So farwell NR's Midland Press Office

Telegrammed by the Major
Scribblers and industry commentators may be sad to hear that Network Rail's Midland Press Office will cease to exist from Monday 22nd February.

According to NR:

The York press office will cover the North East, East Midlands and Lincolnshire.

The Manchester press office will cover the North West, West Midlands and Staffordshire.

The soon to be defunct NR Midland Press Office is of course the vestigial tail of the erstwhile BR London Midland Region Public Affairs empire, which was also based in Birmingham, and included amongst its luminaries such legends as the great Phallex Murray and The Vice Marshall himself (deep doff of the bowler. Ed).

No matter - tempus fugit.

But what is confusing Brum hacks is the timing of the closure decision.

Which has been announced just as NR prepares to spend vast sums of taxpayers' money in putting a brand new roof on New Street station.

Surely not evidence of NR's lack of joined up thinking?

UPDATE: This from NR's Chief Spinmeister, Kevin Groves, for it is he...

It is indeed sad to see the Midlands office close.

It is particularly sad to lose a popular and effective member of the media team but CP4 efficiencies have to be made in all departments and resources reallocated as best we can.

We’re all joined up too as the £650m rebuild of Birmingham New Street will have its own dedicated communications professional looking after all its needs, including media.

Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells

Telegrammed by the Major
So Network Rail has something to say!

I'm surprised it dares after being damned by the ORR for continuing shoddy West Coast performance, missing its CP3 efficiency targets, having no clear plan for its CP4 efficiency targets... (cont. page 94)

Despite all this NR still has the audacity to insist:

"We're paying bonuses come what may!"

Who said Network Rail was arrogant?

UPDATE: This just in from NR's Internet Rapid Rebuttal Unit:

We always have something to say. I'm sure we can all pull out critical comments from the ORR's Network Rail Monitor, but let me just quote the first paragraph:

"Network Rail succeeded in delivering its main output obligations for the end of Control Period 3 (CP3), as set in 2003, which included reductions in delays to train services, improvement in the asset stewardship index, and delivery of projects including in particular the main elements of the West Coast route modernisation."

No doubt others have their views on the ORR-mandated management incentive scheme, but our views have been clear and consistent.

I'd just like to compare and contrast the railway we have today with the broken one Network Rail inherited in 2002. I've said this many times before and I'm sure I'll say it again - in fact I'm having these words tattooed on the inside of my eyelids:

As a result of everything the industry has done, we now have a railway carrying a record number of passengers on a record number of trains; passenger satisfaction at 83% has never been higher; 91% of trains arrive on time – the highest national figure ever recorded; travel by train has never been safer and is now the safest form of transport; and we have reduced by £1bn a year for the British people the cost of running the railway.

Now, who HAS got the number of Richard Branson's tattooist?

UPDATE: Captain Deltic muses:

Hmm, the asset stewardship index would be more convincing if we had an Asset Register, something Tom Winsor was demanding from the broken railway and we still haven't got under the soft touch that replaced the hard man.

And what about the problems with gauging for the ScotRail Desiros? Something else the broken railway wasn't very good at either.

But then Railtrack had the excuse that it wasn't funded at Network Rail levels.

Odd that the members don't hold the NR Board to account for these failings.

Now then Captain - that sort of comment won't help your case one bit with the NR 'Dementors' responsible for selecting new public members.

Scottish Ps & Qs

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Disgraceful behaviour in the Scottish Parliament:

(MSP).....I have almost lost track of the amount of my correspondence on crossrail with the minister and Transport Scotland. Getting an answer from Mr Stevenson in writing is no easier than getting one in the chamber. It seems, on occasion, that he has delegated so much of his portfolio to Transport Scotland that all that is left for him to do is give us bad news and occasionally unveil new paint schemes for the trains.

Mike Rumbles: He has delegated everything. He just tells us what the civil servants want.

The Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change (Stewart Stevenson): Bollocks.

Alison McInnes: Pardon?

The Presiding Officer: Members should be careful about the language that they use in the chamber.

Quite right too. Pardon is so non-U!

Can't count, won't count

Telegrammed by The Major
More mutterings about the lacklustre performance of our elected representatives at yesterday's Transport Select Committee.

The saintly Louise proved from the off that she knows little about fares.

"Most fares are up six to seven times the rate of inflation" she claims.

Errrr... that would be 18-21% (if we assume inflation to be 3%).

A figure that even Virgin dare not dream of!

Mind you, it's easy to get these things wrong when your first class travel is paid for by the tax payer.