DfT prejudges ticket office consultation

Oh dear!

A leaked series of internal DfT emails about proposed ticket office closures have been published by the Evening Standard:

Larson prepared a draft statement which he emailed to Ruth Harper, senior civil servant at the Rail Fares and Ticketing Review Group at the DfT, on Thursday, 5 April 14.50.

It read: “The government has no plans to close ticket offices, but as ticket buying habits change, we expect train operators to consider how best to deploy their station staff to provide the most benefit to passengers. This will reduce the cost of running the railways for both fare payers and tax payers and help to end the era of inflation busting fare rises.

“We recognise that passengers can feel very strongly about ticket office opening hours, and before we could agree to any changes put forward by operators we would need to be confident that passengers would continue to enjoy ready access to ticket-buying opportunities.”

Ms Harper replies half an hour later at 15.19 stating; “Simon, We can’t say the Government has no plans to close ticket offices because we have an application from London Midland where the minister has already decided to approve some ticket office closures (it’s just not been announced yet while we’re concluding £ negotiations with LM) and there will be more of those in the future.

“If you take that out the rest is ok and your way of slipping in there that the initiative comes from TOCs not us is very neat.”

As this appears to prejudge a still open consultation on ticket office closures the Minister will have some explaining to do...

UPDATE: This from Steve Strong...

Credit where credit is due.

Theresa May appears to have lost a day from the Home Office calender, where as DfT appear to have gained a whole two months.

No doubt the forthcoming Judicial Review of the process will explain how other departments of state can get so far ahead of the curve?

IEP design finalised - Exclusive Eye picture

Virgin deflowered - Official

This very odd piece of PR puffery from Beardie Rail...

Virgin Trains is pleased to announce that ‘Penny’ is pregnant and expecting twins. ‘Penny’ is the 22nd of Virgin’s Pendolinos and is due to give birth in mid-May at Alstom’s H3 hospital located in the Longsight area of Manchester. Penny is doing well, but will also receive a full health check by Alstom’s engineers before being allowed back out on the main line, with her two new coaches in tow.

When released from the train hospital, ‘Penny’ is expected to be the tenth Pendolino to be running around with 11 carriages.

The news comes as ‘Penny’s’ friend, the ‘Virgin Lady’, now given a new identity of 390107, prepares to re-enter service tomorrow morning (19th April 2012) after receiving the H3 health-check and gaining two new vehicles. ‘Virgin Lady’ is the first of the original Pendolino sets to be increased from nine to eleven vehicles.

Evidently Penny is no longer a virgin...

Football governing body cares FA for fans

This from Network Rail...

I just wanted to drop you a line about the FA Cup Final, and the expected difficulties for fans travelling to and from Liverpool for the game. We’re obviously very aware of the importance of this game to the club and its supporters.

As you may be aware, both Network Rail and Virgin did tell the FA that the later kick-off time would cause problems for fans looking to travel by train to the match. If the match had kicked off in its traditional 3pm timeslot it would’ve been difficult, but possible for supporters to travel back from the game to Merseyside by rail.

However, the FA has been clear that it wants a 5.15pm kick off as this will enable it to maximise the domestic and global television audience for the game. This has exacerbated the fact that the final has already been moved forward a fortnight, both because the Champions League Final has been moved from its traditional slot on a Wednesday evening to a Saturday (19 May) and as a result of the need to give those players going to the European Championships a longer rest prior to the tournament.

In terms of the work we’re undertaking, some of it has been in the planning for 18-24 months. On the Saturday and Sunday we are rebuilding an entire junction north of Crewe, and we are also undertaking preparatory work for a major resignalling scheme at Bletchley.

At the site near Crewe there are currently five sets of crossovers, all quite close together, that make up the junction. A 30mph speed restriction is currently in place. These crossovers are being completely rebuilt, redesigned, relayed and re-spaced so the junction is opened out. This will allow us to raise the speed limit to 40mph, which will make a difference to journey time and reliability.

On Sunday, near Bletchley, we're undertaking a mixture of substantial track works for the installation of new points and signals as part of the ongoing resignalling project in this area.

Both these pieces of work are vitally important to us. The scheme at Crewe, in particular, has already had to be reprogrammed from April 2010 (when, due to the ash cloud from the volcano in Iceland, domestic flights were cancelled, and we subsequently cancelled all our work on long-distance routes).

Deferring this work would cost the company (and therefore the taxpayer) some £6m to postpone and rearrange. It would cause further disruption to the travelling public at a later date. In addition, this work is so substantial that it’s not feasible to move it to a normal weekend as the work being undertaken needs more time.

Finally, given that we have made a commitment not to work during the Olympic period (approximately six weeks covering both the Olympics and Paralympics) this May Bank Holiday weekend is even more important to us this year than it would normally be.

ENDS

Jim-Jams modally agnostic!

Good news for fans of the Mondeo railway!

Eye has been sent an invitation to the 'Intelligent Mobility Summit' at The Royal Society on the 25th April.

Hosted by the Automotive Council UK the event is in response to the 'increasing demands being made on the UK’s road transport system' and will attempt to 'explore the business opportunities arising from innovative solutions, to address:

• increasing the capacity of the UK’s existing transport infrastructure;
• enhancing road safety;
• improving air quality; and,
• reducing carbon emissions.

And quite right too!

But who is chairing the event and hosting our very own Captain of Netball, as well as senior players from the likes of Ford, BMW and Nissan?

Why, step forward Ricky Jim-Jams, Network Rail's new designate chairman and now a non-Exec of the Infrastructure Controller!

But obviously not wearing a Network Rail hat... oh no.

According to the blurb on the ACUK website, Professor Richard Parry Jones CBE or 'RPJ, as he’s better known' is co-chairman of Automotive Council UK and 'is one of the most influential auto engineers of his generation'.

The site continues, in similarly enthusiastic petrol-head tones:

'He rose to become group vice president product development and chief technical officer of Ford Motor Company... led the development of the Ka, Fiesta, Puma, Focus and Mondeo, models... most recently RPJ has chaired the cross-industry new Automotive Innovation and Growth Team (NAIGT)... is Pro-Chancellor and visiting professor in automotive engineering at Loughborough University'.

But of his future role leading Britain's railway... sadly there is not a word.

No doubt Jim-Jams will put this right next Wednesday, by telling delegates at the 'Intelligent Mobility Summit' to take the train?

UPDATE: This from Captain Deltic...

So RPJ led development of the Ford Puma? .

This pocket rocket was the last and best of the seven Ford cars I have owned to date.

But it means that at the next press briefing he attends he will get the question that I used to bounce at Network Rail's first Chairman Ian McAllister, who had been Chairman and Managing Director of Ford, and presumably RPJ's boss, when the Puma was being developed.

"What does it say about your attention to detail when every time the hatchback is lifted on a Puma on a wet day water runs off the hatch straight into the boot?"

Pointless signs - Banbury

Pointless signs - First Capital Connect

Georgian Railways show the way forward?

This from Mrs AP Tis...

I don't know if you've seen the FT today (of course, Ed) but Eye favourite Robert Wright has a piece on Georgian Railways' plans to be the first state controlled railway monopoly to list on the London Stock Exchange.

The last two lines of Mr Wright's piece in the Pink 'Un are most interesting:

Mr Ezugbaia said the company was listing itself as an undivided, integrated organisation to mimic the structure of large, North American railroads, such as Union Pacific and CSX. Those companies own their own track, locomotives and wagons, instead of dividing the infrastructure and operations as normally happens in the European Union.

“We found that this exact strategy is the way to be oriented to successful growth for the railway operations,” Mr Ezugbaia said.

Says it all really.

PM enters Derbyshire bear-pit and survives

Following the debacle of Derbygate the East Midlands rail industry no longer appears shy of letting government know exactly what it wants.

The Prime Minister was in Derbyshire yesterday to gee-up the troops ahead of the local Elections.

The timing of his visit could not have better, with Loughborough MP Nicky Morgan also having secured an Adjournment debate last night on upgrading the Midland Main Line.

Alert to the lobbying possibilities cheeky local paper the Derby Telegraph decided to welcome the PM with a frontpage demanding electrification of the MML.

Here a delighted Mr Cameron grimaces as he holds yesterday's paper having promised to 'look closely' at the scheme.


With happy memories of previous ministerial visits to Bombardier ahead of the Thameslink decision, let's hope this picture doesn't come back and bite him!

ATOC kicks ConDems up the backside

That's the way to do it!

This from a frustrated Association of Train Operating Companies...

The Government’s commitment to reforming rail franchises has “barely begun to be turned into reality”, the Chairman of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) will say this evening.

Speaking at a lecture at the Institution of Civil Engineers in central London later today, Tom Smith will say... "I call on the government to live up to its promises and make franchise reform a reality. The moment is now - there is an unprecedented series of franchises to be let and the time is opportune to introduce meaningful change to the terms of this contract".

No doubt a cri de cœur that will pass straight over the head of the seemingly blasé Captain of Netball.

No matter, it's only about franchising after all.

But if ATOC feel they have to put the boot into Marsham Street then the Treasury had better start worrying...

Meacher on 'How not to run a railway'

Labour's Michael Meacher MP has been reflecting on the role of 'an activist state' in relation to the railways on the Left Future blog.

He writes...

As the wealthy businessman Lord McNulty admits, privatisation has brought fragmentation when an efficient rail system requires a single linked entity. So what does the report recommend, and what are the Tories about to implement? Even more fragmentation. The maintenance of the track and signalling is now to be fragmented and put into the market, and indeed fragmented further into small companies like mini-Railtracks.

The Fact Compiler has tried to steer the MP for Oldham West and Royton onto the right path in the comments section.

Others may wish to make their own contributions?

Ticket retail site tries to get in on Eye action

The Fact Compiler has received an excited missive from RedSpottedHankey's Blogger Community Developer, whatever that may be?

He writes:

I’m writing on behalf of redspottedhanky, who have included you in their list of the best train and railway blogs in the UK, which you can read here.

Woohoo!

The note continues:

We were wondering if you might be interested in an official redspottedhanky Blogger of Choice badge for the site?

Actually, probably not.

Any chance of RedSpottedSnotter buying some adspace on Eye instead?

Railway weekend must reads

A quick round up of stories from this weekend's press...

Sir Richard Branson letter in Saturday's Daily Telegraph defending Virgin Care - also refers to the company's West Coast franchise. Sir Richard claims "Virgin took on British Rail’s dilapidated trains and part of its dreadful service and turned it into an innovative, much improved line."

Arriva Cross Country is mentioned in a Saturday Guardian feature on Rip Off Britain. The Guardian's Consumer Affairs team ask Cross Country why it can't set cheap fares from St Austell to Macclesfield. Cross Country's Head of Communications says "I don't think it would be useful for customers to put a section on our website to explain how the fare system works. I think it's providing a level of complication."

David Cameron defended last week's trip to Asia in yesterday's Sunday Telegraph. "So this week I loaded up a plane with the biggest and most high-powered British business delegation ever to visit the region and we set off to put things right" he said. As Eye previously noted, the delegation contained no representative from the UK's railway industry.

Stagecoach's Sir Brian Souter support for the SNP mentioned in the Sunday Times (£) in an article on party political donations. "The Rich List figures reveal Salmond’s party also received the second-largest individual donation: £570,000 from Sir Brian Souter, the Stagecoach company tycoon".

That's all folks!

Pointless signs - Llanelli's speaking clock

National shortage of trackside loos - Shocker!

Barrow Hill - Matey on Tour!

Yesterday saw the preview day for this weekend's Fab Four steam gala at Barrow Hill.

Joining kettles and other preserved traction on display was an HST, chartered from EMT, which had brought hundreds of visitors from the South East into the depot's own platform.

Meanwhile, a number of industry guests took the opportunity to conduct business during the event.

Here Brother Towell (for it is he), draws breath having just delivered a Social Media Masterclass to three senior Stagecoach executives.


Oh to have been a fly on the wall...

Railway rob-dogs gaoled

This from the Runcorn & Widnes World...

A GANG of metal thieves who posed as railway workers to steal redundant rail and fencing, have been jailed for a total of more than 21 years.

As PJ Woodhouse was fond of saying: 'without the option'.

And Quite. Right. Too!

New 11 car Pendolino welcomes passengers

This from SolwayVoyager...


As Eye might say: Shurely shome mishtake?

PM bangs the drum for Britain!

This from a Mr Levele Playing-Field...

Well, there's a surprise.

No one from the UK railway industry in iDave's sales tour to Japan and Asia.

Not even someone from Wimbledon Depot, offering consultancy on how to achieve high reliability from EMUs!

Devon & Cornwall up the heat on Kettle moves

Good news for Kettle fans!

There is now a third operator able to move steam locos around the network.

Today Devon & Cornwall Railways moved Tornado from the Nene Valley to Barrow Hill, for this weekend's Fab Four gala.

Despite some confusion about the non-passenger move, by those not selected for the job, Eye understands all went well and as per licence conditions.

No doubt Berlin, and of course Carnforth, welcome the competition?