Strange - the words 'late' and 'missing' appear not to the there.
UPDATE: This from Chionanthus virginicus...
Perhaps the word above the "C" of spacious says it all... "nothing".
UPDATE: This from Sim Harris...
One more point of interest: why does TIE persist in describing its growing but sadly jobless collection of rolling stock as Tram Vehicles?
Tautology rules OK in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle!
So.
Petrol-head has decided on a 'Y' route for HS2.
By creating a junction just north of Birmingham both Lancashire and Yorkshire will now be served
Sadly not everyone at yesterday's conference welcomed the announcement.
But a more charming set of protesters you could not have wished to meet.
Oh dear!
Wolmar hasn't been having a good Tory party conference.
The star of stage, screen and amazon book-store was invited to sit as honoured guest on the panel at ATOC's fringe event last night.
The TOC lobby group had even been kind enough to provide a train ticket to get the great man to Brum.
Imagine Wolmar's chagrin when the gripper on his Virgin train pointed out it was valid London Midland only!
Eye is unsure whether this was an example of ATOC penny pinching or second thoughts in the Bernard Street bunker - perhaps they hoped the great man would miss the event by travelling on an oh-so-slow train
Meanwhile Wolmar's continues to woo the new members of the ConDem ministerial transport team.
Although judging by this tweet, sent from Bombardier's fringe event, not that succesfully!
Saw Ms Villiers at Con conf. She is v cross at me for being so hard on Norman re Cycling England's demise. I said it was 6 years work wasted.
What a picture that would have made - Wolmar being savaged by the Saviour of the Jammy Dodger!
This from TfL...
Ian Brown, Managing Director, London Rail
Ian Brown, who has led London Rail with such great distinction over the last 10 years, has decided to retire from Transport for London.
In a career spanning over 40 years, Ian has made an outstanding contribution to public transport and the rail industry, and I know that he fully intends to remain active in the industry for many years to come.
In the meantime, I would like to acknowledge just some of the radical improvements delivered for passengers under Ian’s leadership:
Exciting news from the Deputy Prime Minister!
Cleggy has been busy twittering the following (several times in fact):
I'm delighted that we've managed to include Sheffield in the high speed rail route. It is a clear demonstration of this government's commitment to creating jobs and prosperity in the north. The Coalition will invest in capital infrastructure like high speed rail and continue to ensure a fair deal for Sheffield.
Good news indeed (what with Cleggy having a Sheffield constituency and all).
However, cuts will no doubt have to be made elsewhere in the transport budget to pay for this Lord Adonis-esque piece of Pork Barrel routing.
Friend Cleggy is already making ominous noises about sleeper services.
This from the latest edition of the Speccie:
"A long walk is overdue, especially after a night on the 'sleeper train' - surely one of the crueller oxymorons in the English language."
Oh dear.
Looks like the days of the Deer Stalker Express are numbered...
This from the Wicked Weaver...
The train is a Cardiff - Cheltenham service with passengers boarding.
This from Only2misters...
Whilst mulling over the innate difficulties of DDA compliance on heritage lines, I was pleased to see this effective and sturdy, yet Value for Money solution, deployed by Cumbria's Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway.
Clearly the National Rail network has much to learn from our heritage friends.
The Reforming Rail Franchising consultation document was originally published on the 22nd July 2010.
Eye understands that ministers have been "disappointed" by the number of responses to this consultation to date.
So the Saviour of the Jammy Dodger today launched this YouTube video to try and drum up some more responses.
As future franchising policy will effect the entire industry it is perhaps not a bad idea to think about responding.
The consultation document can be found here and the closing date is the 18th October.
Remember vote early - vote often!
UPDATE: This from Sinoda...
Despite the change of background logo, Ms Villiers appears to be speaking from Eurostar's famous broom cupboard from where Richard Brown made his very memorable broadcasts.
And what to make of the final salvo from Mr Voiceover: "If you are unable to access this video, please contact the 'digital engagement team' at the Department for Transport, so we can arrange an alternative format".
Surely you wouldn't know who to contact unless you had watched the video?
UPDATE: This from Herb Aceous...
The video clip lasts 2 minutes and 45 seconds but the clap board at the end refers to a running time of 3 minutes 40 seconds.
What sundry delights were edited out I wonder?
This, surprisingly, from Generals Helmuth von Moltke (senior) and Alfred von Schlieffen...
Unser liebe Fact Compiler
Can we through Railway Eye pass on our congratulations to Herr Doktor Professor Wolmar on the timeliness of his latest book, Engines of War, on sale yesterday.
Today as the French try to prevent German trains running through the tunnel can we commend pages 71 to 88 and 133 to 159 of his meisterwerk detailing our respective rail strategies in 1870 and 1914 to your readers.
It would appear that having lost the competition to supply new trains for Eurostar, technically and commercially, the French have resorted to rule bending in an attempt to protect their archaic railway industry.
Nach St Pancras!
UPDATE: This from Our International Correspondent...
In their understandable resentment at the traditional intransigence of French Railways to be cowed by Die Bahn, the German generals overlook the historic fact that while their attempts to come this way have a poor sustainability record during the last century, plucky old Britain’s one attempt to go east past the Calais Up Starter on her own was more successful.
As part of a larger coalition of English-speaking nations on tour in 1944, the Walmington-On-Sea platoon used a pretty ramshackle collection of British and American kettles to run trains as far as the Rhine.
They then went on to Berlin using German kettles whose ownership had become a little confused following the total surrender of the Thousand Year Reich at Luneberg Heath.
Somehow, all this was done without EU Interoperability Regulations.
Perhaps the British Army Railway Squadron, soon to be disinvented by the spending review, could have one Last Hurrah nach Berlin!
UPDATE: This from Ithuriel...
Eurostar's new trains - did a cunning plan backfire?
Eurostar has run its procurement of 10 new trains in unprecedented secrecy.
The news came as a surprise to the most experienced industry watchers.
Eurostar avoided issuing an OJEU, which would have given the game away, by using the Link-up qualification system.
Why?
Could it be that the aim was to use Siemens as a stalking horse to cover up an order destined to go, naturellement, to Alstom?
After all, everyone in France knows that German trains could not match the commercial offer from the French champion.
But les sales boche cheated and put in a more attractive offer. A knock-out offer, in fact, which could not be refused.
And now Johny Crapaud is trying to rectify this unfortunate error.
One question remains.
Was Bombardier invited to bid?
Compare and contrast:
This from the FT:
The French authorities have been accused of trying to block the first-ever order by an affiliate of SNCF, France’s national train operator, for non-French high-speed trains, after Eurostar named Germany’s Siemens preferred bidder for a new train fleet.
With this from Rail Business Intelligence...
Bombardier insiders continue to express their frustration at the lack of progress in developing a bi-mode version of the Class 22X DEMU... According to Bombardier, the company has held numerous meetings over the past three years with DfT...
So in France you can have whatever you want, as long as it is built by Alstom. Whilst in the UK you just can't.
This from the Home Office...
The independent study, announced by Home Secretary Theresa May, will help bring modern management practices into policing and increase operational flexibility for the country’s 43 territorial forces.
Former Rail Regulator Tom Winsor will head the review, supported by professional advice from former West Midlands Chief Constable Sir Edward Crew and leading labour market economist Professor Richard Disney.
Eye hopes Tom has bought lots of batteries for that famous tape recorder...
This from Delta Rail...
In recent years we have continued to offer consultancy services in track and train engineering to meet customer demand, although the market for these services has been in decline.
We will now discontinue consultancy services in engineering design, trains electrical engineering, trains mechanical engineering, trains certification, track consultancy and on-call accident investigation. The impact of discontinuing these consultancy services will potentially be around 50 redundancies.
In line with our strategy we will now focus on the key areas that currently form 95% of group revenues and where we are looking forward to working with our customers on a number of exciting projects.
Presumably one of these exciting projects will be outplacement services?
This little gem from the latest edition of Rail Professional...
Yeowart was reluctant to name the company that is funding Alliance, which, he explained, was happy to remain in the background for now. But a look at the Companies House website reveals all. The mystery backer is Arriva, which, of course, has just been bought out by Deutsche Bahn.
Eye wonders whether DB will bundle Alliance Rail into its other open access undertaking WSMR, or vice versa?
Perhaps WSMR will remain stand alone?
No doubt by Christmas all will be clear.
This from Eastbourne Today...
The December 2010 timetable changes confirm the 6.47pm service from London Victoria to Ore will increase the number of carriages continuing on to Eastbourne from four to eight once it splits at Haywards Heath after Norman Baker MP drew Southern Railway's attention to the problem.
Just fancy that!
Clearly we are all in this together - unless your MP is a junior transport minister.
Eye salutes Shadow Transport Secretary Sadiq Khan!
His barnstorming speech today at the Labour Party conference had the Fact Compiler splitting his sides!
Take this for instance:
But talking shop with my family made sure that I never forgot the shambles of a transport system we inherited from the Tories in 1997.
That would be the shambles of a transport system that Labour promised to undo in its 1997 manifesto and then didn't?
The shambles that saw a unified railway industry disaggregated with a resulting explosion in cost most of which occurred during Labour's watch?
Or this for instance:
And in London, we saw what Labour leadership can mean – upgrades to the tube, electronic ticketing, bus services transformed, the congestion charge, and a deal for Crossrail, a scheme which will contribute billions to Britain's economy.
Who can forget the triumph of Gordon and Shriti's PPP? The splendid benefits of which Londoners continue to enjoy to this very day.
No doubt the meaning of Labour's leadership will be evident on London Underground for years to come.
Or what about this:
The value of investment in new trains.
So where, Sadi' baby, are those long promised 1,300 vehicles. We are still waiting... mostly in overcrowded carriages or on platforms due to short formed trains!
Or perhaps even this:
Passengers will not pay more for less.
So pray tell who was it that set the policy that said passengers should pay above inflationary increases to travel by train after years of RPI-1% under the evil Conservatives? That's right, your predecessor at the Department for Transport, Alastair Darling. And in return Passengers got less carriage space, less catering and train travel became a whole lot less pleasant.
No matter.
Sadiq signed off his oration with the following:
We'll win the next General Election if we show people a vision of a better fairer Britain that they can believe in.
Possibly, but don't expect that we'll believe any of those promises for one second! Once bitten, twice shy.
Exciting news from First Great Western!
A new station has joined the network - welcome to Penzanze!
Either that or the designer has been on the zider!
Is David Higgins attempting to ingratiate himself with the railway before he moves to Network Rail?
This from an Invitation to Tender released by his current employer the Olympic Delivery Authority:
The ODA is seeking expressions of interest for the supply, management and operation of a number of sets of locomotives and coaches for use during the 2012 Olympic Games. The trains will provide late night additional capacity (as required) from any or all of the following London terminals: Euston, Kings Cross, Paddington and St. Pancras.
Perhaps he'll even consider waiving track access charges for these Javelettes in his new role?
Telegrammed by Our International Correspondent
The UK Press Gazette is the monthly trade journal of choice for phone hackers, paparazzi and those who spend a lot of time badgering the BA press office for free tickets.
Its most recent edition furnishes readers with an eight page Insider’s Briefing to transport and how to cover it.
There-in the alumni of great communicators are all arrayed; including BBC transport men Tom Edwards (London) and Paul Clifton (South and from time to time Rail Professional), Julian Rush, who dabbles in transport for Channel 4, and John Ingham who covers the beat for the Daily Express and has done so for many years.
Interesting omissions include Robert Wright of the pink 'un and Philip Pank of The Thunderer. Perhaps, lurking behind paywalls, they are a bit harder to get hold of.
Part of the briefing lists Key Publications – recommended serious reading for those writing of wheel on rail.
Featured are Transport Times, Local Transport Today, and surprisingly, plucky little Railway Magazine. The listing helpfully gives editors email and phone numbers so they can be contacted for a swift vox pop should incident or other service perturbation occur.
Surprisingly neither RAIL nor Modern Railways gets a mention.
Meanwhile Mystic Wolmar was asked by UKPG to explain the dearth of ladies covering transport. He limply explained that “trains, planes and cars are quite male subjects of interest”.
With such searing insights a golden future for Wolmar's mellifluous tones remains assured at the nation's breakfast tables.
Time for an exciting new Eye feature!
During party conference season the great and the good rush to have their photos taken with the leaders of the politico world.
Over excited industry press officers have been rushing these images out to show just how well connected their masters are.
So Eye is delighted to give space to a selection of these Cheesy Grins.
First this of Centro chief executive, Geoff Inskip, with newly-elected Labour leader Ed Miliband.
And here Grand Central MD, Tom Clift, with the same...
Sadly the soi disant 'veteran observer' has rather missed the point!
Wrong Miliband Mr BB!
Doh!
More Cheesy Grins welcome.
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