Sadiq says...

Via Twitter...

I am spending plenty of times on our trains today. At Cabinet discussed historic announcement on electrification of various lines.

Does the reference to 'our trains' suggest that others may soon go the way of NXEC?

UPDATE: This just in from the Waterbaby...

I note with interest your feed of Mr Khan's Twitter updates, and in particular the one listing Yasmin Qureshi, Parliamentary Candidate for Bolton, as one of his 'good mates'.

Let's hope nobody lets on to Ms Qureshi that Mr Khan's proud announcement of Manchester - Liverpool electrification yesterday in fact wipes Bolton off the inter-city map by diverting through services away from the town and onto the WCML at Golborne instead.

Whilst admittedly this covers only 3-4 trains a day and the current situation of running DMUs over Shap under the wires is (to use a Dizzee Rascal-ism, if I may) 'bonkers'.

Bolton is still one of the largest boroughs in the country and a sizeable railhead for the whole north Manchester area for journeys to the Lakes, Cumbria and Scotland....

UPDATE: The Fact Compiler would like to point out...

Electrification of Manchester to Preston (via Notlob) was a strong contender to appear in the announcement.

Of course there are more constituencies in Liverpool.

It also remains an option, as can be seen on page 28 of the Electrification Strategy.

Electrification - where the trains are going

This just in from a Mr Saltaire...

I wondered if Eye readers might appreciate a quick and dirty breakdown of what today's announcement means in rolling stock terms?

This taken from the Departments 'The Case for Electrification' published today:

• 319s cascaded from Thameslink to GW Thames Valley in December 2016

• 165s cascaded from GW Thames Valley to GW Bristol area (probably Cardiff – Portsmouth) in December 2016;

• DMUs from Bristol area that are freed up when 165s are parachuted in, to be cascaded to Northern to boost capacity in December 2016;

• New four car EMUs to be procured to operate Manchester – Scotland TransPennine Express services, delivery 2013;

• Class 185 DMUs freed up when new EMUs enter service to be used to strengthen existing 185 operated TPE services in 2013

• 319s cascaded from Thameslink to Northern electrified routes in 2013 (or earlier);

• Super-duper express replacing HSTs across all the GW from December 2016
  

• HSTs freed up for the Voyager replacement project (tee hee);

• Pacer replacement project, starting with Northern at franchise renewal in 2013 and continuing with ATW in 2018.
  

By that time, we should be into long (15 year) franchises, allowing the TOCs to commit to new trains with some forward thinking.

Unless of course the Tories turn the juice off...

UPDATE: This from Muttley...

A few things I've noticed about the electric news ....

• The Electrification document states in para 57 that the Super Express Programme was started in 2005. Was it? Wasn't that the Intercity Express Programme? or HST2? Note the document makes no mention of IEP, political spin to distance the DfT from the millions already wasted? Modern Railways consultancy feature reckons over £15m so far. Maybe 3rd time lucky for the Class 666's, the Super Express Programme Train is Coming!

• Para 18 contains a good line: "Experience around the world shows that a well designed, constructed and maintained electric railway will be more reliable than a diesel railway." Ouch! No examples within the UK exist? Is that a future warning to NR?

Ceefax this morning had another solution to the question of what to do with the Severn Tunnel and a few others:


I look forward to travelling though Box Cutting!

Extraordinary - The Fact Compiler didn't realise such old technology still existed. Does Ceefax host blogs?

UPDATE: This from Dreadnought...

I have heard that rather than procure new stock for the TPE Manchester-Scotland service the intent is to use Class 350s from the existing fleet.

One option is that these would be found by using an Outer Suburban version of the Hitachi Sooper-Dooper Express on some of the fast Northamptons.

Could just be a load of 'Cobblers' though!

Ford Perfect

The following has appeared on the WNXX forum, with a bowler tip to Driver Potter...

I think Roger Ford of Modern Railways Magazine has personally done a lot to get electrification back on to the political agenda.

Roger is very good at presenting hard facts well and his repeated articles, along with the electrification petition etc, have culminated in today's announcement.

It would be nice for him to get some recognition for sticking his head above the parapet and stating the bloody obvious.

Arise, Sir Roger?

Or even better Lord Catenary of Welwyn!

Would someone like to nominate Captain Deltic as a 'People's Peer'?

Lookalike XXIII - 25kv into the Future

Camera crime

Oh dear.

It looks like the Boys in Blue have been over zealous on the Underground again.

This from Tuesday's Grauniad...

A woman is to challenge the Metropolitan police in the high court, claiming she was handcuffed, detained and threatened with arrest for filming officers on her mobile phone.

As Harriet assured us "If you've done nothing wrong you have nothing to fear."

Quite so.

And, evidently, just because you're innocent doesn't mean you're not guilty.

White flags fly at Marsham Street?

Not so much rowing back, more the full 60 knot reversal!

Theresa Villiers (Shadow Secretary of State for Transport)
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when his Department plans to begin the pre-qualification process for invitations to tender for the Inter-City East Coast franchise.

Chris Mole (Parliamentary Under-Secretary)
In the event that a state company takes on responsibility for the inter city east coast services later this year, the Department for Transport will consult on a new franchise specification with a view to issuing an invitation to tender in the summer of 2010.

"In the event"!?!

Why, suddenly, has an element of doubt crept into the proceedings?

UPDATE: This from The Archer...

As DafT are supremely confident that they can enforce Cross Default it's possible that NatEx have waved the white flag.

So expect an announcement soon on the date of their exit from East Coast.

And perhaps if they play ball DafT will let them keep the other two until 2011.

2009 Railway Garden Competition #10 (Yes - Chester again...)

This just in from Rich...

As a reader for a while, I've been avidly following the Railway Garden Competition, and thought readers might be interested in an update on Chester's bid for glory.

The pictures below were taken last Saturday.


Not much further to go and platform 4 will be totally screened from the elements.

It's a cruel wind that sometimes blows in from the Dee...

Update: This from Bushy...

One of my sources tells me the ORR is taking a great interest in Network Rail's burgeoning 'nursery and garden' business, being rather unimpressed with the excessive growth of weeds and other vegetation.

Maybe one of their directors should offer to appear on Gardener's Question Time?

BBC news editors off the rails, part 94

Telegrammed by our Independent Expert
According to the 7.30am headlines on Radio Four this morning:

"The government is to spend £1bn electrifying the West Coast Main Line to Cardiff".

Come to think of it, perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad idea to spend an additional £1bn on the WCML.

Electrification - a plea

Dear Lord Adonis

Thank you for the promise to electrify various bits of the network.

Would it be possible to avoid the mistakes of the past and not do it on the cheap?

To stop this sort of thing happening:

(LNE) At 0858 OLE sections 34 & 36 on the Down Slow and Down Fast lines at Biggleswade tripped with the driver of 1N03, HB, 0830 London Kings Cross - Newcastle Central, in section on the Down Fast line reporting a loss of line light, with the driver requested to examine the pantograph. The traction current on the Down Slow line was reset at 0909. A Mobile Operations Manager and OLE staff were sent to site. The line was examined by 1P12, EG, 0822 London Kings Cross - Peterborough, with the driver reporting a dropper below the contact wire on the Down Fast line near Tempsford CCTV LC. All Down direction services were diverted to the Down Slow line with service reduction implemented. At 1025 staff on site reporting being unable to find anything foul of the contact wire. 1N03 was authorised to go forward, after the pantograph was confirmed as undamaged, and was instructed to examine the OLE for the remainder of the section. NWR at 1041 after 1N03 had completed the examination with nothing amiss found.
TRUST 269559 IQGU = 2 part cancelled = 61 trains = 818 mins.
Fault No.331607. CCIL 455997.

Many thanks.

Yours sincerely
The Fact Compiler

We're in the money!

***NR bosses have seen off a challenge to change the company's controversial bonus scheme***

Sparks and the Thunderer

Oh dear.

Allowing a Peer to announce Electrification via the Times may have upset Wapping's home team!

This from Transport Correspondent Ben...

Passengers on one of Britain’s busiest intercity routes face six years of disruption while it is electrified under the Government’s low-carbon agenda.

Shome mishtake, shurely.

No doubt the huge amounts Network Rail will pay to First Great Western for disruption will allow passengers to be suitably compensated.

And they may even get tomorrow's railway!

New Apostle of the Pantograph - Electrification announced!

That announcement!!

In the Times here!!!

Bad luck Cardiff - Wapping had it first.

Readers letters

Dear Fact Compiler,

I have been a very good driver, having not gone on strike for the last twenty minutes and not looked at any filthy publications in the rest room - this includes Penthouse, Playboy, The Daily Mail, RAIL Magazine and the company newsletter...

For Christmas I would like lots of electrified bits of railway; 3rd rail would be favourite but 25kV knitting will do - and I would like lots of these to play with. They seem to be comfortable, fast and exude purposeful modernity. They are also not built by Alstom (the last toys I had from Alstom arrived with bits missing and still don't work properly) and will look sexy for the papers.

I know it's only July, but I've heard that the government might be spending a few pennies on the National Trainset and since there isn't much money about I want to get my requests in early.

Yours in a well-behaved manner,
Driver Potter

Electrification announcement latest, with added infill schemes

Okay.

So it's the Great Western Main Line, first stage Paddington to Oxford & Newbury; then on to Bristol via both Parkway and Bath.

At some indeterminate point in the future extended to Cardiff and possibly even Swansea (no doubt designed to prevent a Plaid Cymru inspired meltdown of Labour Constituencies).

The favoured infill scheme now appears to be Manchester - Preston (Goblin's loss - but blame Tory Boris).

An infill between Manchester and Preston would allow TPE Manchester to Edinburgh/Glasgow services to be switched over to new electric 'low carbon' (sic) traction, resulting in a cascade of DMUs to the non electrified railway.

Similar cascades will happen with GWML electrification - although the Thames trains 165's were built to a more generous loading gauge so reader suggestions for a new home, other than the scrapyard, welcome.

Where this leaves the Delayed Multiple Unit Project to speed-up the procurment of an additional 202 DMU vehicles is of course anyone's guess.

As Northern are still gagging for additional stock and Wales will have to wait some time for the sparks effect, perhaps both may get an internal combustion pre-election sweetner?

UPDATE: This from The Major...

Manchester – yes.

Preston – no.

Try Liverpool...

Guided busways - a success!

Splendid news from Cambridgeshire, home of the St Ives guided busway!

This from the The Hunts Post...

The busway, on the route of the disused railway line, was originally due to open in April but was delayed when disputes arose between Cambridgeshire County Council and contractor BAM Nuttall over cost overruns on the £116.7million project.

Eye readers will not be surprised to know that Cast.Iron, which lobbied for restoration of the railway, costed the line reopening at £50m.

Even if you doubled that figure to allow for puffer-nutter optimism it would still have come in cheaper than this much delayed bustitution white elephant.

That'll learn 'em

It would appear that NR's Leeds Timetable Planning Unit suffered severe travel disruption in the Leicester area on Monday.

Apparently on a jolly to inspect their cosy new Milton Keynes offices they were apprehended by the Rozzers!

Alas, they were travelling by coach and the vehicle's tachograph showed the driver was over hours.

This of course wasn't seen on or about the railway at the same time.


Good to see Network Rail staff creating additional capacity, by not using overcrowded rail services provided by their own TOC customers.

To the ramparts! But not our own.

Congratulations to Rampart Rail!

The Derby based company has just launched a lovely new website.

See how well equipped their workshop is and crammed full of kettles and stuff.


Perhaps a pity the picture is not actually of their Derby facility at all!

Any suggestions as to where it might be?

UPDATE: This from The Plagiarist...

Isn't that LNWR at Crewe?

Have Arriva bought Rampart as well.

I think we should be told!

UPDATE: This from a sharp-eyed google whacking reader...

Searching for 'railway workshop' in google image search brings up a familiar looking image on the second results page which suggests its the Don River Railway.

In Tasmania!

Christmas gets earlier and earlier

The latest issue of Modern Railways has just thudded through the letterbox.

Weighing in at 10oz it nearly killed the dog and the postie was heard muttering darkly.

Only July and The Fact Compiler is already having to calculate the size of the Christmas box.

Pitt stop?

This from TransportXtra...

South West Trains today announced the appointment of Andy Pitt as its new managing director.

As DafT and SWT can't agree when Cap and Collar comes into effect Andy may have a short tenure...

Let them eat cake but tell them nothing

Telegrammed by Ithuriel
Has the erudite Gricer Lord finally lost the plot?

Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat)
To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the parent company loan obligations in the agreements for each of the current railway franchises.

Lord Adonis (Secretary of State, Department for Transport; Labour)
Details of all franchise agreements that are not deemed to be market sensitive are published in the Public Register at www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/passenger/public register.

Information pertaining to loan arrangements between individual franchisees and their parent organisations are a matter for the parties to those agreements.

Wait a minute.

These committed loan agreements are determined by his Department.

Had his Department thought that NXEC might need a bit more spare cash in case of hard times, it could have required NEG to provide a larger committed loan - as has happened with other franchises in the past.

So loan arrangements between franchisees and their parents are a matter for government and therefore the taxpayer.

Les aristos a la lanterne!