This from the Railway Gazette...
UK: Spanish rolling stock manufacturer CAF has selected the Celtic Business Park at the Llanwern steelworks site near Newport in South Wales as the location of its future UK factory.
Indeed.
And a big #RailwayFamily welcome to CAF.
You got to be in it, to win it!
Tonight the Speaker announced the results of the election for Select Committee Chairs.
Most importantly, for the Railway Industry, Lilian Greenwood was elected to succeed Louise Ellman as Chair of the Transport Select Committee.
Louise had served for two Parliaments and therefore, under parliamentary rules, was unable to stand again.
Eye welcomes Lilian Greenwood, the MP for Nottingham South, to this important committee that scrutinises government transport policy and decisions.
Industry will be pleased that Lilian specifically mentioned the Rail Supply Chain in her candidacy statement:
"Promises have been made that affect almost all our constituencies, and thousands of jobs (including in the supply chain) are in the balance. As Chair I would be a strong voice for rural and urban transport improvements, as well as a critic of bad schemes."
This PQ from Lilian Greenwood was answered today...
"To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2017 to Question 1538, on railways: fares, what plans he has to increase the cost of regulated rail fares by RPI plus zero per cent in 2018?"
Paul Maynard Answered on: 12 July 2017
"The Government recognises that the cost of travelling for rail passengers can seem high – this is why since 2014 we have taken action and capped the regulated rail fares at RPI+0%.
"Train fare revenue is crucial to funding day-to-day railway operations and delivering the investment and massive upgrade programme currently underway, all of which passengers demand and expect.
"We of course keep policies under review."
Eye hopes an open mind means happier passengers!
This from Nottingham headquartered BWB Consultancy...
BWB, one of the UK’s leading design engineering consultants, is set to embark on significant expansion in the UK and abroad after becoming part of the global transport engineering giant CAF Group.
A multi award-winning business which delivers advice and solutions to clients in the property, development and construction industries, BWB employs more than 300 people across seven offices covering England’s main cities and has an annual turnover of more than £23m.
CAF, which is headquartered in Spain and has annual revenues in excess of €1.3 billion, designs, manufactures, maintains and supplies equipment and components for rail systems across the globe.
In addition to rolling stock, CAF provides integrated rail solutions for all types of rail systems - feasibility studies, design of civil engineering, electrification and signaling works, maintenance and system operation services.
This from Matthew...
I'd like to enter Brixton into the railway Garden competition.
This from SNP MP Stewart McDonald, via twitter...
I can't wait for these Select Committee Chair elections to be over... pic.twitter.com/BS5YgW110f— Stewart McDonald MP (@StewartMcDonald) July 11, 2017
This from Wheaty...
@TheFactCompiler— Wheaty (@Holmesfeldian) July 11, 2017
Pointless signs - A most unhelpful timetable at Pwllheli station. Who employs these people?🙄 pic.twitter.com/rc63uMyyU9
Shocking scenes from an Eye correspondent in Chester on Friday!
This member of staff is wilfully clearing the platforms of weeds and other detritus, risking Chester's elimination from this year's Railway Garden Competition!
This from The Times...
Transport secretary Chris Grayling is preparing to delay the electrification of huge swathes of the railway network amid a deepening funding crisis at Network Rail.
Plans to upgrade core stretches of track on the TransPennine, Midland Mainline and Great Western routes to run electric trains are set to be put back by years in favour of new “bi-mode” trains that run on both diesel and electricity.
Instead, the state-owned Network Rail will be told to focus on its day job of maintaining and repairing existing tracks, amid growing concern that this has been neglected in favour of “trophy” electrification projects.
Move along, nothing to see here.
This from Rolls-Royce...
Rolls-Royce today announces the appointment of Barney Wyld as Director, Corporate Affairs. Barney will join Rolls-Royce later this year in a new enhanced role.
Barney is currently Group Director, Corporate Communications at Network Rail. He is responsible for all internal and external communications, public affairs and community contact and relations. Barney joined Network Rail from Unilever where he was Global Vice President, Communications. He was initially responsible for global media relations and digital channels and, after that, global employee engagement and stakeholder campaigns. Barney began his career as a speechwriter for a frontbench MP in the UK parliament.
Barney will leave Network Rail in 'about five months time'.
Of course, as any ful kno, some of Royces most important engineering facilities are to be found in Derby - which just happens to be the city at the Heart of the Railway industry!
Yet further proof, should it be needed, that all roads ultimately lead to the Shire. That is all.
This from Adam the Gardner...
Just south of Finsbury Park:
This also from a Mr Greg Tingey...
Vauxhall – between the Windsor Lines.
This from a Mr Greg Tingey...
Stratford – westbound Central line is at left of picture, which is taken looking East (ish) – the Buddleia is growing up a good couple of yards or so!
Time for an exciting new Eye poll!
Using your skill and judgement, select who you think should be the new Chair of the Transport Select Committee.
These are the Labour runner and riders, in no particular order (I see what you did there. Ed):
A big Railway Eye welcome to the new Shadow Rail Minister Rachael Maskell!
RIA supremo Darren Caplan has taken to Conservativehome in a push for more Treasury funding.
This from First Group...
FirstGroup and MTR announce that Andy Mellors has been appointed as Managing Director of the new South Western rail franchise, which launches on 20 August.
Andy Mellors has 25 years of experience in the industry. He has held a number of senior leadership roles since joining FirstGroup in 2002 and is currently Engineering Director and Deputy Managing Director at Great Western Railway, having previously held a similar role at First ScotRail.
A good appointment and a loss to Great Western Railway
This from Freightliner...
LONDON – Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) today announced the appointment of Gary R. Long as Chief Executive Officer of its UK/Europe operating region, which is led by the UK’s Freightliner. He succeeds Russell Mears, who will transition to the role of Senior Advisor in the third quarter of 2017.
Long was President and CEO of the North American freight railroad holding company OmniTRAX, Inc., prior to joining G&W in 2013. He has nearly 35 years of transportation industry experience, including roles related to rail, motor carrier, port, maritime and intermodal terminals, and currently heads one of G&W’s U.S. operating regions. “Gary’s strong operational, commercial and management background in the rail, trucking and maritime industries make him particularly well suited to lead G&W’s UK/Europe businesses,” says Jack Hellmann, G&W Chairman, President and CEO.
Eye welcomes the news of Mears' 'transition'. Whatever that may mean.
Eye notes with interest that companies owned by the Chinese state are bidding for HS2 contracts.
Meanwhile, the same Chinese state is adopting an increasingly authoritarian approach towards Hong Kong citizens and has announced it has abandoned the joint declaration with Britain; the 1997 deal which guaranteed Hong Kong’s way of life and granted it a high degree of autonomy until 2047.
As a nation we still have a duty of care to the people of Hong Kong.
Whilst our options may be limited, it would be a great shame if our government rewarded China for this breach of faith with a slice of Britain's railway, or used UK taxes to procure Chinese manufactured equipment for HS2.
Just saying.
UPDATE: This from Howard Wade...
Having insisted on bidders for the West Coast Partnership including experience of high speed operations DfT seems to be taking a generous view of 'high speed' in the case of the Chinese team.
The 300km/h plus experience of Trenitalia (FirstGroup) and SNCF (Stagecoach/Virgin) contrasts with the 200km/h quoted on the Guangshen Railway web-site.
'But Minister, think of the embarrassment if there were only two bidders for this flagship franchise'.
Posts
