Lookalike - 'Dr Lazarus' edition

By Grabthar's hammer, by the Suns of Warvan...

...shippers, passengers and Treasury shall be assuaged!

DfT PPSs announced

The following have been announced as Parliamentary Private Secretaries to DfT ministers... 

Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin: Gavin Williamson MP (South Staffordshire) 

Minister of State - Simon Burns: Julian Sturdy MP (York Outer) 

Still awaiting ministerial responsibilities...

McLoughlin demands MML upgrade!

This from the Rt Hon Patrick McLoughlin MP...

This is clearly not a line in decline—it is a line with increasing investment, improving services and more passengers. 

Yet I understand the widespread desire for even further improvement. The campaigners want their line to be electrified, but electrification would not necessarily make the trains run any faster. That could be achieved with current rolling stock were it not for the layout of the line. 

The midland main line contains a high proportion of curves, junctions and stations which mean that very high speed is impracticable. Although the speeds on the line are good, they could be even better...

Quite so Minister, quite so.

Wise words from 1990, and we are still waiting.

Over to you, the sooner the better of course!

A big Eye welcome to Patrick McLoughlin

So. Farewell Justine Greening and the mostly missing Theresa Villiers.

And a big Eye welcome to Derbyshire Dales MP and former Chief Whip Patrick McLoughlin, the new Secretary of State for Transport.

Biog below from the Conservative Party site...

Patrick McLoughlin

Member of Parliament for Derbyshire Dales

Patrick was born in 1957 in Staffordshire, where he was educated first at Cardinal Griffin Roman Catholic School and then at Staffordshire College of Agriculture.

He worked for five years in agriculture, before following his father and grandfather - both coal miners - and going to work underground at the Littleton Colliery in Cannock.

He became a member of the National Union of Mineworkers and then an industrial representative for the National Coal Board's Western Area Marketing Department.

He began to get involved with the voluntary arm of the Conservative Party from 1977, becoming a member of several National Committees and serving as Vice-Chairman of the National Young Conservatives from 1982-84.

Before becoming an MP in 1986, Patrick gained valuable political experience in the world of local government, sitting on Staffordshire County Council from 1981 to 1987 and Cannock Chase District Council between 1980 and 1987.

In June 2005, Patrick was appointed to the Privy Council.

POSITIONS HELD:

• MP for West Derbyshire, 1986 -
• Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Transport, 1989 - 1992
• Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Employment, 1992 - 1993
• Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Trade and Industry, 1993 - 1994
• Assistant Government Whip, 1995 – 1996
• Head Commissioner at the Treasury, 1996 - 1997
• Pairing Whip, June 1997 - 1998
• Deputy Opposition Chief Whip, 1998 - 2005
• Opposition Chief Whip, Dec 2005 - May 2010
• Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury and Chief Whip, May 2010 - 2012
• Secretary of State for Transport 2012 -

PROUDEST POLITICAL ACHIEVEMENT:

• Winning my Parliamentary by-election with a majority of 100

 INTERESTS OUTSIDE OF POLITICS:

• Walking
• Gardening

 FAMILY LIFE:

• Married with two children

 Now awaiting junior posts...

PICTURE EXCLUSIVE: DfT welcomes Greening

Eye hears good things about our new Secretary of State for Transport.

The most frequently used terms are "impressive", "very bright", "on top of her brief" and "showed original thinking".

We shall see.

Meanwhile, Whitehall has been bending over backwards to welcome the Rt Hon Justine Greening MP into the fold.

According to @PaulWaugh:

No doubt this novel way of marking a colleagues 'entrance' was suggested to iDave by his near Cotswold neighbour Rebecca?

No matter.

Not to be outdone the Department for Transport laid on its own unique style of welcome for Greening, as these EXCLUSIVE Eye pictures reveal:


Once inside Great Minster House Justine was afforded a personal audience with the DfT's most senior Mandarin...


Resistance is Futile!

Justine Greening new Transport Secretary

Eye welcomes Justine Greening, our new Transport Secretary.

And waves farewell to Philip Hammond who moves to Defence after 18 months at Marsham Street.

This biog of the new SofS from Politics.co.uk:

Biography:

Justine Greening was re-elected MP for Putney in May 2010 with a majority of 10,053 votes.

She was elected as the Member of Parliament for Putney in May 2005. In December 2005, she was appointed as a Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party, with responsibility for youth.

In July 2007, Justine was appointed as a Shadow Minister for the Treasury. In January 2009, Justine was appointed Shadow Minister for Communities and Local Government by David Cameron. She was appointed economic secretary in the Treasury after the formation of the coalition.

More here...

Let battle commence!

Secretary of State shows deep railway knowledge

This just in from the Wickerman...

Just been to the opening of Kings Cross' new platform, which was attended by our new Transport Secretary.

In his speech he gave a commitment to HS2, although on the proviso it goes through Heathrow.

For the first official train into the new platform, East Coast obliged by providing a manky mk4 set with a mouldy tea towel stuck to the front of the leading class 91.

And here our new Secretary of State shows his in-depth railway knowledge by safely exiting a Class 91 cab...



A picture paints a thousand words...

Public servant commits career suicide - Shocker

Whilst the new government warns that transport will not be immune from swingeing spending cuts it appears that not all civil servants are on message.

This from The Journal...

Elaine Holt, chairman of state-owned rail company East Coast, told The Journal new trains were needed to cope with rising passenger numbers and the needs of travellers in the coming years.

Presumably Elaine's new boss, Philip Hammond, will shortly be summoning her for a meeting, sans coffee?

Ministerial roles and responsibilities

This from the DfT website...

Secretary of State, Philip Hammond MP

• Spending Review
• Transport Security
• High Speed Rail

Minister of State for Transport - Theresa Villiers MP

• Rail
• London – including Crossrail
• Olympics
• Europe Aviation – including Air Accidents Investigation Branch

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Norman Baker MP

• Regional and Local Transport
• Buses and Taxis – including concessionary fares
• Walking and Cycling
• Accessibility and Equalities
• Alternatives to travel

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State - Mike Penning MP

• Strategic Roads and Highways Agency
• Motoring Agencies
• Road Safety and Standards
• Freight and Logistics
• Maritime and Dangerous Goods - including Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Good to see that the 'Spending Review' comes first and foremost...

UPDATE: This from the Shunter...

Presumably once the Secretary of State has completed his Spending Review the other ministers can return to the back benches?

Job done - last one out please turn off the Marsham Street lights.

UPDATE: This from Our Man at 222 Marylebone Road...

It looks as though the portfolios have got crossed within DfT.

Should not Norman Baker be in charge of "Things that are really important and cost a lot of money and can screw up the country if they go wrong"

And should not Therasa Villiers have under her wing "Politically correct things that we have to care about or can let the PTEs get on with?

And ITSO smart cards seem to have fallen into a black hole.

Hammond's Chrizzie Card list is already shorter

Telegrammed by the Raver
Sadly Mr Hammond’s little tete a tete yesterday was missing a couple of the more illustrious railway hacks.

Neither Wolmar nor Captain Deltic saw fit to join the Marsham Street love-in with the new Secretary of State.

Presumably both were, ah..., too busy?

Or perhaps they thought that being summoned to bathe in Hammond's glow with just two hours notice showed a little too much of the "old Tory" style?

Despite his busy diary Wolmar still found time to scribble a disparaging blogpost ridiculing Hammond's early surrender to the carbon hungry road lobby.

Eye fears that Christian's first invite to meet Hammond may already be his last.

Harris on Hammond

Nigel Harris of RAIL has the following to say about Philip Hammond's first exposure to the transport media yesterday:

You have to admire the brio and assertive approach of a brand new SoS who invites the specialist media into his department for an unplanned chat on an entirely new brief within 24 hours of his appointment in Downing Street and before he had even been to Buckingham Palace to ‘kiss hands’ and collect his seals of office from HM the Queen.

As expected Hammond's overall message on funding was bleak.

Good news, however, for those with "new and innovative ways of funding things".

Words that will no doubt delight the open access operators!

Poetry corner - lines on a new Minister

This just in from Clarence Spad, Life President, Young Railway Poets Society, Platform 5 Reading Station (the interesting end)

LINES WRITTEN ON THE APPOINTMENT OF PHIL HAMMOND MP AS SECRETARY OF STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT

So welcome in Phil
For a moment I thought Dave had made a mistake
And muddled you up with Stephen
Who was doing railways
Before you moved into Marsham Street

Perhaps Stephen will come and work with you
Which will be alright
But you may not want to cause any confusion
So Norman might get the job instead

I can't wait to see what you decide
When I get home for tea tonight

With ardent acknowledgments to my mentor EJ Thribb of Private Eye.

Eye welcomes The Scrawny Controller

So welcome Philip Hammond, MP for Runnymede and Weybridge and now Secretary of State for Transport.


Eye salutes Tory uber-blogger Iain Dale for suggesting Hammond's appointment at 08:25 this morning!

No matter.

Biog below with a bowler tip to the Industry Forum:

Philip Hammond has been a Member of Parliament representing Runnymede and Weybridge since 1997. He previously fought a parliamentary by-election in Newham North-East in 1994. Philip was Secretary of the Conservative Party Health Committee and has also served as a member of the Select Committee for Environment, Transport and the Regions and the Trade & Industry Select Committee.

In June 1998, Philip was appointed to the Opposition Front Bench as Shadow Minister for Health. In September 2001, he was appointed Shadow Trade & Industry Minister with the additional role of Shadow Minister for Small Business.

From 2002 to 2005, he was Shadow Minister for Local Government. In this role Philip was responsible for developing Conservative Party policy on local government finance (including council tax), the Fire and Rescue Service and traveller management.

In May 2005, he became the Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. From December 2005 until July 2007, Philip served as the Shadow Secretary of State for Work & Pensions, when he was re-appointed Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

And one piece of good news.

Today's egalitarian Conservative party couldn't have selected a better man to tackle the thorny issue of Network Rail governance.

With a personal fortune estimated at £9m Hammond will clearly not feel too inferior at his first meeting with NR's bonus encrusted directors.

UPDATE: This from Fareham Philip...

Although representing Weybridge, Philip Hammond did not want to travel up to Westminster on his local SWT Class 450 every day as his constituents have to.

So he bought a second house in London and charged the taxpayers over £100,000 (as reported in Telegraph) for paying his mortgage and running it.

Perhaps a daily 2nd Class commute on the 3+2 seating of a 450 will enlighten him a lot more as to the problems of the railway industry.

Eye survey LATEST

***Purnell scratched***

Night of the long spoons

According to Xbriefing, with a bowler tip to HQ Staffer, Gordon Brown will have a "Cabinet cull... by the end of the week..."

Xbriefing then names those whose time in government is at an end:

"Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon, the Home Secretary Jackie Smith, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling, and the Communities Secretary Hazel Blears."

Two down (by their own hands) and two to go.

So if Hoon of that Ilk goes who will replace him?

Time for another exciting Eye survey...

Round the Hoon #1

'How bona it was to vada Mr Hoon's dolly old eek again'...

...in tonight's Nottingham Evening Post:

"I take a close and deep personal interest in the Midland Mainline as a regular user of that line and I certainly share my predecessor's enthusiasm for electrification.

"It is something that the department will be looking at, I assure him, very closely."

Stop messin' about!

Get thee gone from this place!

The Fact Compiler was in danger of listening to the hype, almost believing that new Secretary of State for Transport, Geoff Hoon, was a good thing.

Unfortunately he now realises that this is bollocks - as evidenced by Hoon's fervent desire to erode further our freedoms.

As the Government had the cheek this week to freeze the UK funds of Icelandic banks, using anti-terror legislation, it might have been reasonable to assume that they would be too embarrassed to propose further restrictions on civil liberties (restrictions which would be equally vulnerable to misuse).

Alas Hoon, and those who share his desire to control and dominate their fellow citizens have no shame and certainly, ought not to be trusted.

Wimp

Geoff Hoon today approved plans to expand Stansted Airport in Essex.

Planning permission for the expansion was originally refused by Uttlesford Council in November 2006 on grounds of noise and environmental concerns.

Of course, former defence secretary, Gende Homo is renowned for his bravery.

Therefore, Railway Eye readers will be unsurprised that he choose to sneak the announcement out via a Written answer, rather than delivering it on the floor of the House.

Looks like Labour is now resigned to loosing all their seats south of the line from the Wash to the Severn.

Fat Controller?

Anglo Polish Railway website 'Behind the Water Tower' has scoured Geoff Hoon's website to come up with the following pictorial hostage to fortune.

The Fact Compiler hopes that the press doesn't get hold of a copy.

Shameless

Industry pundit Christian Wolmar has offered his thoughts on the appointment of Geoff Hoon as Secretary of State for Transport.

Wolmar asks: "I wonder how many people in the street would be able to name him from a photograph - probably fewer than 5 per cent".

He then goes on deliver the following damning judgement:

"I think it was the way in which he seemed to send troops into Iraq to be killed when he was defence secretary that got my goat the most. He seemed - or conveyed the impression - not really to care or be aware of the import of what he was doing. Certainly he was not going to take responsibility for it."

As a service to the industry and to help with recognition of Gende Homo in the street The Fact Compiler offers the following clip from You Tube:



The man has no shame - he should get on well with Dr "Death" Mitchell at the DfT.