Southern drivers say 'No' to ASLEF - Again

This from ASLEF...

ASLEF drivers have rejected a proposed resolution to the long-running dispute with Southern Rail. The following question was put to our driver members employed by Southern. Do you accept the proposed agreement on driver only operation and related issues on GTR Southern services?

Yes: 346 [48.2%]
No: 372 [51.8%]
Papers despatched: 953
Papers returned: 718
Turnout: 75.4%
Invalid papers: 0
Papers to be counted: 718

Mick Whelan, general secretary of ASLEF, the train drivers’ union, said: ‘We understand and support the decision arrived at in a democratic vote by our drivers and will now seek new talks with the company and work to deliver a resolution to this dispute in line with the expectations of our members.’

This is beginning to look like a vote of 'no confidence' in ASLEF's Executive.

Greater Anglia shows off new train designs

Greater Anglia has posted images of its new Stadler and Bombardier trains.

The new 'Flirt' trains will "operate on InterCity services between Norwich, Diss, Stowmarket, Ipswich, Manningtree, Colchester, Chelmsford, Stratford and Liverpool Street".

Only one set of doors per vehicle - should make for interesting dwell times.

Exclusive: ECML tunnels to be opened by Private Sector

Private sector to break Welwyn bottleneck

Eye understands that Treasury is close to signing a significant deal on ECML capacity enhancement, involving private sector finance.

The ECML’s greatest capacity limitation is the two track section at Welwyn North. In 2000 Railtrack proposed widening the viaduct and boring new tunnels to provide four tracks throughout, and Eye understands Provisional compulsory purchase orders were put in place.

With the demise of Railtrack these schemes lapsed and the 2000 plan is now, of course, seen as politically unacceptable, not least by local MP Michael Green.

An internal NR document seen by Eye headed - Project: Rail-Loop (F) - which has already cleared most GRIP stages, proposes Welwyn North Base Tunnel (WNBT).

Engineering studies are believed to suggest a tunnel built to the same maximum 2.5% gradient specified for HS2 would be both feasible and less intrusive. As well as an acceptable alternative to doubling the viaduct plus second tunnels parallel to the existing bore.

The document says:

"Within the HS2  parameters the 1.4  mile ramps would  place the southern portal of the WNBT on the disused sidings to the East of Welwyn Garden City station.  At its deepest the tunnel would run some 25 metres, below the surface of the Mimram Valley and the viaduct, before climbing to the surface and joining the existing ECML alignment beside the North  portal of the existing tunnel near  Woolmer Green Junction. At Crossrail speeds tunnelling would take around a year."

Eye understands that final sign off from Treasury and DfT on WNBT is dependent on Chris Gibb’s review into  the 2018 Thameslink timetable. As the proposed Thameslink TT renders EMT and VTEC service enhancements almost undeliverable additional capacity is desperately required.

The construction of WNBT would be independent of the existing railway aside from the connections at each end.  Making an ideal candidate for private finance, attractive to both funders and existing consortia, especially those with suitable tunnelling machines released from current schemes.

Operational benefits would include separation of local and Thameslink services from long distance trains. Depending on the speed in the new tunnels there could also be a slight reduction in journey times.

DfT and NR were unable to comment.

Track renewals to be further hit in CP5?

The Independent has published a piece that will further fuel concerns in the infrastructure supply chain.

It quotes the following from an 'NR memo':

“The last time the track renewals industry had a cost challenge of this magnitude, 7-8 years ago, the supply chain suffered massively (we lost a principal contractor and many second tier suppliers)…this is going to be a tough couple of years for the whole industry.”

Full article, here.

UPDATE: The Campaign for Better Transport are quick off the blocks!

Stephen Joseph, Chief Executive, Campaign for Better Transport, said:

"These cuts are likely to mean more delays and worse journeys for passengers. We know from previous experience with roads as well as railways that maintenance backlogs are easy to build up and hard and expensive to get rid of.

“However, this isn't all about austerity - some of it is about waste and incompetence in Network Rail, which as they admit, has mismanaged several upgrade projects. Network Rail needs to get a grip and the regulator needs to help them do it."

Lookalike - 'Days of future past' edition

RDG unveils radical plan for Lincolnshire services

People of Immingham - rejoice!

Those nice people at the RDG have promised you a significant uplift in services.

According to the FT today, reporting on the decline in coal traffic:

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators, said there would be space for “potentially thousands” of extra passenger services every year.

707s to Grimsby? That'll do nicely.

Roscos and RMT make unlikely bedfellows

This from the Brothers!

Anyone care to tell RMT the difference between classes 707 and 458?

Silence of lambs as South Western fleets displaced

This from from Daddy Warbucks...

First MTR seem intriguingly reticent about the collateral damage from their new train bonanza for the South Western franchise.  

Asked by the jackals of the railway press about the implications for SWT's existing fleets all they will confirm is that the Class 707s (Angel - £240 million investment) will definitely be replaced.  

As for the expensively reconstructed Class 458/5s (Porterbrook £65 million) and currently-being-expensively-retractioned Class 455s (Porterbrook £40 million), the rest is silence - at least until after the standstill period.

Still Angel had the foresight to specify dual voltage for the Class 707s. And also now has the opportunity to spend even more millions on refurbishing and retractioning the 18 Plastic Pigs, AKA Class 442.

Our man who prefers letters to Class Numbers points out that under the Mk 3 Coach bodies of the  5WES is traction equipment from the legendary 4REPs which weighed 175 tonnes, had the power of a Class 55 Deltic and a notional maximum speed of 100 mile/h if someone was looking.

Let's hope whoever gets the contract to re-traction the Class 442s maintains this hooligan tradition. After all, they do hold the speed record on 750 Volt DC third rail.

RIA ups its lobbying game

New Railway Industry Association CEO Darren Caplan is making his mark.

According to both Railnews and Railway Gazette International RIA issued a statement yesterday on the back of the Article 50 activation:

"Brexit presents the industry with both challenges and opportunities’, said Chief Executive Darren Caplan. "The Railway Industry Association will seek to be specifically included in any Brexit agreement negotiated, ensuring UK railways sit alongside automotive and aerospace as one of the Department for Exiting the EU’s top transport sectors.

"Additionally, we will work with the UK government to maintain trade in as frictionless a manner as possible, for example on standards and tariffs; and we will seek to ensure our industry continues to have access to an adequate supply of skilled labour from the UK and around the world, regardless of the outcome of these negotiations."

Although perhaps a shame that you can't yet find it on the news section of the RIA website...

A couple of good causes for your attention...

If you have a spare minute or two?

Wolmar has asked that you consider signing this petition to have the provision of on-train defibrillators discussed in Parliament

And here, Driver Potter is after the price of a pint to return the 4VEP to the mainline.

Ah, go on, go on, go on, go on...

CH2M pulls out of HS2 Phase 2b

This from PA...

#Breaking CH2M, handed £170m deal to develop Phase 2b of HS2, pulls out of that section due to "protracted delays and ongoing speculation"

— Press Association (@PA) March 29, 2017

More over at Guido, here.

DfT DG for HS2 departs for Oxford

David Prout off to the Dreaming Spires

Not a great week for HS2.

And so it begins...

The Article 50 letter. #Brexit pic.twitter.com/SO5R5BTvhw

— Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) 29 March 2017

HS2 abandons classic compatible fleet - shocker

Welcome to the world of HS2 Nuspeak!

Gone is the fuddy duddy old fashioned term "classic compatible'.

In comes the snappy and exciting "conventional-compatible"!

Why use seven letters when twelve will do?

HS2 simplificating railwaytrainvehicle procurementpurchase for benefit travelpassenger! 

Railfreight and Article 50

This from Hildegard of the Vinzgau...

As Parliament triggers Article 50, and starts the process of Brexit, let's remember that our railways have always been for moving trade, connecting people and opening up new horizons.

Long may it continue!

Mystic Wolmar on rolling stock procurement

This from Henry Hectare...

In the past Eye has been somewhat critical of a certain Mr Kipling's role in the procurement of new rolling stock.

The latest fleets for Thameslink, East Coast and Great Western were specified and procured by the DfT, often against the best advice of those who actually have to operate them, and not withstanding passenger (sorry - customer) fury about uncomfortable seating and the absence of wifi and sockets. 

No matter!

Surely this could all have been solved by simple recourse to the wise words of the World's Greatest Living Transport Correspondent?

But what do we find when we turn to an epistle from Mystic Wolmar, penned for the pages of RAIL Magazine in 2004, as Virgin Trains launched its first "tilting" Red Revolution timetable:

"It is obvious that the Voyagers or Pendolinos must not be used as the model for new rolling stock for inter-city services and let us hope the lessons from their failings are learned. The HSTs are going to need replacing, probably by the end of the decade, and the same mistake of having modern trains that are less pleasant than the ones they are replacing must not be repeated...

"The sensible option would be for the SRA – or, rather, its replacement – to commission a new design for the trains and insist that they be used on the Great Western franchise where most sets are required and for any other similar routes. Why should a franchisee design trains when they are but temporary holders of a management contract, especially given that when things go wrong, we all know who foots the bill."

Wise words indeed. If only Mr Kipling and his legions in the DfT had listened to Woemar's sage advice! (Is this right? Ed)

ORR fires starting gun on PR18

The ORR has issued a review initiation notice beginning the statutory process for the periodic review.

In a note sent yesterday to interested parties the ORR stated:

As part of PR18, we have today issued a formal notice confirming our intention to carry out a periodic review (known in law as an ‘access charges review’) of all track and station access agreements relating to Network Rail’s network. PR18 will determine what Network Rail Infrastructure Limited is expected to deliver and the funding that it is given in control period 6 (CP6), which we expect to run from 2019 to 2024. 

The notice also requires that the Secretary of State and the Scottish Ministers each provide to us certain information by 20 July 2017. We expect this information will take the form of a high-level output statement (HLOS – setting out what should be achieved by railway activities in CP6) and a statements of funds available (SoFA – setting out the public financial resources that are expected to be made available to support the HLOS).

Our original timetable for PR18 envisaged that the HLOSs and SoFAs would be provided in May/June 2017. The date in our notice does not prevent the governments providing this information in line with this timescale, but provides additional time up to the UK Parliamentary recess, should this be required. This is consistent with the deadline given by us in previous periodic reviews.

Summer recess is expected to be on the 20 July 2017.

A generous right-time measurement from ORR.

Who will be the new MD of First/MTR SWT?

Time for an exciting Eye poll!

Using your skills and judgement select who is most likely to be new MD of First MTR South Western Trains.

The exclusive Eye poll is on the right hand side menu bar.

Remember, vote early vote often!

Lookalike: 'What a lovely day' edition

First & MTR take South Western

This from the DfT, in what is a remarkably scrappy press release...

"And today (27 March 2017) we can announce that First MTR South Western Trains Limited has been awarded the South Western franchise which will run for 7 years from 20 August 2017. This is the first franchise awarded since the Secretary of State set out his vision for the future of the railways in a speech on 6 December 2016, and marks a new era in joined up working between train operators and Network Rail.

"First MTR South Western Trains Limited will use the experience of one of its major shareholders MTR, who operate the busy Hong Kong metro, to deliver smooth and rapid journeys for passengers travelling around London’s suburban network. Faster journeys will be delivered through a consistent fleet of new suburban trains offering a regular, metro-style service. Passengers can look forward to more space, ensuring that the railway can support London’s growth.

"Passengers travelling across the South Western network will also benefit from more space and faster rail services as the new 7 year South Western Franchise has been awarded today to First MTR South Western Trains Limited."

This announcement was expected last Thursday, but events... 

Not an unexpected result, with significant changes to fleets on the route.