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.

On planet Vulcan railways are nationalised

Welsh national anthem mangling MP John Redwood has been having a go at Network Rail.

Not unsurprisingly he is concerned that over the last year the infrastructure operator "had to write off £567 million from the value of all the derivatives and financial instruments it holds."

Money which, the Vulcan believes (and probably quite rightly), could be better spent in his Wokingham constituency on "a bridge over the railway line to ease congestion" and "a new station", as well as "safer level crossings" nationally. 

So far so good. 

But then he has to go and spoil it all. 

He concludes his blogpost with the following: 

"I was less amused to learn from the borough council that Network Rail wants to charge the council a fee for suggesting a bridge over the railway line to try to tackle safety and congestion... 

"And they are meant to be a nationalised public service.".

Perhaps he'd like to remind Gideon and the National Audit Office of this fact?

Nationalisation definately back on the agenda

Telegrammed by Claws Four
This just issued by the RMT...

“The commitment to hold London and Continental Railways, which runs the Eurostar, in public ownership is a welcome move which RMT has campaigned strongly for.

“There is now no reason why other sections of the rail network, starting with the troubled National Express franchise on the East Coast route, can’t be returned to public ownership as part of a genuine People’s Railway,” Bob Crow said.

Bob is pushing at an open door.

With the government having received a right royal thrashing from the electorate look for some serious pandering to Labour's core constituency.

It won't be called renationalisation but there is little doubt that the East Coast Franchise will be back under state control within weeks.

UPDATE: Captain Deltic snarls:

What do you mean NXEC 'back under state control'?

DafT's micro-management of TOCs is so fierce that franchisees are paying premia for the right to do what they are told by the man in Whitehall who always knows best what passengers want.

Renationalisation?

***An old timer speaks***