Top tweeting here from the new incumbents of the SWT franchise...
This from Herr Bend o'Ver...
Is this the most desperate press release of the week?
According to FGW...
Newbury MP Richard Benyon will officially
open Newbury Station’s ticket gates this Friday following £850,000 investment
to improve the station environment...
The MP will tour the station, accompanied
by First Great Western Managing Director Mark Hopwood, before opening the
new gateline.
'Benyon inserts valid ticket' - Hold the Front Page!
Abellio has published the names of directors of its new Greater Anglia franchise which starts on February 5th.
They are:
Good news for the North British legal fraternity!
Despite apparently missing out on #Flawsuit there still appear to be plenty of opportunities to turn a shilling.
Not least as Alex Salmond has confirmed his determination to stamp out Sectarianism (and quite right too).
With this in mind Eye wonders what MacLearned Friends will make of this?
Happily for East Coast this should make withdrawing from points beyond Edinburgh that little bit easier...
This from Rail.co...
How long before the Alliance does for the Aberdeen Death Star?
Exciting news for ScotRail passengers!
This press release from Transform Scotland...
Not so much a request as a dead certainty.
Sadly no!
It would appear that disruption on the East Coast Main Line has prevented Jonathan Dimbleby chairing tonight's topical debate from The National Railway Museum in Shildon, County Durham.
The panellists who had hoped to take questions from the floor were Employment Minister Chris Grayling, Labour peer Lord Malloch-Brown, Chairman of Interbrand Rita Clifton, and the Liberal Democrats' former Director of Policy Richard Grayson.
No doubt the railway will provide a suitable explanation for today's 'service perturbation'?
UPDATE: This from the Northern Echo...
'Nuff said.
According to @Chilternrailway...
Our VIPs Wills and Kate at Marylebone. 
No doubt this wheeze had them rolling in the aisles in Berlin?
UPDATE: This from Steve Strong...
What a lovely photo.
I expect Shooter will soon be getting a pre-paid jiffy bag from Brenda so he can return his CBE.
UPDATE: This from @Chilternrailway...
Ouch..possibly shouldn't have put our cheesiest photo up!
Looking forward to getting a card from you in the post ;)
Good news from ATOC!
From January the All Line Rover, much used by the Noble Lord on his Pilgrimages of Grice, will have early morning restrictions placed on its use.
This from RailUK...
An ALR will not be valid on Mondays-Fridays for boarding or alighting train services operated by CrossCountry, East Coast, East Midlands Trains and Virgin Trains before 10.00 Mondays – Fridays at Birmingham New Street, Bedford, London Euston, London Kings Cross, London St Pancras, Luton, Luton Airport Parkway, Milton Keynes Central, Stevenage and Watford Junction.
Needless to say the price will not be reduced to reflect this loss of flexibility.
According to posts on Twitter these peak restrictions effectively increase the price of the ALR by around 10-15% - that on top of a 15% increase introduced last year.
Regular readers will be aware that ATOC tried to introduce similar restrictions earlier this year, but following an outcry Bernard Street quickly relented.
No such worries this time round.
These restrictions are hardly likely to inconvenience Petrol-head, as he speeds about the country in his Jag.
UPDATE: This from Billy Connections...
So on the Virgin Trains restrictions I can't BOARD at Birmingham New Street but I can at Wolverhampton or Coventry or Birmingham International…??
Same for CrossCountry…??
I hope the grippers are quick or there could be a lot of confusion!
This from The Banker...
Cruella was in Leeds this lunchtime on what I think is called a 'whistlestop'.
Sadly no whistle in evidence nor indeed any announcement.
Nothing!
Nothing at all!
Not even a re-announcement!
There might be 100 additional coaches (sorry, carriages!) for Yorkshire, then again there might not.
Who knows?
The Hammond Organs of course refused to say in advance what the visit was all about.
So, predictably, local media ignored it, with just a crowd of three forlornly gathered...
How unlike those euphoric days when cheering crowds thronged the streets to salute the Saviour of the Jammy Dodger!
UPDATE: This from a Mr Mitchell....
Perhaps the reason for the low turnout in Leeds was due to confusion amongst the Tykes about who is actually responsible for today's railways.
This from local rag the Wakefield Express...
Theresa who?
This tosh from the People Parry Mover, who really do need to recruit a proper PR....
LOW-CARBON TRANSPORT PIONEER EXPECTS A BUSY FUTURE
Domestic and export market interest stimulates development work
Parry People Movers Ltd is preparing for a future in which its affordable and environmentally-friendly transport technology is becoming more and more attractive. Actions are being taken as a result of the success of its pioneering commercial application and approaches from potential customers in both domestic and international markets.
Eye has also taken 'actions'! And it involved the circular filing cabinet.
Exciting news from Yoghurt Rail!
It would appear that the putative Open Access Operator, Alliance Rail, has already stolen a march on Sir Roy McNulty.
Whilst the 'reality based' community is busy working out how joint ventures between NR and TOC's might work Mr Yeowart and his Arriva backed team have apparently solved the problem.
According to the Bradford Telegraph and Argus:
A rail operator has revealed plans to introduce new 140mph inter-city services between Bradford and London and major cities in the north.
Upgrades in CP5? Pah!
Forget NR, let's give the whole network to Yoghurt Rail!
Much delight amongst the enthusiast press!
This sorry missive from the National Railway Museum press office dribbled into hacks' inboxes today...
Although we will be too late for all deadlines apart from online publication, here is some information about a competition the NRM is currently running to win the chance to ride on Mallard’s footplate as she is pulled up to Shildon by Tornado.
Please let me know if you would like any images to accompany this story, and if you are interested in entering please come and visit!
As the print titles that this would have appealed to have a collective readership in six figures this appears somewhat of a missed opportunity.
As Kevin Kettle from Steam Heritage Magazine commented:
This is surely an offer that editorial teams would have given their right arm for as a competition prize. How can they miss our deadlines? Was the NRM asleep?
No matter.
Eye notes the unapologetic email was issued by a 'returning press officer'.
Perhaps the return was not soon enough.
This from The Street of Shame...
Yesterday Network Rail sent an e-mail to the trade press hacks headed:
INVITATION: Network Rail preliminary results media dinner June 8, 2010
It contained details of the venue for the event, invitations for which had been sent out some time ago
It said:
The dinner will be held on the evening of June 8, from 7pm
Sadly the original invitation stated the do was on Thursday 10 June.
Perhaps relying on the Integrated Train Planning System for media events was a touch over-optimistic?
UPDATE: This from The Archer...
Perhaps the dinner tonight is the preliminary results dinner and Thursday is the dinner for the preliminary results?
Despite the recession there is one sector of the economy that is destined to grow and grow.
There must now be legions of experienced railway people employed by publications across the land to render into sense ATOCs wonderfully optimistic press releases.
This tosh from the Bernard Street bunker today:
- Virgin Trains is today adding extra carriages to a number of services from Birmingham to Scotland and an additional train from Preston to Glasgow. The extra carriages are the equivalent of around 1,400 additional seats.
Hmm... adding extra carriages to fixed length nine car Pendolinos has defeated even The Thin Controller - and he had (past tense) millions to throw at the problem.
Fortunately Railnews has been able to decipher the latest ATOCballs:
Virgin Trains has added some 1,400 seats by strengthening several services between Birmingham and Scotland and provided an additional train from Preston to Glasgow.
So hurrah for ATOC - never letting the facts get in the way of a good story.
UPDATE: This from Virgin's Press Office...
ATOC is right we did add extra carriages to the service.
We didn’t say we added carriages into a Pendolino but by joining two Super Voyagers to form a longer train than usual, we added carriages and, more importantly, much needed extra seats to the service to help stranded air passengers get home.
Eye stands corrected!
UPDATE: This from a Mr Reginald Slicker...
It ill behoves the Fact Compiler (sic) to criticise the one organisation in the railway which champions the excellent service provided by the franchised operators.
To repeat a phrase oft used in this blog, as any fule kno Birmingham - Scotland services are provided by Voyagers, noted for their fragrance, silky smooth ride & restful ambience, so it is a simple matter to 'add carriages' by coupling two or even three units in multiple.
Even though railway snobs may call it 'strengthening'.
More power to ATOC's elbow, say I.
I remain, sir,
Yr Obt Svt
R. Slicker
UPDATE: This from Fiona Gail...
Good to see the boys at Virgin defending their trade association. and great to see that the ATOC comms team's rail knowledge is almost good as their political vision, which suggested that the Tories where a sure banker for government.
Of course their political knowledge may prove to be better then their rail knowledge but me thinks not...
This from @SWLines, via Twitter...
XC have definitely reduced the NQY - KYL fare and everything derived from it.
It's now £921.
Too late - the £1,000 fare has already entered folklore. (with a bowler tip to @PlanetAl)
UPDATE: From Steve Strong...
Now that Lord Adonis has sorted out Cross Country fares can he please hold them to their franchise commitments.
Still no WiFi aboard Arriva XC despite a franchise promise to deliver it by 11th November 2009!
UPDATE: This from @SWLines...
@TheFactCompiler got another missing franchise commitment.
XC don't do at seat catering north of EDB/west of PLY.
In fact, they withdrew it!
UPDATE: This from Billy Connections:
Here's a whole list of things XC promised to do...
Introduction of five High Speed Train (HST) sets each with eight state-of-the-art refurbished coaches (total of 550 seats per set), providing longer trains with more seats and luggage space on the major North East-South West route...
Errr... all HSTs reduced by one vehicle and only 2 in daily service - plus two hired to East Coast at the moment...
High quality service on board:
This from the Commuter...
Last year Eye ran a piece about John McCririck helping XC promote their services to the Cheltenham Festival.
Well he's back again.
And this time there is a highly professional video making use of some top quality Powerpoint effects.
Poor old John - he looks as shaky as the franchise he is promoting.
UPDATE: This from Steve Strong...
Perhaps Arriva should would have been better spending McCririck's fee on installing WiFi across its fleets, as it promised when it won the franchise.
According to the shaky TOC this should have been completed by 11th November 2009 (two years into the franchise).
Good to see that Department for Transport is on the case with this clear breach of a franchise commitment.
Good to see Eurostar is committed to openness and transparency.
Click on the button to download the report on the pre Christmas debacle and you are presented with the following:
Apparently communications was one of Eurostar's failings.
No shit Sherlock.
UPDATE: This mediated via The Gruaniad...
"Eurostar must improve the way it communicates with passengers and put in place new systems and practices to achieve that."
Indeed. Perhaps starting with its website...
UPDATE: This just in from the Eurostar Press Office...
Just saw your blog post on the Independent Report response.
We'll be going live with that in the next 30 minutes or so - we're just waiting until the end of the press conference.
I'll send you the details as soon as the site's up.
Hope that's OK.
It is and thank you for responding.
UPDATE: This further update from a Eurostar Press Spokesman...
Just to follow up on my earlier email here are a few more details on the Review and our response, which Eye posted on in December.
You commented on the need for better communications with passengers.
We are extremely sorry for what happened and take the situation very seriously. We’ve already taken action to address many of the Review’s recommendations, and we are committed to implementing all of its recommendations as quickly as possible. Above all we are focused on:
o Improving passenger care in disruption
o Improving communications, and
o Strengthening the resilience of our trains
We’re investing £30 million in improving the resilience of our trains, passenger care and communications.
We are also appointing a Director to implement the recommendations from the Review, as well as working closely with Eurotunnel, to ensure that this never happens again.
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