ATOC unveils new map of... Less Britain!

This from a Mr Station Throat...

ATOC may be accused of being London centric but their latest oeuvre, a splendid glossy browbeater called "Keeping Britain Moving", is really going some!


On the front cover the Cumbrian Coast is no more, Suffolk is now part of the Thames, whilst Cornwall has sunk without trace (did the seawall at Dawlish finally give way?).

And the poor old Isle of Wight does not even exist!

It's all there to view on ATOC's website, or at least the bits that remain are.

UPDATE: This from Terminus...

This light piece of reading does bear scrutiny, page 4 for example trumpets the delivery of Wifi on Cross Country Trains!

Elsewhere mention is made of XC's new services to Glasgow, neglecting perhaps to mention that these are not additional but merely replace those withdrawn by East Coast.

Another great effort from Messrs Bowtie, Bow-tie and Glasses?

Virgin gets eight month extension

As predicted by Sid Spiv, the DfT's Director of Leaks, Virgin has been awarded an eight month extension to its West Coast franchise.

This from the DfT:

West Coast passengers in line for 28,000 extra seats as franchise extension signed

Passengers using the busy West Coast Main Line are set to benefit from extra carriages and more seats from April next year Rail Minister Theresa Villiers has announced, after the Government signed an extension to Virgin Trains' existing contract to operate services on the line.

Services on the line - which stretches from London to Glasgow serving Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and North Wales - will now be run by Virgin Trains until December 2012. Over the course of the extension three new 600-seat Pendolino trains will be added to the line. This is in addition to the new Pendolino which entered service in July this year. Also, 31 existing Pendolinos will be lengthened from 9 to 11 carriages, increasing the number of standard class seats on each train by almost 50%, from 320 to 470. In all, 106 new carriages are being introduced on the route making 28,000 extra seats available each day, an increase of 25%.

Rail Minister Theresa Villiers said:

"The West Coast Main Line is one of our busiest and most important rail arteries. Keeping the existing operator in place while these new trains and carriages are introduced should help ensure they are introduced smoothly onto the network so passengers reap the benefits as soon as possible.

"When this extension expires in December 2012, the Government will have completed a competition for a new operator to run services on the line under a new longer style of franchise which gives the operator more incentive to invest and more freedom to innovate and deliver for passengers.

"These extra seats are great news for passengers, but in the longer term, even with these improvements, the route is expected to be full by 2024. This is why we are considering proposals for a high speed rail line between London, the West Midlands, Manchester, Leeds and potentially beyond."

The Department announced its intention to seek an extension to Virgin Trains' existing contract in May 2011. At the same time the Department published details of how the new West Coast franchise that will take over in December 2012 will look, in the form of a draft Invitation To Tender. The new franchise will run from December 2012 to March 2026 with an option for the Department to extend up to 20 months.

The Government is currently considering responses to its consultation on proposals for a new high speed rail network and will announce its decision by the end of the year.

28,000 extra seats? A nice use of Tractor Stats.

Villiers vignettes - Raising the white flag

Good news from Cruella!

Judging by yesterday's written answer it looks as if Marsham Street has experienced a damascene conversion:

Rehman Chishti (Gillingham and Rainham)
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport from which companies the London and South Eastern Railway and its predecessor franchisees have leased rolling stock; how many and what types of rolling stock have been leased; and what the costs of such leasing has been in each year since 1994.

Theresa Villiers (Minister of State Transport; Chipping Barnet)
Information on the numbers and different types of rolling stock leased by train companies, and from whom, is in the public domain. For example, the Rail Guide 2011 produced by Ian Allan Publishing.

Leasing costs are commercially sensitive. Inquiries on this subject should be directed to the rolling stock owners and train operators.

Eye congratulates officials for finally conceding that they know nothing about rolling stock.

UPDATE: This from Captain Deltic...

While delighted by this endorsement by DfT of our annual reference book, could I emphasise that Modern Railways will not accept responsibility for any errors in references to rolling stock made by Transport Ministers in Parliamentary Statements and written answers.

Villiers vignettes - Bite sized chunks edition

Virgin reveals future performance plans

Has Virgin climbed into bed with Mystic Meg?

So it would appear from this poster which cannily reveals how well Virgin will perform next month!


Sadly, despite the benefits of such foresight, next month's performance will still be worse than in November 2010!

UPDATE: This from Virgin Trains...

Hands up, we made a mistake!

The performance poster for the four weeks ending 15th October does contain a misprint, and reference to November in the bar chart should read October.

This has now been corrected and updated posters will be despatched to stations.

UPDATE: This from Mr Tuppence Worth...

I don't know much about these things but what I do know is that a year comprises only 13 4-week periods yet despite the correction of November 2011 to October 2011 there will still be 14 bars for the year.

Still confused.

UPDATE: This from Our International Correspondent...

Actually, counting across from November 2010, the red bar for November is where December 2011 should go.

Thus they are still forecasting November's results, in the slot where December's should go, so two of the other grey bars, or one grey one and the red one are, er, bollox.

I must get out more.

Rail Barbie new role revealed - Exclusive

This from the Beeb...

US toy maker Mattel has announced a deal to buy HIT Entertainment, owner of Thomas the Tank Engine and other popular children's brands.

The maker of the Barbie doll, Hot Wheels and Fisher-Price toys is buying HIT in a $680m (£420m) cash deal.

Looks like Rail Barbie has got the Fat Controller's job...

UPDATE: This from a Coward...

So that'll be James, Gordon and Henry the... Grey Engines.

Pointless signs - Highbury and Islington

Pointless signs - Euston

This from Marshy...


Sadly a disappointing entry, as it contains some genuinely useful, although slightly worrying, information.

Happily, it has a humorous aspect.

Eye hopes the 'missing' signal safely reverts soonest.

Greening appoints Special Advisers

Guido reporting the following have been appointed as Justine Greening's Special Advisers...

Graham Hook as policy SpAd, he’s the former CCHQ briefer for Question Time. Victoria Crawford from the CCHQ press office will handle the media.

More here.

Pointless signs - Coventry

This from a Mr Contra-Flow...

Greetings from Coventry where our friends at CrossCountry are clearly a little challenged by their Gregorian vs Julian calendars.


"Sunday 31st October" is just so last year!

Holt to leave Directly Operated Railways

This from Rail Barbie...

I wanted to write and let you know personally that I will be stepping down from my position as both Chairman of Directly Operated Railways (DOR) and East Coast Main Line Company (East Coast), at the expiry of my contract term at the end of the year. I shall be taking up a new senior industry role at the beginning of January 2012.

I’ve immensely enjoyed being at the helm of East Coast, it’s a really good business and I’m genuinely sorry to be leaving. We’ve achieved a huge amount in the last two years and we’re just starting to see the benefits of the Company ‘turnaround’. The business still has a number of challenges to overcome – but I’m absolutely convinced we made the right base choices and have established a strong new foundation for our successes to be sustainable. The franchise extension until the end of 2013 will see this task largely completed – with Britain’s flagship train company in much better shape than when we started. I couldn’t have achieved this level of progress without the very strong support from the staff of East Coast, the board, and in particular Karen Boswell, East Coast’s Managing Director.

And so, I’m genuinely regretful of the fact that I won’t now be around to ‘finish the job’. The introduction of a major new timetable and the launch of a new complimentary catering offer in First Class in May 2011, have both been strategically significant and delivered positive results. Passenger numbers have increased by 3 per cent in the last year (2010/11), and East Coast is now one of the best financial performers in the rail industry.

I want to personally thank all our customers and stakeholders for travelling with us, but particularly for your engagement over the last couple of years. I can assure you that your feedback has been pivotal in helping us to drive our determination to, ‘get it right’. I know Karen and her team are passionate about carrying on the good work – and will welcome a continuance of the dialogue in the future.

Following my departure, Michael Holden will become Chairman of East Coast and Doug Sutherland Non Executive Chairman of Directly Operated Railways. Michael and Doug will fulfil these roles on an interim basis until discussions with the Department for Transport on filling these roles permanently are concluded.

- ENDS -

Concern over Greater Anglia announcement

So congratulations to Abellio for winning the Greater Anglia franchise.

Meanwhile Eye understands that there is growing concern within the Department about how the news reached the market.

Sid Spiv, Director of Leaks at the DfT, said "My team has worked extremely hard to ensure that the winner of this franchise was well known before we had to go through all that boring, old, official announcement stuff. Even the Guardian had it two weeks ago for God's sake. Therefore, I find it completely unacceptable that scarce government resources were wasted on making a formal announcement this morning. Mark my words, heads will not roll for this."

A clearly angry Mr Spiv ended by saying "Did I mention that Virgin will get their franchise extension?"

DfT Special Advisers - All Change

This from Guido...

Policy wonk Sian Jones has gone with Hammond, and there was talk of Paul Stephenson, Hammond’s media SpAd going across too, but he has gone back to is old opposition boss – Andrew Lansley.

And according to Guido - "Justine Greening at Transport is hiring…"

Pointless signs - Leeds City Station

PICTURE EXCLUSIVE: DfT welcomes Greening

Eye hears good things about our new Secretary of State for Transport.

The most frequently used terms are "impressive", "very bright", "on top of her brief" and "showed original thinking".

We shall see.

Meanwhile, Whitehall has been bending over backwards to welcome the Rt Hon Justine Greening MP into the fold.

According to @PaulWaugh:

No doubt this novel way of marking a colleagues 'entrance' was suggested to iDave by his near Cotswold neighbour Rebecca?

No matter.

Not to be outdone the Department for Transport laid on its own unique style of welcome for Greening, as these EXCLUSIVE Eye pictures reveal:


Once inside Great Minster House Justine was afforded a personal audience with the DfT's most senior Mandarin...


Resistance is Futile!

Sailing by...

This from Robert Wright of the FT...

As many of you will already be aware and as others will be delighted and relieved to learn, I'm starting a new job.

Instead of covering transport in general for the FT in future, I've been appointed to a new job focusing on shipping and logistics.

My replacement, whom some of you will already have met or spoken to, is Mark Odell.

For those of you who have been helpful to me over the last eight years, I'm very grateful. Please continue to give Mark the same assistance.

For the rest of you, please help Mark in all the ways you didn't help me.

My new job will keep me involved in covering freight transport issues and consequently I will still be covering the freight or logistics arms of some of your operations. Mark will cover all forms of passenger transport all over the world, except aviation.

I will continue to write my Rail Professional column, which may keep me in touch with some of you occasionally. I'm also still open to chairing conferences and so on (within the FT's rules on these matters).

To those of you with whom I'll no longer be in regular contact, it's been mostly a pleasure and farewell.

So farewell to Robert from the railway, unless you are a freighty of course, and welcome to Mark.

Meanwhile, in happier news perhaps we can also wave goodbye to the preposterous soi disant 'veteran observer', Brennan-Brown, whose words of wisdom (sic) regularly peppered FT articles in the past?

Eye firmly hopes so!

UPDATE: This from a Mr Brennan-Brown...

Please stop referring to me as the "soi disant veteran observer"!

I have emailed you repeatedly about this, pointing out that it is neither funny nor... (sadly, owing to pressure of space, Eye is unable to publish the rest of this email from the soi disant 'veteran observer'. Ed).

UPDATE: This from John...

Your comment that, with the departure of Robert Wright from the FT, Rupert BB may also disappear, seems to be unfounded.

Not 24 hours later an article appeared from newcomer Mark Odell quoting one "Rupert Brennan-Brown, a long-time industry observer".

So its business as usual at the FT!

Lookalike - Annoying men on the Tube

An amusing tale from the Daily Mail...

In a deliciously naff attempt to pretend that he is a common-man the Prime Minister has travelled on the Underground (just the once you understand).

And as if determined to prove that it was a completely alien experience iDave actually spoke, uninvited, to other passengers!

Sadly for the Downing Street spinners the loony eyed PM nearly had his collar felt by the BTP: "when the baffled woman had to ask her husband who the strange man was enquiring about their child".

Indeed.

Perhaps iDave should have learnt from his role model Mr Tony that these things can go badly wrong...


Message to Downing Street spinners: Get your man to fix the Tube, rather than pose on it.

Lookalike - Electric Mayhem?

Ticket office closures is first test for Greening

Good news for those concerned about proposals to reduce booking office hours and station staffing!

This from the constituency website of the new Transport Secretary...

Justine Greening said:

"These Government-backed plans will seriously inconvenience thousands of Londoners who use these stations every day. To slash opening times by over 200 hours is staggering- and that's just in London .

"Worse still, the serious cuts in weekend and evening services raise real concerns over passenger safety. Rail passengers already face delays and over-crowding, and now the Government is making it harder for them to simply buy a ticket."

Indeed.

Although these wise words were uttered whilst in opposition, it is surely inconceivable that the MP for Putney will change her tune just because she has moved to Marsham Street?

Labour reshuffles Transport team

Amidst all the excitement of Friday's Foxtrot the following from the Labour party may have gone un-noticed:

Shadow Transport Secretary Maria Eagle MP has reorganised the responsibilities of Labour’s front-bench transport team in line with the priorities that emerged from the first year of the party’s policy review.

The shake-up has also enabled a move away from a strict mirroring of the government’s division of Ministerial responsibilities and instead seen the creation of three new cross-cutting briefs covering international, national and regional/local transport.

Ed Miliband MP’s recent reshuffle of Labour’s front-bench saw Lilian Greenwood MP join the transport team as Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Regional and Local Transport. She joins Jim Fitzpatrick MP, Shadow Minister of State for International Transport and London; John Woodcock MP, Shadow Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for National Transport; and Pat Glass MP, Parliamentary Private Secretary to Maria Eagle, with responsibility for young people’s transport.

In addition to these cross-cutting briefs, each member of the frontbench team will take responsibility for the areas of Labour’s transport policy review that have been identified as priorities for the coming year.

Demonstrating the importance that Labour is attaching to the issue, Maria Eagle MP will lead a review into reform of the rail industry. The review will look at all options for reform, with its starting point being that tackling the fragmented structure of the industry is vital to deliver better affordability for both tax-payers and fare-payers. Labour’s policy review has supported the devolution of rail services and the review will look at how best to achieve this, while identifying the right future delivery model for inter-city services.

Jim Fitzpatrick MP will lead a review looking at how we can best deliver the aviation capacity needed for economic competitiveness, while reducing emissions and increasing sustainability. While a third runway at Heathrow has been ruled out by the government, there is a growing consensus that British business is suffering from the decision not to permit aviation growth in the South East. This review will look at how best this can be achieved.

John Woodcock MP will lead a review looking at how transport infrastructure and procurement could contribute to growth and jobs through longer term planning. The review will also look at how investment in different modes, such as road and rail, could be better integrated and jointly planned. In addition, John Woodcock MP will lead a review into how surface transport’s contribution to climate change should be tackled. It will look at what the different roles of government and industry should be.

Lilian Greenwood MP will lead a review into how best to further devolve transport decision making and funding, including local roads and rail services. The review will look at the powers and responsibilities of Integrated Transport Authorities and how these could be extended and rolled out across other parts of England. The review will also seek to identify how best to deliver a reversal of bus deregulation and ensure local communities can deliver bus services in a more effective way that puts passengers first.

Finally, Pat Glass MP will continue the work that has been done over the past year in Labour’s parallel Young People’s Transport Policy Review. In particular, she will lead a review into affordability and accessibility of transport for young people and how to deliver a concessionary fares scheme for 16-18 year olds in education and training.

Shadow Transport Secretary Maria Eagle MP said: “Labour has set a new direction for its future transport policy: putting communities in charge, tackling irresponsibility at the top, backing British manufacturing, jobs and growth and making the affordability of transport our number one priority. It’s great to have such a strong parliamentary team to hold this Tory-led government to account and, just as importantly, do the hard work needed to enable us to deliver on our new transport priorities in the future.”

So now you know.

UPDATE: This from Banker76...

Two interesting things tucked away here: one the recognition that the railway industry is too fragmented. Two the recognition that bus deregulation has not worked.

Of course, they only had 13 years to do something about both issues when in power, so don’t hold your breath.