Ambulance chasers

Passenger Focus today responded to the publication of RAIB's report into Grayrigg.

Anthony Smith, chief executive, Passenger Focus said: “Passenger Focus will speak up for all rail passengers at whatever inquests or enquiries follow this report and will ensure the right questions are asked on behalf of passengers”.

Oh goody. More grandstanding from civil servants.

Wrong Times

Telegrammed by our man at 222 Marylebone Road

It's good to see Ben Webster, Transport Correspondent of The Times, has returned from his sabbatical.

Woester is on top form with a story today about 'Passengers at risk' from track design flaw linked to the Grayrigg derailment.

According to Ben 'A design flaw found in thousands of places on the country’s rail network is putting passengers at risk of a catastrophic derailment similar to the Potters Bar and Grayrigg disasters, according to a secret analysis by rail safety inspectors'.

So what level of risk is the Woester getting het-up about?

The risk of being killed in a train accident is around 2 per billion passenger journeys.

And one estimate puts the number of trains that have passed safely over points with fixed stretcher bars, (the type of point at Grayrigg) at 3.6 trillion.

Since each train represented multiple journeys the passenger risk of being killed because of points failure is even smaller.

Still never let the facts get in the way of a good story.

So Ben if you're reading this stop here.

What Network Rail have been asked to do is provide a 21st Century proof of safety analysis of this particular points design to prove that it is er... safe.

When an internationally renowned railway engineering consultancy was asked to look at this they were baffled, pointing out that no railway has ever tried to demonstrate the safety of a 50 year old design.

This is of course, a scandal.

How can we be sure that mechanical interlockings, a Victorian concept, for heaven's sake, are safe?

Over to you Ben. 'How about 'Preserved railways signalling safety scare'?

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!

SUBTLE!!!!!

National Express has kindly clarified the industry's view of the Department for Transport.

This from NatEx's response to the competition commission findings:

National Express comment:
"The TfL model involves, effectively, TfL procuring the rolling stock and making it available to its concessionaire.The equivalent of this would be that the DfT would procure the trains and make them available to franchisees. This is the approach being adopted for the IEP and Thameslink fleets.

"However, our close involvement in the IEP procurement has indicated that the DfT may not be the best organisation to specify such vehicles and a more market sensitive approach might have been achieved by having a train operator prepare the specification."

The Fact Compiler has a suspicion that 'Sir' Richard Bowker gets on well with 'Dr' Mike Mitchell.

Shock and awe

Unbelievable!

Lord Bradshaw asked Her Majesty's Government: "Further to the Written Answers by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 29 September, whether they direct the hire or use of rolling stock fleets?"

The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Lord Adonis): "In the normal course of events the Department for Transport does not direct the hire or use of rolling stock fleets."

To paraphrase the 42nd President of the United States: "In the normal course of events I did not have sexual relations with that woman"

Steaming

Alas all is not well in Kettle-land.

There is much huffing, puffing and wheel spin amongst the clinker cognoscenti about recent media coverage of the 40th anniversary of the demise of UK mainline steam.

Chief complaint amongst the kettle-kranks appears to be the Beeb's use of Steam Railway editor and 'callow youth' Danny Hopkins to comment on the event.

But wait a minute!

Prof Stephen Hawkins often comments on the formation of our universe, and he wasn't there either!

How we once lived

A reader has contacted The Fact Compiler to share the following Hull Trains press release dated from 1999.

The press release reads "Three African women arrived at the Paragon Interchange on Hull Trains this week to attend the launch of a photographic exhibition featuring their work."

Alas, these ladies and their cameras would not receive such a warm welcome in Hull today as, according to our correspondent, it has one of the "top 5 anti-photographer stations on the English network".

He continues "When ATOC provides details of anticipated changes to the enthusiast guidelines (when is the operative word as they have had the consultations for 3 months) then maybe the industry will finally sing from the same hymn sheet about photography on stations".

Indeed!

What's in a name?

Telegrammed by our man at 222 Marylebone Road
We understand there was consternation at New Minster House when Lord Adonis rolled up after the recent reshuffle asking for directions to his office.

Apparently when discussing his new team with the PM, Geoff Hoon said that the department really needed someone who knew about railways.

Hoon, as a great admirer of the musicals of Andrew Lloyd-Webber, had been particularly impressed by the grasp of traction technology displayed by the musical lord in 'Starlight Express'.

'Could I have that bloke in the Lords, Andrew Whats-is-name, he seems to know his trains' he asked?

Since our Calvinist PM would have nothing to do with anything as frivolous as musicals he appointed the only Andrew in the Lords he knew.

This may, of course, be idle gossip without a foundation or truth; but it sort of rings true...

Sheffield steal

The gating of Sheffield station footbridge is causing Stagecoach franchise, East Midlands Trains, no end of trouble.

The installation of automatic ticket gates, originally a franchise commitment, is defended by Stagecoach on the grounds of revenue protection and reducing anti-social behaviour.

Meanwhile, the local burghers of Sheffield are up in arms as EMT's gating proposals will prevent pedestrians using a well established walkway linking the city centre with the large estates of Norfolk Park and Park Hill, as well as the station's tram stop (prop. Stagecoach).

In an attempt to defuse the row EMT proposes allowing "every person associated with Sheffield to register for a free smartcard which will allow access across the station".

A further concession will allow mobility impaired people access without restriction.

A reasonable compromise perhaps.

However, each smartcard will be issued against an address allowing EMT to "easily spot and tackle fraudsters".

Is The Fact Compiler alone in worrying about commerical operation Stagecoach creating a vast database of Sheffield citizens and recording their movements across the City?

Less is less

Telegrammed by The Master
One has to wonder who the bright spark is at VWC who thought that replacing all the quiet coach stickers with far fewer, smaller ones was actually a good idea.

Trying to get some antisocial cretins to take heed was bad enough before - now that you need a magnifying glass to read them and a map to find them it's bound to cause even more friction.

Perhaps it's a cunning plan to ensure that quiet coaches are abandoned all together?

Idiots

First... for shooting itself in the foot.

First Group runs rail services in the Bristol area (prop. Andrew Haines).

First Group also runs local bus services (prop. Nicola Shaw).

Here a picture, courtesy of Mathew White & the BBC, of a First Group bus wedged beneath a railway bridge in Station Road, Blackwell.

Perhaps Andrew could remind Nicola about the disruption caused by bridge strikes?

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.

Ministry of Truth

Is the National Audit Office now colluding in DafT's dishonest declarations about the amount of new rolling stock it has ordered?

According to the BBC it is:

"The NAO said 1,300 new train carriages had been ordered, and ministers say they are tackling passenger growth."

Poppycock!

Captain Deltic calculates that, "because of a combination of double counting and someone in DafT keying in 42 (for 24) the real total is only 1,156 vehicles".

He is of course an optimist!

Meanwhile it is disingenuous for the BBC to claim "ministers say they are tackling passenger growth" because none of these vehicles have been built yet!

So BBC - bias or balls-up?

Mad Cowes

Telegrammed by our man at 222 Marylebone Road
According to a reader's letter in today's Daily Telegraph:

'In the 50 years of nationalised railways virtually no repair or maintenance was carried out and it took 10 years after privatisation and a mountain of money to bring them up to scratch'.

The writer lives in the Isle of Wight, and probably has restricted access to sharp implements.

Health warning

The Fact Compiler has received the following helpful information from a reader:

As there is a lot of meeting and greeting in the railway industry this news story is a salutary warning

Northerners have the dirtiest hands!

Those attending the NRM dinner on 23rd October may be well advised to wear latex gloves.

ECML delay

The chaos caused by Network Rail's publication of it's East Coast capacity assessment report continues unabated.

Latest to be hit by the mad scribblings of NR's timetable planners are those hoping for additional ECML paths in the December timetable.

ORR's announcement on who had won the paths was due at the end of October, but the regulatory body is now blaming the East Coast capacity assessment for its inability to reach a decision.

As yet no new date for this announcement has been set.

What was Network Rail thinking of?

Robson Jam

Telegrammed by The Raver

One of the non-executive directors of the Royal Bank of Scotland is none other than Sir Steve Robson.

 

Robson it will be remembered is the former senior Treasury mandarin who pushed for vertical disaggregation on the railways. 

 

Now he clearly did not do his job in trying to prevent RBS from overextending itself. 

 

Shockingly, the non-execs are surviving the purge of the RBS bosses because, apparently, there is a shortage of candidates. 

 

Surely there are more than enough competent and qualified bankers looking for lucrative part time jobs...

 

 

 

Renationalisation?

***An old timer speaks***

Freed

*** RMT demanding an apology from transport police after two track workers arrested in connection with the Grayrigg crash and kept under caution for eleven months were finally cleared today.***

Read the RMT release here

Kneel

Christian Wolmar has emailed to thank those Railway Eye readers who sponsored his half marathon on Sunday.

"I ran the half marathon in just over two hours - not bad for an old timer!" he writes.

Here is our man in action.

Judging by the marks on Wolmar's knees he left nothing to chance, beseeching the help of Higher Powers for his Sabbath breaking run.