Crossrail to champion UK PLC?

The dead tree media appears convinced that the Crossrail Project Management concession will go to the Septics.

The Eye is less pessimistic - confident that the OESI will help TfL make the right decision, creating genuine British Jobs for British Workers, rather than exporting them across the Pond.

So The Fact Compiler has a pony on the nose for the homegrown Laing O'Rourke and Atkins team.

A sure fire winner...

Unless of course the Treasury defers tomorrow's decision for reasons of "affordability".

UPDATE: This from John B who gives a ringing endorsement to the North American family firm...

Odd use of 'pessimistic' there - given that Bechtel are the only people with a track record that indicates the slightest hope in hell of delivering, I hope to God the deal goes to them.

Fortunately, as God is an Englishman, He may have other ideas...

T-cup lassoed

The proposal to extend Circle line services to Hammersmith is known within London Underground as the 'T-cup' service.

Announced to Londoners last week it received a surprisingly warm welcome, even earning a new popular sobriquet as the 'Lasso line' in the process .

Let's hope it doesn't turn out to be a lynch mob's noose...

NX introduces Push technology

Good news for penny conscious travellers.

National Express has introduced further cost saving measures.


Let's see them do the same at Kings Cross...

Resounding victory?

***Derek Simpson wins Unite leadership poll. With a Bowler tip to Guido***

Alice in Regulation-land

As the recession continues to bite it is not only the Train Operating Companies who are feeling the pain.

ATOC is believed to be looking to reduce headcount by 15% - a move which has been welcomed by its cash strapped TOC members.

Of course whilst thousands of jobs are being shed by the passenger facing railway the paper-pushers of Whitehall sleep safe in their beds.

Despite costing the industry many millions of pounds there are no equivalent headcount reductions planned by the Department for Transport and Office of Rail Regulation.

Alas.

Such a head in the sand approach to economic realities resulted in stormy scenes at a recent meeting between owner groups and the ORR.

When pressed on when it might reduce its bloated headcount the ORR made a half hearted offer to reduce staff numbers by 5%... over five years!

Unfortunately, for reasons of taste, it is not possible to print the industry's response to this generous offer.

Retraction or expansion?

You pays your money you takes your choice.

The RMT is convinced that Network Rail's deferral of maintenance works will lead to significant job losses throughout the industry.

Meanwhile The Mirror believes that 1,000 jobs will be created by the infrastructure owner.

The Eye would welcome evidence that proves the case either way.

PassengerFocus takes to the air

Passenger Focus goes from strength to strength if this story from the BBC is anything to go by.

Geoff Hoon has suggested (that)... Passenger Focus will be the advocate for air passengers' interests - it currently does so for bus and rail.

This of course means one of two things.

Either Passenger Focus has proven a doughty defender of rail passengers and is fearless at holding the rail industry and Department for Transport to account.

Or its a toothless old windbag that ministers can happily ignore.

The Fact Compiler can't imagine which is closer to Geoff Hoon's view.

UPDATE: This from The City Insider...

Out of curiosity I went to the DafT website to read the “consultation” paper on this.

And I happened to notice who manages DafT’s publications for them (see page 2).

Why it’s none other than Nu Labour’s favourite outsourcing companies, our old friends Crapita!

DafT number krunching

Telegrammed by J Alfred Prufrock
Exciting news for the Competition Commission.

So DMUs 'r' Us are going to buy the 202 DMU vehicles and lease them onto the TOCs.

So when DafT sets the rentals the true scale of the rip-offs perpetrated the evil and rapacious Roscos will finally be exposed!

Simply subtract the monthly rental per vehicle charged by DMUs 'r' Us from that being charged by Porterbrook on its Class 172s.

Of course they will have to be be financially viable rentals because DafT intends to sell the contracts and leases on once the deal is in place.

And the money the taxpayer receives will be a function of the NPV of the rentals expressed as a return on the cost of DMUs 'r' Us.

Adjusted, naturally, for the Residual Value Risk on a number of DMUs with a book life of 30 years.

Who's paying for this?

Doomed

Recession.

This from RailwayPeople.com...

Birse Rail has won a contract from British Rail to keep an eye on closed branch lines, disused building and bridges.

The value of the contract is £275,000!

Words on Blacklists

Quite right too

Straitscoach

On top of EMT's announcement yesterday that it is shedding 162 jobs come other strange rumours.

The latest of which is that the SWT and EMT press offices are being combined.

Is this good news for joined up communications or a disaster waiting to happen.

We'll probably never know as the new, improved, press desk is bound to be hopelessly understaffed!

UPDATE: This from a delighted Straitscoach employee...

You might also be interested to hear that Souter has taken to personally perusing all SWT driver workings.

The last time he took such a keen personal interest you may recollect SWT ended up short of drivers for about two years.

No matter - passengers are free to write to their MPs!

The good news is that Brian won't see those who contributed to his profits thrown on the scrapheap!

Those "displaced" are invited to apply for jobs elsewhere in the Stagecoach empire.

Managers, catering staff and booking clerks now have the unrivalled opportunity to tackle exciting new career challenges, such as errr... cleaning buses in Kettering.

Of course, were the DfT to sit down and re-organise figures and franchise payments in exchange for employment protection we might not be in this mess.

But with the Treasury having to pay all those bankers' pensions there just isn't the money...

Bare faced eagle

This from a Mr Murray...

So farewell Fraser Eagle.

Off into administration you go.

Serves them right, I guess, for sponsoring Accrington Stanley (famous as the second football club ever to resign from the league in mid season)!

Passenger Focusballs

Telegrammed by our Independent Expert
The good folk from Passenger Focus conducting the National Passenger Survey were doing the business on Preston station this afternoon.

Among the questions was:

"What alternative method of transport would you have liked to use to get to Preston Station?"

One option offered by the interviewers was "By Underground Train"

Over to you Boris

Wolmar talks cr@p - Official

A little two much information from Mr Wolmar we feel!

This from today's Gruaniad letters page...

Of course toilet roll is environmentally unsustainable (Soft, strong and very wrong - America's multi-ply habit, 27 February) - even the recycled stuff.

Best not to use any at all.

Since visiting India three years ago, I have virtually dispensed with it entirely. A brief spray of high pressure water from a handy attachment and a quick dry off with a towel is far cleaner, healthier and more pleasant than a wipe which never actually cleans properly. And much more hygienic since the hand never comes into contact.

In fact, attaching such devices, now very common in India, should be mandatory on all new housing, with financial support from the water companies who will save millions in filtration costs.

The next environmental trend after recycling?

Christian Wolmar
London

Cue weak jokes about not poo pooing the suggestion.

Forster to go?

***Reports in blogland that Alison Forster is leaving First Group***

Austerity bites at DfT!

Telegrammed by our man at 222 Marylebone Road
Monday evening's soiree for the ROSCOs at Marsham Street suggests that the Mrs Merton question applies in politics.

"What exactly attracted you to a bunch of profiteers with tens of millions to invest in new trains, Mr Hoon?"

However the rapprochement can only go so far.

Despite the meeting being called for 17.00, tea and biscuits were not provided.

GBRf moves passengers to Europe?

***ORR proposes to grant GBRf a European passenger licence***

Champagne Socialist?

Has former rail minister Tom Harris joined William Hague on the lucrative after dinner speaking circuit?

Judging by the ads now appearing on his blog he's definitely raking it in!

Caviar, truffles and foie gras delivered to your door....


Foie gras! For God's sake don't tell Kerry McCarthy!

180! But how many times?

Whilst WSMR is reducing services Grand Central is leasing more rolling stock!

A release reaches Eye from their spin-meister claiming they have signed a lease with Angel for two class 180s (no unit numbers given).

Oh, and it included a pretty photo-shopped picture...


So exactly how many 180s are there out there - as everyone (Hull, Northern, NXEC and now GC) claims to have them!

Robber Beardie raids Carlisle (again)

Beardie Rail is building on its unenviable reputation for shafting the good citizens of Carlisle.

Having been caught out last week for offering non-existent fares to Europe the greedy operator has now decided that passengers won't be able to buy cheap tickets from the station!

This from the News and Star...

The booking office at Carlisle railway station will be closed until Thursday of next week, leaving passengers unable to buy cheap ‘Advance’ tickets.

Virgin Trains spokesman Ken Gibbs said: “It’s not an ideal situation but we have publicised it and there really is no alternative.”

Not ideal - it's scandalous!

Where is Passenger Focus when you need it?

UPDATE: Passenger Focus understood to be feeling Beardie's collar...