A nice valedictory from Tom Harris to his soon to be erstwhile boss
Read it here.
The Fact Compiler wonders what the reshuffle holds for Harris.
Perhaps SofS for Transport?
More likely the blogging minister will be tasked with disbursing the £700 that Gordon has promised to each family so their kiddies can get on-line.
Should generate a few more readers for Tom allowing him to sell advertising on his blog a la Guido.
With the industry desperately hoping for a tangible commitment to electrification and additional capacity what did the Secretary of State actually have to say for herself this morning?
"So Labour will develop options for a rolling programme of electrification of our railways - potentially the largest programme of electrification in our history. I have asked Network Rail to consider the case for new lines if passenger numbers continue to grow in the future.
"And if we need new lines, of course we should be asking whether they should be high speed. We all know that in the current climate, with high food and fuel prices, getting good value for money is more important than ever.
So the promise of jam tomorrow but no 'bread'!
Telegrammed by Arrow Head
Be careful what you wish for.
The Apostle of the Pantograph did indeed slip in something radical, just not what was hoped for!
Mystic Wolmar can rest easy, for now.
***Secretary of State for Transport Ruth Kelly has announced her intention to leave the cabinet. Reshuffle expected within a month.***
Today's FT has come out firmly in favour of 'The Frankenstein' train as a means of accurately describing the IEP.
'The IEP has been nicknamed the “Frankenstein train” because the specification brings together so many irreconcilable parts' asserts the Pink'un confidently.
But what's this?
The quote emerges from the mouth of soi disant 'veteran observer' Rupert Brennan Brown, who fails to give Railway Eye due credit for originating the term.
Fortuitously The Fact Compiler was recently sent a clipping from a July 1991 Railnews which pictures carpet Bagger-Brown in a less than flattering light.
The so called "veteran" (on the right) is pictured alongside a "dinosaur".
Simon Bates, for it is he, was once mainstay of Radio 1, alas he is now serving out his twilight years on Classic FM.
All together now: Ner ner ner nerrr...
There are dangers in believing that old canard about the 'earth moving' during passion.
As this South African couple quickly discovered.
Was it the Jubilee line extension that claimed it went faster, deeper, longer?
The Fact Compiler has received a communication from a concerned resident of Sheppey, which is soon to become a hole in the ground.
It would appear that before BoJo's brand spanking new Heathrow airport replacement can be built, a large volume of unexploded war time ordinance needs shifting.
The proposed airport is to be created on an artificial island in the Thames Estuary off the Isle of Sheppey, near the site of wrecked liberty ship SS Richard Montgomery.
The ship sank in 1944 carrying 1,500 tons of explosives.
"He's mad, we're doomed!" screamed my correspondent.
Sounds like it, which ever way you look at it.
The Fact Compiler had assumed that last night's ATOC/NR fringe event was subject to Chatham House rules and therefore suppressed the urge to blog - despite much temptation.
Fortunately Tom Harris, fearless of his party's feminist banshees, has posted his opening gambit on his own blog so it's now fair game!
"Since being appointed rail minister, I’ve “gone native”, as it were, and found myself doing something I would never have imagined doing before: buying railway magazines at W.H. Smith. But to avoid embarrassment, I also buy a copy of Playboy to put the rail magazine inside."
The Fact Compiler wonders why its only Rail magazine that he has to hide inside a porno mag?
As a modally agnostic minister does he therefore shroud Modern Railways in Aviation Today or mask Railway Magazine with Autocar?
Perhaps we should be told.
Meanwhile readers of Railway Eye are invited to assist Tom with alternative opening gags for industry events - contributions here.
Telegrammed by Brochet
A wondrous new website, on the redevelopment of Birmingham New Street station, has appeared on the interweb.
Regrettably it has been built using Flash so those with restrictive IT policies on Javascript will be unable to view it - to get frustrated click here
As a service to the industry The Fact Compiler has reproduced the home page image here.
Lovely!
But a hole is still a hole, even if you cover it with a pretty tent!
Ruth Kelly - opportunity knocks!
The Prime Minister is attending the Labour party conference. He addresses the Conference on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he flies to New York where he will remain until Friday.
While the Old Man's away why not slip in something radical - how about announcing funding for electrification of both the MML and GWML ?
Kent On-line reports that the Chunnel blaze was more severe than that experienced in 1996.
Fire chiefs briefed Kent County Councillors and Medway Councillors behind closed doors
Photographs distributed at the meeting show the tunnel lining stripped back to the supporting steel structures.
Read the Kent On-line story here.Even though we are now in the season of mellow fruitfulness the Railway Gardeners continue to ply their trade (or Network Rail fails to ply its - take your pick).
Here a discreet offering on the East Coast Mainline down slow.
Nice to see NR helping Welwyn Garden City live up to its name.
From our man at 222 Marylebone Road
Wednesday morning sees the brothers and sisters debate Transport at t'Conference.
Expect Saint Ruth of the Catenary, the Apostle of the Pantograph, to say something positive about electrification.
No doubt short of any financial commitment.
Captain Deltic of Modern Railway's fame is renowned for the surgical skill with which he wields the stiletto.
Therefore The Fact Compiler was much looking forward to the latest Informed Sources ePreview which plopped into his inbox this morning.
With numerous hacks swanning around Manchester for the Labour Party conference this week perhaps one of them could tax the Secretary of State or one of her ministers on the following insight from the good Captain:
"Didn’t Rail Minister Tom Harris say that the mythical 1300 (new vehicles) didn’t include the 1100 Thameslink vehicles? Well they do now, leaving poor old Tom stitched up by his officials yet again."
Oh what a tangled web we weave when first...
Telegrammed by our man at 222 Marylebone Road
A confused indifference pricing expert writes.
Lease rentals for the MOLA fleet were set (by DafT and its consultants/bankers/advisers/leasing experts) so that TOCs would be 'indifferent' financially as to whether they leased new stock or kept their MOLA fleet trains.
The laudable aim was to ensure that sparkling new trains were not priced out of the market by cheapo second hand trains.
As the CoCo provisional findings show, DafT has already 'up-buggered' (technical term - Ed) the leasing market so that new trains are now significantly more expensive than the MOLA fleet.
So now DafT wants to make MOLA fleet rentals even cheaper. Making new trains even more unaffordable.
Still it's one way of getting out of that commitment to 1300 additional vehicles that the previous Transport Secretary was so keen on.
Not that the ROSCOs are likely to be keen to fund them if they face the prospect of retrospective DafT demands for mid lease rental cuts.
How does it go?
First they came for the slam door stock, then they came for the MOLA fleet...
Telegrammed by our man at 222 Marylebone Road
More on ORR chair hunt.
We note that a chair is static and squeaks if you try to move it around.
Of course, if on castors it goes shooting off in the desired direction at the smallest nudge.
Both attributes are just what DafT is looking for.
Posts
