This from the department of the bleedin' obvious and posted round various depots...
SPECIAL NOTICE
Seasonal Weather Warning
Advance reports from Network Rail weather specialists indicate that the Southern region may experience more adverse autumnal conditions during the coming few days.
To remind you, this may lead to the trees shedding their leaves and you experiencing low rail adhesion conditions.
No shit Sherlock!
New-media savy Richard Baker makes it into Revolution's top ten tweeters
@richard_baker General Manager for Virgin Trains Liverpool, N Wales & Chester to London. Passionate about leadership, service, social media and innovation.Rumours on the interweb that FCC's Customer Services Director is to join DOR.
Mutterings from other owner groups that First Class Partnerships is aptly named.
Total Politics has published its list of Top 100 Public Affairs Professionals.
Sigh!
Spot the missing industry.
UPDATE: This from the Major...
That the Falkland Islands should make it into the Top 100 puts the railway's lobbying failure into perspective.
Where's a soi disant veteran observer when you need one...?
Telegrammed by our Independent Expert
Looks like hard-up NXEC is bringing back mixed trains.
Senior Conductor on a packed HST from Newcastle this afternoon:
Will people with bulky luggage please tell the guard who will lock it away in the brake van...
Presumably with the pigs, chickens and smokey anthracite stove?
UPDATE: This from Shiny Shoes...
Just curious why a 'senior conductor' was working a NXEC HST (or any of their trains for that matter) as such grade does not exist on NX.
Admirably and sensibly NX use the correct term guard.
The term senior conductor was part of the 'train crew' concept of the 80's that sought to bring some promotional steps to the role... (cont p94).
In any event, as far as the public were concerned the term senior conductor was all a bit silly, there being no 'junior conductor' on any train worked by a SC.
Network Rail has been busy reminding drivers and pedestrians of the dangers of level crossing abuse.
Such as this story from the BBC...
Network Rail has released footage of pedestrians risking their lives at a level crossing in Dorset, including a mother pushing her baby in a pram.
A video shows the woman running across the track with her child moments before a train passed.
Iain Coucher, Network Rail chief executive, said: "The rules around level crossings are clear and simple.
"When the lights flash or the barriers are down, don't cross - a train is approaching."
However, this particular footpath crossing is not gated and the miniature warning lights, of either hue, are steady and do not flash.
Which means that here the 'clear and simple' rules don't actually apply.
And if they don't apply then the rules are not consistent.
Inconsistent safety messages and procedures actually import risk rather than reduce it.
Yet one more reason to undertake a thorough review of the methods by which level crossing users are alerted to on-coming rail traffic.
UPDATE: This from @swlines via Twitter
Although the crossing in question does have a siren that goes off before it goes red.
And that CCTV vid is from signal box.
This from 'Is 1A03 out of Chester yet, Bert?'
Can you spot the significant safety failing in this video?
That's correct. The hard hat has not been secured by a chin strap.
This from the National Rail website:
| Start date | 19/10/2009 |
|---|---|
| End date | 23/10/2009 |
| Route Affected | |
| TOC Affected | Arriva Trains Wales |
| Description | The following changes will apply: Monday only
|
This from the RMT...
RAIL UNION RMT revealed today that Network Rail have threatened to sack their entire maintenance workforce of 13,000 and to re-employ a reduced number of workers on new terms and conditions in a bid to bulldoze through a multi-billion pound cuts package.
Gosh!
According to the Hansard Society...
Telegrammed by the Velopodist
This nonsense has just reached me from National Express:
Fares from £13* – it's a mystery how we do it
*One-way fare from London to York
It's no 'mystery' - they just lose lots of money.
UPDATE: This from a Mr Saltaire...
The ad might have read London to York once upon a time…. but now it says Edinburgh to York.
Perhaps NXEC is paying attention to The Eye?
Judging by a conversation yesterday with one of their senior execs that is indeed the case...
A mournful email reaches The Fact Compiler from NR's Internet Rapid Rebuttal Unit...
Look at Nigel's expression when he had to award Network Rail the 'outstanding press office of the year' prize at the NRA a few years ago.
We won it in successive years but strangely enough the award was 'retired'…
Would Eye be right in thinking that all is not well between Media House and the New Black Tower?
This issued today...
"Discussions continue on the hand back of the East Coast rail franchise.
"At 30 September, £34 million of the available £40 million Group loan to this franchise had been utilised.
"Ongoing losses have been charged against the contract exit provision established at the half year.
"We are working towards agreeing a formal handback date for the franchise, prior to year end."
Good to see that penny pinching on the Street of Shame delivers quality reporting.
When well respected transport correspondent Barrie Clement left the Independent some years ago the title didn't replace him, relying on PA for most of its railway coverage.
So when the City Desk attempts to cover industry news this is what happens, with a bowler tip to @GarethBeazant:
There have also been grave concerns about the company’s £1bn debt pile, its lack of a chief executive and the precarious position of its two remaining rail franchises, East Anglia and e2e.
e2e?
Surely no more preposterous than c2c, which is the actual name that NatEx has blighted the London, Tilbury and Southend franchise with.
However, somewhat wide of the mark!
Eye presumes the subs desk is also vacant?
This from Human Resources magazine...
The Equalities and Human Rights Commission has begun an investigation into Network Rail, following claims from a trade union that the organisation "paid off bullied staff".
This one will run and run...
This from Your Leek Paper...
MCR is in the process of acquiring the disused railway line which runs from the main line at Stoke up to the Cauldon Low quarries — a distance of about 20 miles.
During the next two years, MCR intends to renovate the line completely.
Interesting!
Via Twitter...
At Euston waiting for the train to Woking...
You'll have a long wait then.
UPDATE: This just in from @SadiqKhan
@TheFactCompiler make that Waterloo...
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