Just 120 seconds to deliver a 7 day railway

This from a Mr Antonio Kilometer... 

From Southern’s press release last week about its winter timetable... 

“There are two last Monday to Saturday trains which will leave earlier than in the previous timetable. These are the 23:47 London Victoria to Horsham service which will leave Victoria at 23.40 and the 23.49 London Victoria to Oxted service which will leave Victoria at 23.47. The early departure of these services will allow Network Rail to carry out vital maintenance and minor repairs overnight on the Brighton Main Line. This frees up track access on Sundays so that three services per hour between Victoria and Brighton can now be maintained all year round.” 

So I make that an extra 2 minutes a night for NR to carry out all this “vital maintenance and minor repair” work - that will keep the route open all day on Sunday. 

Network Rail is to be congratulated on achieving such dramatic efficiencies well in advance of CP5.

HS1 does its very best to drive freight from rail

This from Rich Tea... 

As HS1 consult on increasing freight track charges by some 450% their owners, Ontario Teacher’s Pension Fund, have just bought the maker of – yes, you guessed – Wagon Wheels.

Evidently, flicking two sticky fingers at the freighties is very much the rapacious Canucks game.

Creagh outlines Labour Transport priorities

This from the Grauniad...

Creagh has previously refused to rule out renationalisation of UK railways, and said the franchising model has led to a fragmented network which consumers find difficult to navigate. Labour opposed the refranchising of the East coast mainline, and Creagh said that by pursuing "the franchise model at all costs" the government's political orthodoxy is holding back the UK. "I think it's extraordinary that the government is allowing the German, French and Dutch states to come in and bid for that railway franchise. It's got no objection to state ownership of our railways as long as it's not UK state ownership."

More here.

Deep Alliance - the railway at prayer

An Eye spy in Wiltshire has sent the following intriguing image.

Pictured deep in meditation is SWT/Wessex Route supremo Tim Shoveller, after having met Winchester passengers on Thursday night.

Is Tim seeking forgiveness, or Divine inspiration on how to take the Deep Alliance into CP5?

The last word on Pacers...

This from the Shadow Minister for Transport...

A bus pretending to be a train. & not one of @alextrentbarton's classy ones. But its warm ta @northernrailorg #pacer pic.twitter.com/r4Emt9FoIn
— Lilian Greenwood (@LilianGreenwood) November 15, 2013

Yep, seems about right.

Now all that's missing is an undertaking to replace them!

RDG disconnected from the industry it 'leads'?

This was just asking for trouble.

Earlier this week Transport Minister Baroness Kramer observed that dumping raw effluent on the tracks was "utterly disgusting".

Quite so.

So what are we to make of this from the BBC...

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents the train companies and Network Rail, said the issue did not come up in a bi-annual national passenger survey and it was not often raised as an issue by staff.

Hmmm...

This from the RMT:

RMT has also completely refuted suggestions from within the industry that the issue has either never, or rarely, been raised as the union has been campaigning on the scandal for at least decade and passengers have now launched their own petition to get it stamped out.

Track workers have repeatedly pointed out that some sections of the rail infrastructure are like an open sewer and that the human waste doesn’t simply hit the track bed, it sprays out when trains are travelling at speed posing a serious and disgusting health risk to track-based staff. Rail works have been delayed because staff have been confronted with pools of raw sewage.

Either the RDG has a very short memory or none at all. 

UPDATE: This from Captain Deltic...

And not just track workers are at risk.

Changing brake pads is a really sh*tt* job when the bogies have been covered by an  aerosol of excrement.

And do passengers opening slam doors on Mk 3 stock realise that the external handles have received the same treatment.?

Didn't Angel propose a major IC125 upgrade which included retrofitting retention tank toilets almost a decade ago?

A shame DfT decided it wasn't worthwhile because the trains wouldn't be in service much longer.
 

DRS Class 68 on test

This from @Julog90...



I've come across this video of a DRS Class 68 on test at Albuixech (Valencia).

UPDATE: This from the Clagmaster General...

How good to see a return to traditional values. 

Clag fans everywhere will welcome a locomotive which is unashamed to show that internal combustion is at work.

Wattage Watch - Peterbrough again...

This from Ricketrescuer...

 

Not just the platform lights at Peterborough. 

 

 These worksite lights are merrily burning away in a wintery sun.

DfT bashes the ROSCOs and adds to industry cost

Someone evidently has a sense of humour at Rail Business Intelligence!

The latest issue contains a report of a talk given to the Railway Study Association by DfT's Director Franchising, Pete Wilkinson.

He is recorded as bewailing lease costs for ex BR rolling stock:

"How come the ROSCOs get away with the price of second hand trains? It's got to stop."

Quite so Pete, quite so.

Rather elegantly RBI juxtaposed the whinings of DfT's very own Doctor Evil with a story about Eversholt refinancing £600m of senior debt; which according to CEO Mary Kenny, will allow the ROSCO "to respond to future investment opportunities."

As our American friends might say - do the math!

Such apparent naivety in understanding market value from the official charged with franchising will no doubt do much to gladden the hearts of thinly capitalised equity profiteers everywhere!

No matter.

Meanwhile, as DfT clearly has it in for the ROSCOs (again), expect fleet refurbishment to become more difficult as nervous finance houses price in political risk.

Hammond Eggs - Sauce for the goose

This from the Yorkshire Post:

Shadow Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood said Ministers are so keen to re-privatise the route linking London, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York and Edinburgh that they redacted a prospectus for the proposed sell-off to make the line seem less successful than it actually is.

Happily Stephen Hammond was able to mount a spirited defence of privatisation:

He claimed Labour's position on the East Coast franchise was driven by “dogma”.

Errr...

Pointless signs - First Hull Trains

This from IKB...

Good news for all fans of gaspers!

FHT have evidently relaxed the draconian restrictions on lighting-up in this carriage, although smoking on top is still verboten!

First - but not for syntax.

One foot in the dor?

This from Dear, Dear, Dicky... 

Tuning into Sky's brand new series on East Coast, my ears were audibly assaulted by some dulcet thespy Scottish tones reminding me of the popularity of rail travel and how hard TOC staff work.

Why it was none other than 1990s has-been (shurely: 'favourite'? Ed), star of the 2011 Channel 4 Dispatches rail travel 'documentary' and everyone's favourite leftie - Richard Wilson!

Presumably this time the uber-luvvie was in possession of his Senior Railcard? 

Very much a case of "I don't believe it.".

Hammond Eggs - Standing up for passengers

This from the Daily Mirror...

After a leak by rail union RMT, Transport Minister Stephen Hammond yesterday admitted bidders for the rail franchise will be “free to consider such initiatives as third-class travel”.

Bidders, ministers and officials will of course keep in mind that under the PRM (Passengers with Reduced Mobility) Regulations each class of travel requires its own fully accessible facilities.

Rosco chums suggest that each PRM compliant lavatory takes up the space of approximately seven seats, as passengers forced to stand on Voyagers will no doubt be more than aware!

Good to see DfT's new, improved, franchising policy addressing capacity issues so early on in the process.

HS2 - Close but no cigar

This from Biggles...

No you fools, I said 'Alison' Munro!

Gibb transitions from poacher to gamekeeper

So. A big Eye farewell to Chris Gibb, as he moves from Chief Operating Officer at Virgin to a Non-exec role at Network Rail. 

With NR soon to abandon King's Place for pastures new it looks as if Gibby is keeping an eye on future travel expenses by selecting a sub-125 mode of transport.

Behold the Non-exec vehicle de choix - the Twizy, which Renault claims has a range of 61 miles between charges.

Alas, the actualité appears to be closer to 50 miles.

Chums of the railman be warned, a visit from Chris may see him clutching three pin plug in hand!

Moor Street Service of Remembrance

This from a Mr Tony Miles...

On Armistice Day I thought Eye readers might be interested to see picture of the West Midlands Railway Service of Remembrance, held at Moor Street station on Friday 8th. 

The event was attended by representatives of all TOCs serving the West Midlands, Network Rail, the emergency services, British Legion and members of the Armed Forces.

The GWR memorial plaque to the fallen in the Great War, on the concourse at Moor Street, notes that 25,479 GWR employees served in that war, 33% of the company's staff. Of those 2,436 lost their lives.

 

We shall remember.

Silver Stump Watch - Euston

This from the The Coneworker...

Platform 1 Emergency escape, Euston. 

 

Surely a hindrance to Escapees?

Burles to Greater Anglia

So. Jamie Burles will be succeeding Ruud Haket as MD of Greater Anglia.

Currently a bid director at parent company Abellio he will join the TOC after completing work on the Thameslink bid in April 2014.

With Ruud due to depart for Keolis in January, Adam Golton will be holding the reigns during the interregnum.

If the clog fits...

Engineering the Underground

This, from the Institution of Civil Engineers, is very nice...



Good effort.

Lest we forget

With Remembrance Sunday almost upon us here are some photos of the new War Memorial at King's Cross station, unveiled on the 27th October.

 

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: 
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. 
At the going down of the sun and in the morning, 
We will remember them.

We will remember them.