The RMT is running an exciting new ad campaign in Railnews.
See how the glorious banners fly: Deepest red, martyred dead, stiff and cold, every fold...
But what's this?
"We are not a general union trying to dupe rail workers into joining us."
At whom could this be directed?
Surely not the union whose own recruitment ad is printed two whole pages before the RMTs?
Perhaps time for Bob to change his media buyer.
More common sense from Tom Harris MP:
"Will the new Stations Champion be responsible for defending the legitimate rights of trainspotters? There is a serious civil rights issue here, with station staff obstructing rail enthusiasts in their activities which, at worst, are harmless and which, at best, provide extra security at some stations."
When the Old Bill have finished with all the hoons we can but hope that there will be a vacancy in your old department...
Herring Gulls have taken up residence in the 4 foot near Dover.
View the Kent on-line video here...
Needless to day the muesli munchers are already whinging that the shiite hawks are protected.
Not from 750v they're not.
UPDATE: Oh dear. The Fact Compiler is in trouble with Driver Potter...
Our southern man is much upset that this post has been tagged "God's wonderful railway".
Duly corrected.
NCE claiming Crossrail at risk if Tories win the general election:
“We believe that Crossrail is a good project. It fits very well with our agenda of improving rail infrastructure,” said Hammond.
“But do the government have no conception of the scale of the hole that they have dug? Every single programme and project will have to be reassessed and re-evaluated."
If only they had dug a hole then the bloody thing might be operating by now!
Iain Coucher has announced he will give up his annual bonus.
"I am mindful of current sentiment, so I have taken a personal decision to forego any annual bonus this year. The success of our company and its hard-working people must have the opportunity to be seen and heard.
“Our people have secured this success and every one – from signal box to boardroom – will deserve any bonus which may be awarded to recognise this. Incentivising our people makes sure that the company is focused on what it needs to do. Our people have delivered what has been asked of them and more. I believe we must honour the deal to reward their collective success."
Nice touch.
UPDATE: But is it enough?
Nigel Harris over at Rail has already issued a challenge to Coucher's board room colleagues...
Iain has set the route, will others follow?
UPDATE: The FT predicts growing pressure on other directors to do the same.
UPDATE: Industry rent-a-quote Gerry Doherty says in The Gruaniad:
"There is never any justification in paying bonuses for running a state monopoly".
That should please NR frontline staff (and TSSA members) who are still in line for their annual bonuses.
UPDATE: Captain Deltic muses.
In the armed forces, Leadership is defined as 'follow me'.
Is Iain going over the top on his own?
UPDATE: Railnews names those who have some hard thinking to do:
"Other members of Network Rail’s executive committee are still being considered for payments, which could total hundreds of thousands of pounds.
"Group infrastructure director Peter Henderson, operations director Robin Gisby, infrastructure investment director Simon Kirby, and planning director Paul Plummer."
UPDATE: This just in from The Raver:
One must ask whether Coucher thinks that earning a bonus gives him any incentive to work harder - and if so why?
Isn't £12,000 per week enough to get him to set his alarm early?
His interview with John Humphries on the Today programme this morning clearly shows he does not get it.
Surely trying to do the best and squeezing out efficiencies in a company that has no risks apart from a regulatory one is part of the day job!
Looks like EMT's Aslef members will be having another barbecue this Sunday, the second in as many weeks.
This from the Nottingham Evening Post...
Tim Shoveller, managing director of East Midlands Trains, said: "For the second week running, it appears that the majority of our drivers have made themselves unavailable for work on Sunday. As we have had no indication otherwise, we can only assume that this is linked to the on-going drivers' pay negotiations."
Presumably the first one wasn't fighty enough?
Good news for First Group.
Although profits from its rail operations fell by a whopping 20% last year, The Evening Standard today reveled that First Great Western has received "a secret £50 million bailout from the taxpayer".
Should be just enough to buy back all those remaindered copies of Moir's lovely book.
Who would be a DafT press officer?
At this morning's press junket to celebrate the opening of the West Coast Main line an irate member of the public raced up to the assembled hacks and accused one of them of being Geoff Hoon.
Witnessing the commotion a brave PR thrust himself into the line of fire, assuring the agitated lady that the hack was neither Hoon, nor indeed any other member of the political class.
Alas.
For this selfless act of bravery the poor PR received both barrels from the disgruntled voter, who had a word or two to say on the wickedness of our beloved Secretary of State.
Geoff, if you can take your nose out the trough for long enough, perhaps a word of thanks to this bruised PR.
Are DafT undertakings worth the paper they are written on?
In the South Central Franchise consultation document Daft glibly asserts that:
In London, the Oyster smartcard is already accepted for season tickets, and from 2009 Oyster pay as you go (PAYG) will be valid on all national rail services in London.
Alas.
The delivery deficient department has now made it clear that this won't happen till 2010.
Provoking predictable fury from London's TravelWatch:
“Passengers at railway stations around the capital are walking past covered up, unused Oyster machines every day, and have been for months. The lack of an integrated system and any joined-up thinking is ridiculous in a modern city like London. Another delay is simply unacceptable, and it is time for the Department for Transport to hold the transport providers to account.”
To paraphrase Reginald Perrin: "Why don't you re-time all your announcements to arrive a year late? - then they will all be on time."
This from the Crewe and Nantwich Guardian...
Bombardier Transportation UK has announced further redundancies at Crewe - 75 from the shop floor and 11 office staff.
Lucky Gwyneth wasn't around to see this.
Our man in Marsham Street, top civil servant Sir Humphrey Beeching, tells Eye over an after work G&T that the on-going delay to the announcement of the preferred bidder for the 202 DMU vehicles is due to the dramatic improvement in the reliability of the Pacer fleets.
With three fleets over 6000 miles per casualty and only one under 4000, the operating and engineering chappies reckon they can now get by with fewer new, and expensive, DMUs which, in any event are generally used by provincial people for whom Pacers are more than sufficient.
Suggestions that DfT Rail can't raise the funding, or find an independent expert willing to undercut Porterbrook on lease rentals are officially deprecated.
This chap seems okay.
The cheapest MP in the House.
Any chance you can make him Speaker?
Unless there is someone else who claims less.
That would be good.
Ta.
Telegrammed by our man at 222 Marylebone Road.
Tonight's London Evening Standard names three ministers who could face police inquiries over the expenses revelations.
Darling, McNulty and Hoon (obviously)
All three have 'served' in the Department for Transport.
***Cameron to instruct Tory MPs to repay any allowances not in the 'spirit' of the rules***
Over to you Gordon...
UPDATE: Iain Dale has the details.
Anyone know what happened to Mad Day on the railways?
Just wondered, that's all.
Oh, and Mr Maidment is asking for your support again this year.
If you are doing something to support the Railway Children let us know.
UPDATE: Captain Deltic observes...
Surely, as Eye demonstrates with unfailing reliability, every day is Mad Day on Britain's railways.
And has been since 1 April 1994.
This from the Grauniad...
The good news is that, despite Lord Adonis's damning criticisms, there are decent places to eat and drink on British stations.
View the top ten here.
Good to see that the dead-tree media have finally caught up.
There is predictable press fury today over the decision by National Express to levy a £2.50 charge on standard class reservations.
Shame the story is being slightly occluded by the scandal of our troughing MPs - who of course won't have to pay the charge as they travel first class.
So Network Rail have confirmed that they won't make their Control Period 3 efficiency targets.
According to the FT...
The company that owns Britain's rail network has missed its target to cut costs over the past five years, according to preliminary estimates, fuelling calls for rail bosses to forgo their six-figure bonuses.
But what's this?
Naughty Network Rail says the reason it missed its efficiency targets was "largely because of track renewals".
However, there is good news.
"We are aware of the challenges ahead on track renewals and are working on a number of initiatives to reduce the cost of carrying them out."
What could this mean?
Surely not bringing renewals back in-house.
UPDATE: This from our man at 222 Marylebone Road...
Old news is bad news?
What is the Pink 'un on about today, treating Network Rail's failure to meet efficiency targets as some new revelation?
Full details of the shortfalls were published on Page 114 of the the ORR Determination of Network Rail's outputs and funding for 2009-14' published in... October 2008!
Still it provided a timely peg on which to hang another NR bonus story.
Oh dear.
It appears that the Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, Theresa Villiers, is also a hoon.
This from the Daily Telegraph...
Theresa Villiers claimed almost £16,000 in stamp duty and professional fees on expenses when she bought a London flat, even though she already had a house in the capital.
Who is left to trust?
Which is the very question asked in our latest, exciting, Eye survey...
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