LNW Railway (South) appoints Thin Controller!

This from Network Rail...

Network Rail announces today the secondment of Virgin’s chief operating officer, Chris Gibb, to the company.

Working collaboratively with Network Rail, Virgin Trains has agreed to this secondment for the remainder of this year to work with the Network Rail team on improving the performance of the infrastructure on the southern end of the West Coast Main Line.

Mr Gibb will retain a number of his current duties and responsibilities for Virgin Trains and will continue to undertake these alongside the role in Network Rail and will report to Robin Gisby, Network Rail’s managing director of network operations for the duration of his secondment. He will work very closely with Jo Kaye (the route managing director of the London North Western Route, which encapsulates the West Coast Main Line) and her team, using his 31 years of railway experience to bring unique insight to the task ahead.  

Gosh!

At this rate the entire railway is in danger of singing from the same hymn sheet!

Therefore, in the spirit of the new collaborative West Coast Main Line, Eye gives you...

The real Thin Controller!

Singing from the same hymn sheet

Good to see Network Rail supporting this event.


The Fact Compiler hopes Team Railway will be in good voice...

Tomorrow's railway

Ceri Evans, Communications Director of the late, and strangely much lamented SRA, was better known to the industry as Chemical Ceri.

A shame really.

Alongside Ceri's tenacious loyalty was a genuine vision about how to deliver the passengers of tomorrow.

Which annoyed Number 10.

As the PM's transport wonk made clear at an industry lunch: "It is not the job of the SRA to promote the railways!"

And thus the SRA was abolished.

Back to today.

The Fact Compiler has revisited one of Chemical's visions.

It was for a 'Classroom on rails' - using rail as both the 'message' and the 'medium'; and for which budgets and plans were laid

In short - the SRA was to create a classroom on rails for Key Stage 2 Children and visits towns and cities across the nation offering lessons aboard.

"Children are taught, as part of the National Curriculum, about how the future of the railway is every bit as integral to national life as it was in the past... (and)... how the railway continues to transform and enrich our nation."

Alas the SRA was abolished before this wonderful scheme could be delivered.

Who has the vision in today's railway to win tomorrow's customer?

Perhaps Iain Coucher of Team Railway fame?

Perhaps not.