Less is more...

The Fact Compiler's latest column in Passenger Transport published on the 19th July... 

The next edition of Passenger Transport will be published on the 2nd August.

RMT flies a kite... out of control

This from a Mr Ivy... 

I guess you've seen this from the RMT: 

Nothing highlights the growing rail fares scandal more than the fact a walk-on return fare from London to Newcastle costs £301, more than a round trip flight to New York. Skyscanner are advertising return trips to the States for £298 today.

I'm sure the 'Eye' would like to point out how blatantly misleading the RMT is being – by comparing a walk-on rail-fare with an advance booking air fare! It's appalling how they spin. Trouble is, people will believe them….

Out of interest I've checked Skyscanner now, and 'walk-on' fare (I.e. For travel today is £1,133 (the headline price of £796 is not available). I'd like to give Bob Crow £298 and tell him to get to New York with that as a 'walk-on' fare.

Is ATOC fuming. I'll bet not….!

Railway Garden Competition - Harrow and Wealdstone

This from the Ward Room... 

This is NR infrastructure...

One wonders if TfL would permit this on their own tracks?

Innovation? Freighties lead the way!

Good news for fans of keeping the lights on! 

British designed.

British built! 

This from Drax...

DRAX UNVEILS UK’S FIRST BIOMASS RAIL FREIGHT WAGON

Drax has unveiled the UK’s first purpose-built biomass rail freight wagon at the National Railway Museum in York.

Developed by designers at Lloyd’s Register Rail and manufactured by WH Davis, it is the largest ever produced and pushes the boundaries of rail engineering.

The wagon will transport sustainable biomass from the Ports of Tyne, Hull and Immingham to Drax Power Station, near Selby for use in generating low carbon, cost effective, and reliable renewable electricity.

At 18.9m long with top doors stretching 18.2m and bottom doors of 3.7m, the supersize wagon has a capacity of 116 cubic metres allowing a biomass load weighing 71.6 tonnes. Its volume is almost 30 per cent bigger than any freight wagon currently used in the UK

Good effort! 

Staying at NRM for a couple of weeks if you're passing by...

Railway Garden Competition - Waterloo

Higgins keeps his word - Shocker!

Much amusement in the industry over today's coverage of David Higgins decision 'to resign'!

Take this, from the usually well informed David Millward in Her Majesty's Daily Telegraph.... 

The decision to resign, which was broken by Sky News, came within days of a fresh row erupting over the bonus package offered to Sir David and four other senior executives at the helm of the company responsible for the country’s train and track infrastructure.

However according to Network Rail, Sir David, 58, has chosen to leave his post to allow his successor to steer through a five year investment package worth more than £35 billion.

“David always made it clear that he didn’t plan to stay on until 2019,” a Network Rail source said. 

Errrr... quite so.

So if Higgins had always made clear that he didn't plan to stay on for CP5 (which he did, even within earshot of the lowly Fact Compiler) then what is the story?

Of course there is a much more interesting tale lurking beneath these lazy headlines: Will the next CEO of Network Rail be an engineer?

Meanwhile, back in the silly season, our next Monarch but two (DV) will be His Majesty King George.

Sire, please could you fix it for Eye to have sloppy journalists' heads lopped off. Ta.

Our Ma Sheriff's become proactive!

Steps back in amazement!

There is some good news to be found amongst the chaos of Civil Servant rolling stock procurement.

Our Ma Sheriff's (nee the Hammond Organs) otherwise known as the DfT press office have become proactive!

Eye has almost been besieged with information on why the Class 0800 (nee Incredibly Expensive Procurement) is a Good Thing!

Hmmm... the jury is out!

But a welcome development none the less.

Meanwhile, seems a shame that no-one in Marsham Street has spotted that numbers in the 0800 series are traditionally... free!

Shoveller disintermediates the Deep Alliance!

This from @SW_Trains...



See!

Narrowcast and talking direct to the customer isn't so difficult.

Although perhaps something on track condition, on the hottest day of the year, wouldn't have gone amiss...

UPDATE: This from Southern Belle...

Yeah, worth mentioning track condition just to be smug!

Bearing in mind the problems on the Western, South Eastern and Great Eastern tonight.

Railway Garden Competition - Waterloo East

Situation has developed not necessarily to iDave's advantge!

Oh the irony!

Just days BEFORE Her Majesty's Britannic Government expended more taxpayer cash on additional Ninky Nonk trains, Japan stuck the Imperial boot into British politics:

"The UK, as a champion of free trade, is a reliable partner for Japan. More than 1,300 Japanese companies have invested in the UK, as part of the Single Market of the EU, and have created 130,000 jobs, more than anywhere else in Europe. This fact demonstrates that the advantage of the UK as a gateway to the European market has attracted Japanese investment. The Government of Japan expects the UK to maintain this favourable role."

Hmmm...

So. "The Government of Japan expects the UK to maintain this favourable role."

Is Britain perhaps now known as 'Little Manchuria' in the Chancelleries of Asia?

No matter.

Eye suspects this is a very clever move by Tokyo.

Allowing Hitachi to prepare a swift evacuation from Newton Aycliffe, as Europe stubbornly fails to order Japanese trains (whether the UK is in, or out, of the EU)...

UPDATE: This from Hagrid's Brother... 

I wonder if ‘someone’ might speculate as to the effect of say a 25%-lower non-compliant future ECML bid using a sensible fleet. 

Apart from predictable embarrassment and the ire of Ms Hodge, of course. 

One for m’learned chums no doubt.

Wilkinson contract at DfT extended

This from the DfT...

Peter Wilkinson to carry on as Franchising Director

The Department for Transport has extended the contract of Interim Franchising Director Peter Wilkinson to January 2015 to ensure the continued successful roll out of the Government’s rail franchising programme.

Peter, who has been with the Department since January, was key in launching the DfT’s comprehensive new franchising schedule in March.  The contract extension will provide continuity of leadership for the franchising programme through to delivery of the initial franchise competitions and direct awards. 

In a less than perfect world, the least bad result!

Railway Garden Competition - Barking

This from Trailer Second...

The LTS main line down platform.

Railway Garden Competition - Dalmarnock

Pointless signs - Blackfriars

 

Brown joins DfT Board

This from the DfT...

Richard Brown appointed to the Department for Transport Board

Richard Brown CBE has been appointed as a Non-Executive Member of the Department for Transport Board by Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin.

He joins lead Non-Executive Director Sam Laidlaw and other Non-Executives Ed Smith, Alan Cook, Sally Davis, Mary Reilly and John Kirkland.  

Good news indeed.

And just months after completing his independent review that validated franchising!

Eversholt speaks for industry on IEP

This from Eversholt Rail... 
 
“Eversholt Rail is disappointed that the Department for Transport has decided to proceed with IEP Phase 2 and prescribe what rolling stock will be used on the new East Coast Mainline franchise.

“We continue to believe that the best option would have been to let the market decide...."

Quite so.

So much for all that wibble from DfT that it is for TOCs to determine what rolling stock they want to use.

The big question, of course, is will Ninky Nonk lease costs turn East Coast from a 'profitable' franchise into one requiring a net subsidy?

Eye awaits the latest spreadsheet magic from Captain Deltic with interest.

Railway Garden Competition - Broadstairs

No Pitt stop, as Andy chairs fleet money men

This from Cross London Trains...

Cross London Trains (“XLT”) the company established to finance and purchase Desiro City  trains from Siemens plc and to lease them to the Operator of the Thameslink rail franchise has made two senior appointments following the recent contract award for 1,140 new rail carriages.

Andy Pitt has joined XLT as Executive Chairman. Andy previously held a number of senior roles within the rail industry including Managing Director Stagecoach South Western Trains Limited and Rail Business Development Director for Stagecoach Group plc. He is a former member of the Association of Train Operating Companies Board and former Chairman of the Operations Council. Andy led a £1 billion private sector procurement for train supply and maintenance that delivered Siemens Desiro rolling stock for South West Trains.

Charles Doyle will join Cross London Trains as Managing Director from Transport for London where he has spent the last seven years in various financial positions, most recently as a Principal of Commercial Finance.  In his time at TfL Charles was involved in a number of rolling stock and infrastructure PFIs and procurement programmes. 

Ends

XLT’s shareholders are 3i Infrastructure plc, Innisfree PFI Secondary Fund 2 LP and Project Ventures Rail Investments I Limited, a Siemens Project Ventures group company.

Interesting.

John Dennis RIP

John Dennis 1948-2013

It is with great sadness that Eye has learned of the passing of John Dennis, a railwayman with a rich and varied career spanning nearly 40 years, who died on 8th July aged 65 years, after battling against cancer.

Originally from Newcastle upon Tyne, John Dennis was a Geography graduate from the University of London.  He joined British Rail as a graduate trainee in September 1970, joining the same day as other industry stalwarts such as Mike Mitchell and Richard Goldson.

John’s career saw stints with BR Midlands at Stoke on Trent and he went on to become head of Customer Relations for Regional Railways.  He then joined Railfreight Distribution – the BR Board’s international freight business – to prepare for the opening of the Channel Tunnel.

Following privatisation, John joined The Railway Forum as Communications Director working for its highly-respected Director General, Adrian Lyons.  In December 2003, he was tempted away to ATOC as Communications Manager where his deep knowledge of the railway was much appreciated and deployed in the development of initiatives to promote the industry’s success and growth.

Says Edward Funnell, former Director of Communications at ATOC: “John was a wonderful colleague for nearly seven years and a great asset to ATOC where he contributed so much.  He was a real professional as well as a kind and patient colleague.”

John lived in Kemble, near Swindon in Wiltshire.  Eye sends its best wishes and heartfelt condolences to his wife Sue and their three grown-up daughters.

Perhaps the final word should go former colleague and friend Diana Lucas of RSSB, who on his retirement in 2009 said: 

“People like John make up the backbone of the industry. He was there to offer a considered judgement and professional eye on proceedings while maintaining a sense of humour. I speak for all when I say we will miss him a great deal."

Rest in Peace John

ORR formalises blinkered view of industry

Good news for fans of an holistic understanding of the railway!

This from the ORR's Long-Term Regulatory Statement, published today...

4.37 ORR will work more closely with the freight industry in CP5 to develop a long-term strategy for freight in approach to CP6, including through the whole-industry Rail Delivery Group that brings together the freight operators with Network Rail, ATOC and passenger operators.

Quite so.

But an interesting definition of 'whole industry', excluding as it does rolling stock manufacturers, equipment suppliers, maintainers, contractors, customers, ports, terminals, investors, ROSCOs, consultants, PTE’s, etc... etc....

Clearly ephemeral groups like customers and the supply chain have no role to play in developing the industry's 'long-term strategy for freight'.

That will go well then.