services could be extended off HS2 to serve both Nottingham and Derby.

Although I'm not sure that this would align with HS2 plans to serve the East Midlands en-route to the North

UPDATE: This from Trailer Second...
Toton is the obvious place for the East Midlands station. 

All it needs is to divert the Derby – Nottingham line away from Trent Junction, cutting off between Attenborough and Borrowash, obviously electrifying it at the same time. 

That would give Derby – Nottingham in about 20 minutes and give both cities a 10 minute “proper train” connection to the High Speed Line.
 
 

Mystic Eye exposed in Dead Tree Media!

In the latest issue of Passenger Transport, published on the 4th January, the Fact Compiler consults his crystal ball...

The next edition of Passenger Transport will be published on the 18th January.