Labour reshuffle - final scores on doors

This via Labour List...

Transport
Mary Creagh MP
Lilian Greenwood MP
Gordon Marsden MP
Richard Burden MP
Lord (Bryan) Davies
Lord (Richard) Rosser

Eye notes a blast from the recent TSSA past...

Some thoughts for NR's new CEO...

The Fact Compiler's latest column in Passenger Transport published on the 27th September...

The next edition of Passenger Transport is published on the 11th October.

Labour reshuffle - Creagh new Shadow SoS

A big Eye welcome to @marycreagh_mp - new Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, with a bowler tip to @LabourList and @Markfergusonuk
— The Fact Compiler (@TheFactCompiler) October 7, 2013

Labour says no change to stance on HS2 despite Maria Eagle moving. @marycreagh_mp (who is excellent btw) a big HS2 supporter too.
— Sunny Hundal (@sunny_hundal) October 7, 2013

Mary Creagh is the MP for Wakefield.

Gibb to Network Rail Board

That didn't take long!
 
This from Network Rail...

‘Lifetime railwayman’ Chris Gibb to join Network Rail as non-executive director

Network Rail has today announced the appointment of one of Britain’s most experienced rail industry figures, Chris Gibb, as a non-executive director.

Mr Gibb, 50, has worked in the rail industry for more than 30 years and is currently chief operating officer of Virgin Rail Group, responsible for all aspects of the delivery of Virgin’s operations on the West Coast main line.

Last year, he undertook a successful six-month secondment to Network Rail to lead a taskforce focused on improving the performance and reliability of the West Coast main line, resulting in the implementation of a targeted programme of investment to tackle the most common causes of delay.

A big Eye welcome back to Chris Gibb, it only seems hours ago that you left.

Conservative reshuffle - Goodwill in

Robert Goodwill has been appointed as Parliamentary Under Secretary at @transportgovuk #reshuffle
— UK Prime Minister (@Number10gov) October 7, 2013

Note this is a PUSS role rather then a ministerial one.

Robert Goodwill is the MP for Scarborough and Whitby.

UPDATE: This from Wikipedia with a bowler tip to ASLEFs @SimonWeller...

He takes a keen interest in steam engines and owns several; he once brought an engine back from the former Czechoslovakia to restore it.

Crank alert!

LibDem reshuffle - Baker gone. Kramer - in!

Staunch Cleggite Jeremy Browne being replaced at Home Office by Norman Baker. Biggest shock of reshuffle so far #reshuffle
— James Chapman (Mail) (@jameschappers) October 7, 2013

Flabber is increasingly ghasted today!

BOOM! The big one lands: Susan Kramer replaces Norman Baker at transport.
— Matt Chorley (@MattChorley) October 7, 2013

Speechless! 

Baroness Kramer has been appointed as Minister of State at @transportgovuk #reshuffle
— UK Prime Minister (@Number10gov) October 7, 2013

So Baroness Kramer (LibDem) takes Tory ministerial role. 

Key question - who gets HS2?

Virgin reshuffles the cards!

Virgin Trains  bosses Tony Collins and Chris Gibbs quitting Branson's firm
— Gwyn Topham (@GwynTopham) October 7, 2013

Gosh!

UPDATE: Chris Gibb confirms he is to retire.

Eye doesn't believe a word of it! He'll be back!!! 

UPDATE: This from Virgin Trains...

Virgin Rail Group (VRG) today (7 October 2013) confirmed details of its management team moving forward as Tony Collins, Chief Executive Officer and Chris Gibb, Chief Operating Officer  announced plans to retire after combined service of nearly 25 years.

Both Tony and Chris will step down this month.

Tony, who has had nearly 14 years with Virgin Trains and nine years as Chief Executive Officer, said now was the right time to hand over to a new team with the decision over the next West Coast Main Line franchise scheduled for 2017. He will remain as a consultant to VRG, ensuring the company retains access to his vast knowledge and experience for its franchise bid strategy.

Chris has also announced his retirement, after 10 years with Virgin Trains including six as Chief Operating Officer. Chris, a career railwayman, is hugely respected across the industry. He recently spent time with Network Rail, advising them on how to deliver performance improvements across the West Coast Main Line route.

The new management team will be overseen by Joint Executive Chairmen Patrick McCall and Martin Griffiths from shareholders Virgin Group and Stagecoach Group. Both have been involved in the management and growth of the business for more than a decade and will now chair the monthly executive meeting and drive the bid and growth strategy.

Phil Whittingham, as Director of Finance, is stepping up to become the Lead Executive. Phil Bearpark, Production Director, will become Director Operations and Customer Service and will also be the safety system duty holder. Patrick McGrath remains as Director Human Resources, while Graham Leech, Executive Director Commercial, and Andy Cross, Director Business Support, will also continue in their current positions. Each of the Senior Management Team has more than a decade of experience at Virgin Trains and together will have full responsibility for delivering every aspect of the business performance on a day-to-day basis.

Sir Richard Branson said: “Tony has been a wonderful leader of Virgin Trains over the past nine years, spearheading the development of a world-leading railway which is loved by its customers. He combines a brilliant grasp of the details of running the business with a passion for its people and the passengers.

“Tony, Chris and the team at Virgin Trains have transformed the West Coast Main Line from a laughing stock into Europe’s busiest long distance rail service. We have cut journey times, improved service and radically changed people’s experiences. Tony is passing the baton to a hugely experienced senior management team at Virgin Trains who are focused on how we can make services even better for our customers on what is on the backbone of the UK rail network.”

Sir Brian Souter, Stagecoach Group Chairman, said: "Virgin Trains is a fantastic partnership between two innovative transport groups. Tony, the wider management team and the thousands of people at the sharp end of delivering the train service for customers have done a superb job of making our joint vision of transforming rail travel a reality. There is more growth to come and the team we have in place will ensure we have continuity and experience to build on these achievements."

Tony Collins said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed leading Virgin Trains and working with the wonderful staff to build a railway service that we can be truly proud of. We have come a long way in the last 10 years and we could not have done it without the amazing support of our people. We overcame all the odds last year and I know the team at Virgin Trains will carry on delivering the excellent customer service and innovation that we are famed for. It has been a great ride.”

Chris Gibb said:  “Delivering great customer service truly is a team effort, requiring not only great staff, which we have in spades at Virgin Trains, but also co-operation between the different stakeholders across the industry. I am especially proud of the part I have played in bringing these important individual parties together to deliver improved performance. That's the foundation which great service is built on and I'm confident the team at Virgin Trains will continue to deliver further improvements to the service we provide for our customers.”

ENDS

Labour reshuffle - Eagle gone?

Maria Eagle has been moved from Shadow Transport brief, details of replacement to follow. #labour #reshuffle
— DeHavilland (@DeHavilland) October 7, 2013

Developing...

National Express makes best of bad job

Good news for fans of owner groups that are shadows of their former selves...

Dean Finch, Group Chief Executive, said: "We are delighted to have been shortlisted for the Berlin Ringbahn. Following on from our recent success in winning two contracts to operate regional rail services in North-Rhine Westphalia, it confirms that our experience as the operator of the UK's leading franchise is recognised internationally.

That would be just the one, single, sole, solitary UK franchise held by National Express would it?

How the mighty have fallen. 

FCC reminds passengers that manners do matter

A rare plaudit for First Capital Connect!

This from the Beeb... 

First Capital Connect issues passenger etiquette guide

 

A rail firm has issued a cartoon guide to "train etiquette", asking passengers not to assume fellow travellers share their food and music tastes.

First Capital Connect (FCC) said its campaign encourages people to be more careful on the railway and more considerate of one other.

Its adverts include slogans such as "don't assume they share your taste for kebabs and dubstep".

Advertising experts claim humour is a good way to "cut through" to people.

Good effort!

But one, small, tiny, almost infinitesimal, but none the less significant, niggle...

Sigh... what precisely is wrong with the correct term 'railway etiquette'?

Burns lighter!

Simon Burns, transport minister stepping down to run for Dep Speaker, No.10 source tells me
— Paul Waugh (@paulwaugh) October 4, 2013

Developing...

UPDATE: This from Patrick McLoughlin, via the DfT website...

I’d like to thank Simon for his hard work, support and leadership during his time at the department. He has been instrumental in driving forward progress on HS2. 

He has also worked tirelessly to put the department’s rail franchise programme on track, ensuring it delivers value for money for the tax-payer and supports the ongoing multi-billion pound investment in our railways.

Who knew!

FGW gets extension but DfT omits the important numbers

Good news for First Great Western!

This from the Department for Transport:

Franchising deal to boost services on Great Western Main Line (GWML)
Rail passengers will benefit from improved services, including greater WiFi coverage, on the Great Western network as a result of a new franchise agreement announced today.

Under the agreement the Government has reached with First Greater Western Ltd (FGW), the company will continue running the franchise to operate trains between London Paddington, the Cotswolds, south Wales and the south west.

The new 23 month franchise is a further sign that the Government’s programme is on-track. It will also enable the continued delivery of vital work to upgrade the line in future, including electrification to help deliver faster, more reliable journeys.  

Blah, blah, blah...

But of the actual cash to be paid (whether from First to DfT, or more likely from DfT to First) not a word. 

Obviously nothing embarrassing there then!

Good to see DfT's commitment to transparency.

World's Greatest Living Transport Correspondent bests Beardie

The results of this year's Ipsos MORI Survey of Transport Journalists have just been released.

73 hacks were polled, and amongst a wealth of data on just how rubbish they perceive transport policy to be, is the following gem:

So amongst the Street of Shame's brightest and best our very own Wolmar is seen as more impressive than both Beardie and Baker!

Poor old LibDems, last again.

Now if Wolmayor can just prevent Adonis from standing, this sort of polling might yet secure him Labour's mayoral nomination!

Silver Stump Watch - King's Cross Square

This from White Throat...

I knew it was too good to last!

The beautiful new King's Cross Square is the latest railway space to be blighted by expensive and apparently pointless Silver Stumps!

Note how they are even placed slap bang in the middle of what is clearly meant to be a designated walk way!

Their relentless march continues - even in the narrowest of passageways workers busy away squeezing in a double dose.

Perfectly positioned to damage the vulnerable appendages of the visually impaired and those with 20:20 vision alike!

DfT officials study their briefs... or something

In between designing exciting new trains and micro-managing franchises officials at the DfT certainly like to keep their fingers on the pulse...

Or so it would appear.

According to HuffPo:

Pornographic sites including Playboy, "Perfect Asians" and "Big Boobs Tight Blouse" were attempted to be accessed by staff at the Department for Transport almost every day last month, official figures obtained by The Huffington Post UK reveal.

Following a Freedom of Information request, the DfT disclosed that since the start of September, pornography websites received 47 hits via the department's network.

The DfT's announcement this week on high speed mobile broadband now makes perfect sense...

UPDATE: This from a Fillipe Muttman... 

As anyone who regularly uses the internet knows, there is usually an innocent explanation for these web site visits.  

Web searches frequently throw up inappropriate sites which were far from what the searcher intended.

'Perfect Asians' obviously came up as part of a recent internal DfT desk study of the reliability of Korean rolling stock. 

Where as 'Playboy' is a clear case of an entirely innocent search to discover the editor of Railway Eye. 

And the other site looks like the response to a query concerned with the design of body shells for maximum seating capacity within the constraints of the UK loading gauge, where a staff member was seeking information on 'Big tubes tight clearances'.

An unfortunate error but one that was made with the very best of intentions doggy style.

That Eurostar 'private sector' bid for ICEC in full

Of mere passing interest, no doubt. 

A quick glance at wikipedia, here and here, reveals the following...  

Eurostar International Limited (EIL) is the parent company of the Eurostar service operating between London, Paris and Brussels. Eurostar was previously operated by three separate companies in Belgium, France and the United Kingdom, but this structure was replaced by EIL as a new single management company on 1 September 2010. EIL is owned by London and Continental Railways (40%), SNCB (5%) and SNCF (55%).#

London and Continental Railways (LCR) is a company that was involved in the construction of High Speed 1 (HS1) in the United Kingdom. Originally established in 1994 as a private consortium to build HS1 under a contract agreed with the UK Government, it subsequently ran into financial difficulties and has been owned by the Department for Transport since 2009 

So Eurostar, 40% owned by HMG is allowed to bid for franchises, but DOR (100% owned by HMG) isn’t.

Of course DfT is perfectly happy for overseas state owned railways to run as many of Britain's trains as they want, whether passenger or freight.

Eurostar's ICEC bid partner, Keolis, is 56.7% owned by French railway SNCF.

None the less, Eye wonders at what percentage point does UK state involvement in running a competitively tendered franchise suddenly become unpalatable? 

Answer from the Treasury and DfT came there none...

UPDATE: Eye issues unreserved apology to Keolis!

According to a press release on the Keolis website from April 2012...

"SNCF increases its shareholding in Keolis to accelerate the next phase of the company’s development
 
"At the closing of this transaction, SNCF will hold a 70% stake of Keolis alongside a long term investment partner."

Eye wishes to apologise for misleading readers into thinking that the Keolis/Eurostar bid for ICEC might, in anyway, have been considered to be 'private sector'.
 

DfT makes commitment to legacy technology?

Good news for historians of t'interweb!

According to the Department for Transport...

The rail industry is to roll out high speed mobile broadband on the busiest parts of Britain’s rail network, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin announced yesterday.

Under the plans, 70% of the travelling public will benefit from the new technology by 2019, with passengers expected to begin noticing improvements to their journey during 2015. 

Hmm... 2019 is six years away.

So perhaps the equivalent of saying in 2007 that all trains will be fitted with cable or DSL access...

UPDATE: This from Steve Strong...

"Under the plans, 70% of the travelling public will benefit from the new technology by 2019"

Or 2021, obviously, if it is being delivered by Arriva Cross Country.

Haket signals departure to Keolis

This from Ruud Haket, currently MD of Greater Anglia...
 
I’d like to tell you that I have accepted the offer of a new role as Chief Operating Officer of Keolis’ UK business, so I’ll be leaving Greater Anglia in the near future. We’re still working out my leaving date and the Abellio team will now start the recruitment of a new Managing Director, so I’ll let you have more details about both of those things as soon as I have them.

Interesting...

 

HS2 to offer cash back for each mile built - Shocker

This from The Hoots-mon...

According to the BBC on HS2:

"Can a railway be worth £121m per mile?"

Mere bagatelle!

Consider the triumph that is the Edinburgh tram system. £1billion for 8 miles = £125m per mile.

So. Time for a new unit of HS2 cost: for each 'Edinburgh Mile' you get £4m change.

Bargain!

New Thameslink franchise learns lessons from ICWC fiasco

This from Leo Pink...

According to the Thamelink, Southern and Great Northern invitation to tender:

Publicity
The outcome of a rail franchise competition is of national significance within the United Kingdom and is likely to attract public and media attention. Bidders shall not and shall ensure that their Representatives, Affiliates and their Affiliates’ Representatives shall not (i) issue any press notice, press release or statement in relation to the franchise letting process or their Bid without the prior written consent of the Secretary of State; or (ii) use media or communication channels in a way that might reflect adversely and unfairly on the industry, its participants or the integrity or outcome of the competition.

Quite so.

On no account should the integrity of the DfT be questioned, no matter what the outcome of the competition.

Good to see lessons from the West Coast fiasco have been well and truly learned in Marsham Street!