Barbielino confirmed!

This from the FT...

Britain’s most profitable train franchise could be taken back into state hands following a government decision to delay the auction of the West Coast service amid an overhaul of the rail system...

Virgin may have its franchise extended for the intervening nine months but, with a deal yet to be resolved, the government is considering handing the management of the service to Directly Operated Railways, the taxpayer-funded organisation that runs the East Coast line.

Eye presumes that the Competition Commission will take a close interest in one operator running both East and West Coast franchises...

UPDATE: This from Leo Pink...

Good to see the Pink 'un catching up with the story in Sunday's Observer by Dan Milmo confirming the suspension of the Intercity West Coast Franchise bidding (actually a story Eye broke last Thursday! Ed).

And even better to see that the FT stylebook still mandates the adjective 'lucrative' in the first reference to any franchise.

Sooo 1990s.

West Coast Woe - Three degrees of separation

Telegrammed by Our International Correspondent
MVA – a UK based consultancy jointly owned by RATP and SNCF – recently completed a report for NR and ORR into West Coast performance.

Regular followers of the ongoing West Coast Main Line saga will recollect that following the introduction of the Very High Frequency service in 2009 performance has been, ahem, disappointing (76.4% "on time" in Q4 2008/9 with 559 complaints per 100,000 journeys - a record even for Beardie Rail).

Authored by the eminently respectable William Barter (who knows train planning inside out) the MVA report said, in language carefully designed not to offend the notoriously moody client, that WCML went to ratshit because no-one knew how to model a timetable that worked.

But, MVA’s own understanding of the West Coast may not be quite as robust as they would like us to think.

On their website the “How to find us” map for their Birmingham office helpfully shows that useful and heavily-used direct rail link between New Street and Moor Street.


Of course anyone wanting to know what Birmingham’s rail network really looks like should refer to Stuart Baker’s excellent Rail Atlas which is now in its 12th edition.

That would be the very same Baker who is the DfT's rolling stock and timetabling supremo and who, in a previous life, decided that diesel Voyagers should run under the West Coast wires.

Trebles and no IEPs all round.

Parliamentary language explained

This from the Noble Lord yesterday...

Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat)
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much subsidy, if any, has been paid to the operator of the West Coast Main Line franchise since 2005.

Lord Adonis (Secretary of State, Department for Transport; Labour)
The Department for Transport routinely publishes details of contracted base franchise payments and receipts for individual franchise when they are let. Details for the west coast main line franchise is set out on our website and can be found at http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/passenger/franchiseswestcoastfranchiseagreement.

Is this Parliamentary language for "My officials can't be arsed to answer your question"?

UPDATE: This from Sir Herbert Gussett (Rtd)...

Lord B asks Lord A for the subsidy paid to Virgin West Coast & Lord A refers him to an old press release.

Clearly Lord A is such a master of his brief that he forgets that since then track access charges nationally were re-based & a significant element of the high charge for using the WCML is now paid directly to Network Rail.

Virgin is now paying "a small premium" to the DfT (Source Tony Collins as quoted in Modern Railways).

Perhaps Lord B should now ask the following:

a) How much extra is the DfT now paying NR for the use of the WCML, despite the fact that it is so unreliable that Virgin is now the worst performing TOC!

and

b) Why Lord A is talking out of his ars... (Eye reserves the right to shorten reader comments due to pressures of space. Ed)

Underground musings...

Telegrammed by Ithuriel
With Tube Lines over-time on resignalling and way-over the PPP Arbiter's budgetary allowance can it be before the Government calls in its project doctors of choice?

Jubilee Line Extension running late and over budget threatening the opening of the Dome - boot out inefficient old London Underground managers and bring in Bechtel.

West Coast Route Modernisation running late and over-budget - boot out inefficient old Railtrack managers and bring in Bechtel.

How long before the inefficient old Tube Line managers are also booted out and Bechtel are called in to fix the mess?

(Shome mishtake shurley Ed)

Number crunching - What £10bn buys you

This from The Vice Marshall...

I have just travelled from Crewe to Euston, arriving 12 minutes late on a non-tilting Pendolino, running at conventional speeds through all the curves, but which was able to go up to 125 mph where permitted.

The train originated at Manchester Piccadilly (departing on time according to NRES) and called at Stockport, Wilmslow and Crewe.

Its overall journey time, with these three stops, was therefore 2hr 21min.

Twenty years ago there was a Manchester Pullman routed via Crewe, with stops at Stockport, Wilmslow and Crewe.

The train comprised load 13 (450 tons) and was hauled by a class 87 or 90 loco, maximum speed 110 mph.

The PSRs on the curves were much the same as today’s, but the permitted speed over ‘the brine, between Wilmslow and Crewe, was lower then than it is today, and all trains were limited to 80 mph through Rugby (cf 125 mph today).

Despite its heavier weight, lower traction power and lower PSRs, I recall that the Pullman via Crewe was timed to complete the journey in 2hr 23min!

Just two minutes more than that achieved today by a nine-car non-tilting Pendolino with a top speed on the straight and level of 125mph.

Plus ça change.

And all at a cost of West Coast Route Modernisation of just under £10 billion*!

*equivalent to 99,800 return journeys between Newquay and Kyle of Lochalsh with Arriva Cross Country. Ed

A new era unfurls #6

Telegrammed by our Independent Expert
Today's sorry saga on the West Coast Main Line gets worse.

Arriving at Euston at 17:30 there was rush hour meltdown, in heat.

Only two Virgin services were running north and none from London Midland due to a "signal failure at Harrow and Wealdstone".

Passengers were advised to go to the Cross and Marylebone.

In the crush you could hardly see the Network Rail posters proclaiming what a good job they had done.

A new era unfurls #5

Telegrammed by our Independent Expert
Another f-up on the West Coast Main Line today because of signal problems on southbound lines.

Glasgow-London trains packed this afternoon as they are being forced to make extra stops to deal with all the delayed passengers along the route.

How timely that the 'gentleman' of Network Rail will soon be stepping up to take their bonuses! And how well deserved.

UPDATE: This from Leo Pink...

Virgin Train's affable COO, Chris Gibb, is understood to have signed up with the Brian Souter School of Railway Invective (Motto No BS with BS) in preparation for his next meeting with Iain Coucher, because the problem signals are between Harrow and Wembley which also went tits up on Sunday!

WCML squabbles continue

Telegrammed by the Archer
From Virgin’s presentation at yesterday’s Railway Strategies Supply Chain conference:

"Current performance is dominated by infrastructure failures, with 75% of recent performance caused by Network Rail and 15% by Virgin."

Unfortunately, as Virgin had the afternoon 'graveyard' slot Network Rail's contingent had already left the building, after of course they had used their morning slot to explain how investment is meeting NR's current business needs.

Funnily enough they failed to mention the business needs of their customers...

Virgin struggles

This from 'Dreadnought'...

I was interested to see your little extract from Virgin and their ambitions for the Glasgow market.

On Wednesday I travelled first class to Preston on the 0830 ex Euston and returned on the 1440 ex Glasgow.

No breakfast on the way up due to a faulty kitchen.

Four out of six toilets out of use on the way back.

It looks as if the strain of trying to run the VHF timetable with too few units is starting to take its toll.

A chap sitting opposite told me it was the second time in a week he had been deprived of his breakfast due to kitchen problems.

Not exactly good enough for the bargain price of £390 return!

Yes it's quick, it's frequent but the quality is falling noticeably.

UPDATE: This from Captain Deltic...

If you are running the VHF short of a Pendolino due to Grayrigg (thanks Network Rail) and because of infrastructure failures (thanks Network Rail) you are regularly stepping up units, leading to the situation where Alstom Train Care don't know which depot a train with a problem is going to end up at. So the replacement griddle may be at Longsight whilst the Train with the dodgy griddle ends up at Wembley...

This is not to say that Virgin and Alsom are blameless, but merely to introduce some mitigating factors.

And from a chart on the wall of Wembley depot noted last Wednesday, about 80% of Pendolino 'toilets out of use' arriving on depot are blocked, so presumably something unsuitable was put down them.

Mind you, when I was the world's leading writer on train toilets (in a field of one, I might add) I went to see the Scandinavian pioneers of vacuum, toilets and they designed to avoid blockages due to coke cans. They use dog food for testing, by the way.

Guns go silent on WCML. Armistice to be signed?

This from Virgin Trains...

More frequent departures and even faster journeys are on the Virgin Trains agenda as demand for rail travel grows and air goes into decline.

Virgin Trains is going all out for the Glasgow market, having grounded the airlines between Liverpool and London and become the travel mode of choice for Manchester-London.

And on, and on, it continues. With not one mention of the infrastructure controller.

Nice.

UPDATE: Up to a point Lord Copper...

Lookalike XX - NR abreast of the situation...

Good news for West Coast Main Line Passengers.

According to PR Week:

Network Rail has appointed Iris to handle an integrated consumer PR and advertising campaign... to showcase Network Rail’s £9bn upgrade of the West Coast main line.

Indeed and very splendid the ad is too.

Much to the chagrin of Virgin, who would rather the £2.4m campaign spend had been used to deliver a reliable railway.

But what's this?

Has NR appointed Iris as part of a charm offensive to win over Virgin's top man?

As regular readers of Eye will recollect Sir Beardie is very fond of being pictured with ladies in various states of undress.


As Iris also handle Wonderbra the potential for joint PR could be breath taking.

A new era unfurls #2

Virgin West Coast PPM on Wednesday 10th June 2009

55.9%.

"A new era will unfold on the West Coast Main Line" Iain Coucher, December 2008

A new era unfurls #1

Good news for the freight community.

Today saw the official opening of Telford International Railfreight Terminal.

Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, Theresa Villiers, travelled from London to do the honours.

Alas.

Her train was delayed by signalling problems on the West Coast Main Line.

Perhaps surprising considering that Network Rail's rather splendid £2.4m advertising campaign was commissioned to celebrate the succesful conclusion of a £9bn upgrade.

No matter.

Iain Coucher boasted in December that "a new era will unfold on the West Coast Main Line".

Many are asking for the old one back.

NR launches WCML ad campaign

The secret's out!

NR has launched a £2.4m advertising campaign called the ‘New West Coast main line’.

The six-week campaign consists of television and cinema advertisements along with outdoor poster and regional media advertising.

A quick look at the video may explain Virgin's recent difficulties.

It appears that some rogue has nicked the overhead wires.

UPDATE: Captain Deltic muses.

I assumed that shot was meant to show the WCML before the great men of old-BR electrified the route in 1966 and 1974.

But blowing up the image the train looks like a Voyager and I don't think they were running before electrification.

UPDATE: This just in from a chap called Pendolino Warrior...

That's a Pendo' surely. So is it dragged wrongline or photopic'd.

The clue is by the bridge, obviously NR's ad agency couldn't be bothered to air-brush out all of the catenary and stanchions...

Germany calling # 4

Telegrammed by Leo Pink
I spit on Lord Tee Hee's 75 min late.

When DB fahrt gegen Engeland (in the form of DB Schenker) has just one train failure it shuts down the entire railway for hours and hours and hours.

Yesterday's 02.30 from Birch Coppice to Ipswich failed closing most of the West Coast main line for half the day until it was finally hauled into Bletchley Yard at 13.53.

But restoring national pride, Network Rail then demonstrated its new HIPS (Highly Interruptible Power Supply) at the Bletchley control centre.

This shut down the WCML for the rest of the afternoon.

Virgin's PPM for the day was 21.8%.

Still ORR should have received the NR recovery plan for WCML performance by close of play today, so that's all right then.

Tempting fate

This confident assertion from Network Rail yesterday...

"VT ppm as at 18:00 today 92%"

But what's this?

Alas

It would appear that a signal failure this afternoon at Milton Keynes has stopped the job completely on NR's £9bn railway (again).

At least Virgin's contingency plans are by now well rehearsed...

Virgin trains... have promised that tickets for affected trains will be honoured on other services.

Old railway hands will point out that you should never tempt fate, or indeed get over cocky when your customer is already spitting bullets.

UPDATE: This just in from Charles Yerkes...

Heaven forfend that I should trample on someone else's patch, goodness knows we have troubles enough on the Underground.

However, hasn't NR's Rapid Rebuttal Unit gone rather quiet all of a sudden?

UPDATE: Wise words from the Archer...

Having 'enjoyed' the service on the WCML today (standing room & 20 late into London) perhaps Virgin's train-managers could go easy on the PA waffle.

When you start an announcement by apologising for making yet another apology, then it really is time to keep schtum.

Earlier, the train-manager just about stopped short of asking passengers to give the (Virgin Trains') driver a round of applause for his exceptional work having faced (Network Rail) signalling problems.

It was all a bit embarrassing really.

If these two industry giants don't grow up and co-operate then every delay on the WCML will be blown out of all proportion as each party seeks to blame t'other.

So please grow up and get along.

Topic closed.

Lookalike XlX - Resigned to the WCML?

This just in from PJ over at Network Rail's Internet Rapid Rebuttal Unit...

Well, the ORR and Virgin have had one or two things to say about West Coast performance today and obviously we at Network Rail have things to say on the subject too.

But let me just say one person wanted to get out of London very quickly today - and that was Hazel Blears.

And what did she do?

Hotfooted to Euston to get a speedy and reliable, turn-up-and-go service (VT ppm as at 18:00 today 92%) to Manchester.

Maybe we should use her in our new ad campaign? Or perhaps not...

Too late PJ - looks like Virgin got there before you...

Do you know of a recently resigned government minister who is a lookalike of someone in a Virgin Trains ad?

Alternatively are you a recently resigned government minister, or a minister who is about to resign, whose doomed career could be resurrected by appearing on Railway Eye.

All submissions to the usual address...

UPDATE: Captain Deltic sniggers...

Presumably the Chipmunk put her walk on fare on expenses?

Lager mentality

Telegrammed by our Independent Expert
Are stories about the recession a load of old rubbish?

Overheard on today's largely empty 11:30 Euston to Glasgow.

Rubbish collector to Train Manager: "Well you can tell passenger numbers are going down. Less and less rubbish on the train, not much work to do today. And the working classes aren't travelling - there's hardly any lager cans down the back of the seat."

Memo to Gordon Brown: Instead of the Retail Price Index as a guide to the recession, how about the Virgin Rubbish Production Index?

Virgin poo-poo smell solution

Telegrammed by our Independent Expert
Wolmar, in the current issue of Rail, turns up his nose at stinky Pendolino lavatories.

Now further intelligence reaches the Eye from the state-of-the-art cleaning company invited to inspect problems at Oxley.

"The problem was that Virgin and train maker Alstom blamed each other. And they said there was not enough turn round time for a proper deep clean of the coach and vestibule floor areas.

"We could have done the job but they just seemed to want to brush it under the carpet."

Perhaps this explains the continued stink?

Pendolino at maximum tilt?

(LNW) At 2200, as Virgin Pendolino unit No. 390006 was being shunted from the wheel lathe onto the Down Carriage line at Wembley Carriage Sidings South, the signaller at Carriage Sidings South signalbox inadvertently moved CS4 points under the unit, thereby causing an irregular movement, and resulting in the unit becoming derailed by two bogies, fouling the Down & Up Carriage lines and colliding with Pendolino unit No. 390008, the latter of which at the time was stationary on the Up Carriage line, having arrived at 2151 per 5A78, HF, 2135 London Euston – Wembley Carriage Sidings. Upon observing the approaching unit, the driver of unit No. 390008 jumped clear, and was badly shaken. The force of impact resulted in unit No. 390008 leaning at a 45 degree angle.

Which brings to three the number of 390's damaged by NR - how long before there are none left?

UPDATE: This from an expert...

If the signaller was able to move the points, they can't have been locked by track circuits.

Unusual at such a place with power operated points.

31422
signalman