***So who is to be the new MD of First Capital Connect?***
Hulleys’ Closure - My Thoughts
1 year ago
Monday, 9 November 2009
ATOC - adrift from reality
Good news from ATOC!
Whilst their TOC members plead poverty it appears that the trade forum lives in a parallel universe where their suppliers have oodles of money.
Or so it would appear judging from this ratecard touted round suppliers by the agency selling space in the new ATOC Telephone Directory.
Advertising Space Available------Cost per Issue
Outside Back Cover--------------£10,000
Inside Back Cover----------------£6,000
Inside Front Cover---------------£7,000
Eye wateringly expensive!
Why for the price of the outside cover you could travel with Arriva XC from Newquay to Fort William almost ten times...
Shabby Eurostar marks 15th Anniversary
This from Marketing...
Eurostar launches campaign to mark 15th anniversary
Eye recommends that Eurostar marks the anniversary by cleaning, or better still repainting, its tatty trains.
Glasgow will lose East Coast Main Line services!
Much excitement in the media this weekend over suggestions that Glasgow will come off the East Coast franchise map.
The story prompted a strong denial from the Noble Lord in the Sunday Times:
Lord Adonis, the UK transport minister, last night dismissed claims that direct train services between Glasgow and London on the East Coast Main Line were about to be axed.
Adonis said that he knew of no such plan, insisting that he would not withdraw rail services from Glasgow.
But what's this?
The Noble Lord claims that he has no knowledge of such a plan.
Shome mishtake shurley!
Why it was only two years ago, when the last East Coast franchise failed, that exactly the same plans were submitted by officials.
The fact that they were vetoed by the then minister doesn't mean that such plans have gone away.
Indeed, after a second high profile franchise failure on the same route, these plans now make even more sense.
By removing the need to serve Glasgow, Inverness and Aberdeen there would be considerable operational savings (fuel, traincrew and rolling stock).
Better still it may be possible to free up some East Coast 125mph trains so that ScotRail could run their own premium service within Scotland.
Class 180s anyone?
So Eye confidently predicts that when the East Coast franchise is eventually re-let Edinburgh will be as far is it goes.
Friday, 6 November 2009
The Hammers... and tongs
This from Reuters...
Instead of the usual messages about delays, passengers at West Ham station in east London heard a couple's love-making antics being relayed over platform loudspeakers during the evening rush hour on Thursday.
Good old Extended Jubilee line - longer, faster, deeper!
Poppy appeal - play your part
Of your charity please consider doing the following...
Text the word POPPY to 70222 - to make a donation to The Royal British Legion. (Texts cost £1.50 plus your standard network message charge). At least £1.00* goes directly to the Legion.
Other ways in which you can support the Royal British Legion can be found here.
Transport Select Committe - next evidence session
Priorities for investment in the railways - 11 Nov 09 (3)
EVIDENCE SESSION
On Wednesday 11 November 2009 at 3.45pm in Committee Room 8, Palace of Westminster, House of Commons, the Committee will hold an evidence session on Priorities for investment in the railways. The following will give evidence:
Time Witnesses
3.45 pm - Eurostar, Deutsche Bahn, Greengauge 21
4.15 pm - Association of Train Operating Companies, Virgin Group, National Express
5.15 pm - Network Rail
These timings are approximate and the sessions may start slightly earlier or later than advertised.
UPDATE: This from J Alfred Prufrock...
Of all those appearing before the Transport Committee only Network Rail actually invests any money in the railway and that all comes from the taxpayer.
Bah, humbug.
UPDATE: This from Network Rail's Internet Rapidish Rebuttal Unit...
J Alfred Prufrock really should know better.
His assertion that the money Network Rail invests "all comes from the taxpayer" will come as news to train operators whose track access charges paid to us help fund the railway.
Also the £300m a year contribution from our commercial property division is not to be sniffed at either.
Signal sighting problems explained
UPDATE: Eye is grateful to a Mr Saltaire for this novel solution...
WTF?
Thursday, 5 November 2009
First for not running trains
Eye wonders if Elaine Holt might have any spare time between now and the 13th November to fix a small problem.
Apparently her old TOC isn't running any trains on the Great Northern route this Sunday.
Something to do with driver shortages.
Surely they haven't all been recruited by DOR as well?
UPDATE: This from The Sussex Driver...
FCC are indeed short of drivers at the moment, both on the GN and Thameslink routes.
This is being compounded by First Group awarding the driving grade a 0% pay rise, backdated to April!
As I'm sure you'll appreciate, the brothers aren't exactly best pleased, and have told them to shove rest day working up their siding, hence no GN services this Sunday.
Last Saturday evening it was buses between Bedford and London because of the shortage, and so far there have been over 100 services cancelled on the Thameslink route in the last two weeks.
Fire Coucher demands ASLEF
This from ASLEF...
Train drivers’ union ASLEF is calling for the dismissal of Network Rail chief Iain Coucher after an enquiry yesterday revealed ‘gross incompetence’ which contributed to three deaths at the Halkirk level crossing in Caithness last month.
Strong words from the brothers, in advance of the full enquiry which is to take place later in the year.
DOR caught on hop by Adonis NXEC decision
Telegrammed by our man at 222 Marylebone Road
Directly Operated Railways seems to have been taken by surprise by the decision to bring forward the termination date of the National Express East Franchise by a month.
Until this week DOR was working on taking over at the timetable change on 13th December.
Now it is 13th November - just over a week away.
Had they had a subscription to the Orange Peril, otherwise known as Rail Business Intelligence, they would have found on the City Page of the October 29 issue an erudite analysis of the NXEC burn rate.
This showed that the franchise was losing £1.27m a week and had £6 million left in the kitty as of 30th September.
So it was pretty clear that NXEC was going to run out of money well before 13th December.
Perhaps DOR was hoping that all those cheap advance purchase tickets NXEC has been flogging would boost revenue - despite other operators experience showing it hammering the revenue line.
UPDATE: This from Charles Yerkes...
DOR still appears to be caught on the back foot judging by their website.
It still has no mention of the momentous news...
UPDATE: This from Lobby Fodder...
I'm not surprised that DOR has been caught out.
There were 'animated discussions' and raised voices late into last night, between party spin doctors and Treasury officials, over how the renationalisation was to be portrayed.
Judging from today's low key announcement the Treasury won.
Adonis pulls plug on NXEC - Official Statement
Franchised Rail Services: Update
The Secretary of State for Transport (Lord Adonis): Further to my statements on 1 July 2009 [Official Report, Col.225 and Official Report, Col. WS 24] on East Coast main line rail services, after the close of the markets yesterday I notified National Express East Coast Ltd that I am terminating their franchise with effect from 11:59 pm on 13 November.
The publicly owned East Coast Main Line company will take over running of this franchise from that time, with an orderly handover from National Express East Coast. I can assure the travelling public that services will continue without disruption and all tickets will be honoured.
Staff currently employed by National Express East Coast will transfer to the East Coast Main Line company under the Transfers of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE), with the necessary statutory consultation.
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Cross Default update
Shouldn't something be happening soon?
'Nuff said.
UPDATE: This from Leo Pink...
I see that the LibDems have now also joined the clamour for NatEx to be stripped off their other franchises.
National Express East Anglia is currently responsible for procuring 30 four car Electrostar EMUs and is already on the maximum support under cap and collar.
Do we really want this dumped on the taxpayer?
Rolling stock strategy is heading for a fall
It's late.
The Department for Transport originally promised it in Autumn.
It now admits it will be published at the 'end of the year'.
Shadow Transport Minister Stephen Hammond is unconvinced.
At a conference in Manchester today he said he expected it to emerge in March next year!
Hammond is clearly realistic about his future Department's ability to deliver.
2009 Railway Garden Competition - Oo no!
This slightly deranged submission from Ben Jones, editor of Model Rail magazine...
Just to prove that things were no better in the era of BR blue Class 25s on proper freight trains, here’s a shocking example of infrastructure neglect in 4mm:1ft scale. 
Does this qualify for the contest?
No but good effort.
Adonis unlikely to face sack - Official
Telegrammed by The Fashionista
All Ministers are accompanied on trips outside Westminster by a junior bag carrier cum minder.
We certainly can't have Minsters of the Crown carrying their own sandwiches in non-biodegradable plastic sacks like a certain Captain of Industry we could mention.
The Electrification Evangelist's bag carrier has a nice line in attache cases to heft.
Made by Prada, no less.
Probably hand stitched by Miuccia herself for Milord Inglese.
Must dash. Ciao. Mwah, Mwah.
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