Wishing all readers a blessed and festive Christmas.
From the Railway Eye team: Barry Spotter, Brochet, Eboracum (50a), Jack Ketch, King Coal, Our International Correspondent, Our man at 222 Marylebone Road, The Archer, The Fact Compiler, The General Manager, The Independent Expert, The late Sir William Pollitt, The Major, The Master, The Raver and The RSM
This just in from Gallery News, the parliamentary news service...
"The UK economy contracted between July and September faster than had previously been thought, according to the Office for National Statistics.
"ONS said it had contracted by 0.6% in the quarter - its previous estimate had been a contraction of 0.5%. The previous quarter was left unrevised at a figure of zero growth.
"The service sector was among those hit in the third quarter, shrinking by 0.5%, having grown by 0.2% in the previous three months.
"In the manufacturing sector, output shrank by 1.4% in the period."
Doomed but with knobs on.
Telegrammed by Tom over at Boriswatch...
How long before we see Transport Minister Lord Ford of Deltic announcing Government support for keeping the Derby production lines rolling whilst the electrification teams march out across the land?
Nice - fingers crossed for the New Years Honours List
Time for some festive cheer from the latest exciting Eye survey.
Readers were asked to answer a simple question by Tom Harris MP.
The results are truly shocking!
45% of you are "miserable now".
Whilst a massive 50% of you believe it is all "too much".
Fortunately, there is some good news.
Only 4% of Railway Eye readers say that there is "not enough".
Railway Eye - faster, longer, deeper.
Good news for UK train manufacturing!
DafT today published the list of prequalified bidders for the additional vehicles announced in the November Pre-Budget Report.
They are...
1. Bombardier Transportation UK Ltd
2. CAF - Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, S.A.
3. CSRE LTD - Chinese Sourced Railway Equipment on behalf of CSR Nanjing Puzhen Rolling Stock Co., Ltd
4. Hyundai Rotem Company
Ever willing to provide a hostage to fortune DafT have also given an indication of when they expect to announce the preferred bidder: "Closing date for bids is 16th February and it is anticipated that an announcement on the preferred bidder will be made in April."
Better still My Lord Adonis has now gone hard on the numbers. Previously DafT said there would be "up to 200" new vehicles. My Lord Adonis now talks of the: "...delivery of these 200 new rail carriages."
In Notes to Editors DafT reminds us that "the 200 new DMUs (...are part of...) the £700m fiscal stimulus announced in last month's Pre-Budget Report".
Putting aside the fact that DafT's Buffoonettes have managed to convert 200 vehicles into 200 DMUs, this is extremely good news for Bombardier.
Of the four short listed bidders only one has previously built a train for the mainland British railways. And with the Class 172 currently in production for Loo-Roll and London Midland, either run-ons or parallel construction are an option - reducing delivery times.
But best of all for these new vehicles to deliver Darling's "fiscal stimulus" they'll need to be built in the UK.
Fill your boots Bombardier!
Telegrammed by our Independent Expert
Lot's of press plaudits over the weekend for BoJo's new Routemaster designs.
In Saturday's Independent Michael Williams wrote that the retro vehicles dreamt up by Aston Martin and Lord Foster were 'just the ticket' for these troubled times.
Funny how BoJo's PR people failed to mention that the mayor has simultaneously canned two major rail-based schemes - the Camden - Brixton tram and the DLR extension to Dagenham.
It's the train wot takes the pain!
This just in from Driver Potter
Surprisingly no connection with a certain charter operator...
As Railway Eye counts down towards Christmas The Fact Compiler welcome appropriate seasonal contributions.
First out of the advent calendar is this from Sim Harris (with thanks)
On the first day of Christmas,
Adonis sent to me
A cup of railway tea
On the second day of Christmas,
Adonis sent to me
Two expired tickets
And a cup of railway tea
On the third day of Christmas,
Adonis sent to me
Three frozen points
Two expired tickets
And a cup of railway tea
On the fourth day of Christmas,
Adonis sent to me
Four White Papers
Three frozen points
Two expired tickets
And a cup of railway tea
On the fifth day of Christmas,
Adonis sent to me
Five sacked staff!
Four White Papers
Three frozen points
Two expired tickets
And a cup of railway tea
On the sixth day of Christmas,
Adonis sent to me
Six Treasury cutbacks
Five sacked staff!
Four White Papers
Three frozen points
Two expired tickets
And a cup of railway tea
On the seventh day of Christmas,
Adonis sent to me
Seven reassessments
Six Treasury cutbacks
Five sacked staff!
Four White Papers
Three frozen points
Two expired tickets
And a cup of railway tea
On the eighth day of Christmas,
Adonis sent to me
Eight cloned smartcards
Seven reassessments
Six Treasury cutbacks
Five sacked staff!
Four White Papers
Three frozen points
Two expired tickets
And a cup of railway tea
On the ninth day of Christmas,
Adonis sent to me
Nine franchise payments
Eight cloned smartcards
Seven reassessments
Six Treasury cutbacks
Five sacked staff!
Four White Papers
Three frozen points
Two expired tickets
And a cup of railway tea
On the tenth day of Christmas,
Adonis sent to me
Ten increased fares
Nine franchise payments
Eight cloned smartcards
Seven reassessments
Six Treasury cutbacks
Five sacked staff!
Four White Papers
Three frozen points
Two expired tickets
And a cup of railway tea
On the eleventh day of Christmas,
Adonis sent to me
Eleven DafT spokesmen
Ten increased fares
Nine franchise payments
Eight cloned smartcards
Seven reassessments
Six Treasury cutbacks
Five sacked staff!
Four White Papers
Three frozen points
Two expired tickets
And a cup of railway tea
On the twelfth day of Christmas,
Adonis sent to me
Twelve cancelled trains
Eleven DafT spokesmen
Ten increased fares
Nine franchise payments
Eight cloned smartcards
Seven reassessments
Six Treasury cutbacks
Five sacked staff!
Four White Papers
Three frozen points
Two expired tickets
And a cup of railway tea!
Additional contributions welcome at the usual address...
This just in from Sim Harris...
"Once again, DafT (like the rest of Government) is assuming limitless power.
From yesterday's DfT press release:
"The new penalties are being introduced as the Government extends its Penalty Notice for Disorder Scheme."
Minister: as Parliament must give its consent (and hasn't yet) don't you mean:
The new penalties are being proposed as the Government wishes to extend its Penalty Notice for Disorder Scheme?
It's called democratic process. Remember that?
Telegrammed by the Archer
Given the on-going delay to the IEP programme...
...and the inevitable knock-on effect to the manufacturer’s cashflow, can DafT confirm that the extended ‘Penalty Notice for Disorder Scheme’ announced by the Department today will also apply to DafT itself?
On the grounds of ‘causing a nuisance on the railways’!
Telegrammed by the General Manager
NR piles on £1.1m of debt each day across CP4
As the bosses of Network Rail passed round the celebratory steaming mugs of Horlicks (avoided) on Monday when WCML got off to a reasonably good start their collective attention doubtless turned to fighting the CP 4 settlement and thinking who is going to lend them money over the next few years.
ORR's figures show that NR's position over the next few years is dire and getting worse.
Expenditure exceeds income in all but 2013/14 and interest payments just get bigger each year, in fact they almost exactly match the total TOC premium - assuming this can be sustained.
| ORR Assumptions of Network Rail’s net debt in Control Period 4 | ||||||
| (£M 2006/7 prices) | 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | 2012/13 | 2013/14 | Total |
| Opening debt | 21,267 | 23,841 | 26,638 | 28,585 | 30,230 | 21,267 |
| Total income | -5,921 | -6,138 | -6,345 | -6,491 | -6,647 | -31,542 |
| Total expenditure | 7,304 | 7,556 | 6,780 | 6,502 | 6,235 | 34,337 |
| Net interest costs | 1,188 | 1,379 | 1,512 | 1,619 | 1,711 | 7,410 |
| Tax | 2 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 10 | 26 |
| Total movement in debt | 2,574 | 2,797 | 1,947 | 1,645 | 1,309 | 10,271 |
| Closing debt | 23,841 | 26,638 | 28,585 | 30,230 | 31,538 | 31,538 |
| Source: ORR Doc 329167.02 dated 4 November2008 | ||||||
Telegrammed by the General Manager
Thousands of pissed off customers, 750 Christmases wrecked and one boss sitting pretty in a pear tree.
In this season of goodwill it will be a comfort to every Scrooge to see NatEx sustaining its unenviable reputation for customer care and people management (most recent critique Martin Vander Wyer's annual railway rant in this week's Speccie) in dumping 750 front line staff.
Selling the railway journey experience in the coming months is going to be hard work but there are much bigger issues at stake.
It clearly must not override the far higher priority of rewarding board-room excellence.
Bowker's package is equivalent to some 40 or 50 front line workers and boardroom hand-outs probably represent 250 plus workers who could really make a difference.
This is just the sort of tough management decision that has to be taken and does so much for a company's reputation.
The DfT Press Office has confirmed that it now hopes to make an announcement about the preferred bidder for the Inter-City Express Programme in the new year.
Note in "the new year" not "early in the new year".
Railway Eye statisticians are even now working out how to calibrate this measurement.
One piece of good news - the announcement is not "just around the corner"...
So it looks as if the IEP procurement fiasco has finally collapsed because Britain's broke.
Whilst we are still awaiting an announcement from Geoff Hoon here is a picture of the great man keeping his head down and drinking coffee (courtesy of The man on the Bernina Express). 
Readers are invited to spot the mug.
This just in from Captain Deltic...
"Rollout of the prototype Deltic - then the most powerful single unit locomotive in the world - was not the only noteworthy event of 1955.
"The Boeing B52 also entered service with Strategic air command.
"Today, the Deltic is in the National Railway Museum, but the United States Airforce is reinstating a fourth squadron of B52, known to airmen as the BUFF (Big Ugly Fat er... Feller).
"By comparison with the BUFF, our IC125 is a mere strippling at 30 years old.
It will easily maintain the highest standards of service until the MML and GWML are electrified."
Thinks, wasn't the Zombie train originally called HST2? Another reason for binning this expensive farrago.
This from Matthew Parris in yesterday's Times...
"I'm missing the big, wide carriages with generous tables, high ceilings for luggage space, and ample gangways. The new trains are claustrophobic, with a padded cabin feeling, less headroom and narrow seats. They feel like aeroplanes. The old HSTs felt like ships."
The Fact Compiler bets he didn't his file copy from aboard the nasty mobile signal leeching crates.
This from Tom over at Boriswatch:
"Boris has got his vanity project!
"Are the DfT really going to be left in the sidings by the blond bus bandit?
"Poop! Poop!"
This from the Army Rumour Service via Tom Harris
The Fact Compiler raises his bowler to our brave boys and girls serving overseas.
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