DB go slow

So much for the German commitment to running a right time railway.

This from the Times...

Keith Heller, the chief executive of EWS (DB Shenker), Britain’s biggest rail freight company, said that the Department for Transport’s punctuality target for passenger trains was too ambitious and was delaying his freight trains.

As DB also runs Chiltern Trains, Wrexham & Shropshire and is a partner in LooRoll, can it be long before Berlin gives Heller 'das boot' for this off-message nonsense?

UPDATE: This from Das Internationaler Korrespondent...

Liebe Herr Tatsache Kompilier

Why would Keith want a submarine from his masters in the Deutsche Haupstadt?

Heil Burkhardt! Heil Bahn!

Right up!

This splendid headline from the Rail website:

HOON PUSHES HIGH-SPEED RAIL NETWORK UP HIS OWN AGENDA

The Fact Compiler would happily pay good money to see this anatomical feet.

UPDATE: A pedantic old fart who remembers when an English O-Level meant something comments...

'Clearly the Fact Compiler has feat of clay'

The Fact Compiler will write out 500 times "anatomical feat, anatomical feat, anatomical feat..."

January thank you

In January Railway Eye received 11,269 visits from 2,812 unique visitors.

Apparently you viewed 18,114 splenetic utterances in total.

Since the site launched on the 13th May 2008 (or there abouts) Railway Eye has received 51,655 visits from 13,758 unique visitors.

Thank you.

Unacceptable behaviour

Yet again a bus from a TOC owner group has pranged a bridge, this time in the West Midlands.

This from the BBC...


Isn't it about time the bus bandits copied railway best practice and made their drivers sign routes?

Launceston Station

In these times of doom & gloom it is proving increasingly difficult for our beloved estate agents to flog houses.

However, you can't keep a good Kirsty or a Kevin down.

And what better way to entice buyers than by emphasising a property's transport links.

The Fact Compiler fears that potential buyers may have some wait for a train to Plymouth

Open access shock!

Exciting news from the world of the Interweb!

Google is apparently diversifying into transport.

Is this what they mean by convergent technologies?

Snow on the lines

Owing to adverse weather conditions all three ex-Southern Region TOC websites have crashed.

Oh and NRES as well.

Nothing like planning for anticipated surges in demand.

And this was nothing like planning for...

UPDATE: Good news from Driver Potter...

I would like to point out that although my website does run on 750dc, it still works.

So there!

Best Kept-Secret Station Award

Telegrammed by Our Friend in the North
Its nice to know that the increased income from above-inflationary fare rises is being ploughed back into station facilities.

This is the main and only entrance to Northern Rail's Church Fenton station.

Note the lack of station signs, aimed specifically at those with telepathic tendencies.

ORR proposed decision on ECML access rights

Telegrammed by the Timetable Compiler
For those who missed it yesterday this is what it says in brief:

Yes to HT 7th path,

Yes to GC's 4th path,

Yes to Grand Northern

No to Platinum Trains (Aberdeen - KX)

No to Harrogate trains

Yes in principle to NEEC alterations if conflicts can be resolved.

Nice!

Fiends of the NRM

Son of York and railway robber baron George Hudson would be tickled pink.

Moir Lockhead and Richard Bowker have been appointed Vice Presidents of the Friends of the National Railway Museum!

Lockhead, it will be remembered, is famous for misplacing anyone who actually knows how to run a railway.

Meanwhile, Bowker presides over a franchise that appears utterly determined to reduce NRM visitor numbers - by gating the £500k footbridge that the great man himself opened a mere five years ago!

If this is the calibre of the NRM's friends then the Eye hopes it has few enemies!

Down the tubes

***1,000 jobs to go at London Underground and TfL***

Movers and schenkers

***Former LU & EWS man, Patrick Butcher, to be NR's new Director of Finance***

Deluded fools

Goods news for fans of Guided bus routes.

This from Portsmouth Today...

A high-speed bus route on a disused railway track is set to get county approval tomorrow.

The £20m transport link between Gosport and Fareham looks likely to get backing from Hampshire County Council to reduce congestion on the busy A32.

Lets hope they can actually afford passenger facilities for this one.

UPDATE: Brynley writes...

A cconventional busway or a Guided Bus?

Conventional, I think.

This Fareham-Gosport trackbed was to be the tram route to Portsmouth.

Now intending travellers will have to go bus-ferry-bus to Portsmouth City Centre which is not much better than the present arrangement.

Perhaps it makes sense at the Fareham end?

Why the railways cost so much

This from the Press and Journal...

Scottish train operator First ScotRail, which put up many of its fares by 6% at the start of this year, has reported a 60% jump in profits

An unnamed director received emoluments and pension contributions totalling £466,351 in the latest period, up nearly 70% from the £276,595 payout its best-paid boss received in 2006-07.

Here's a novel thought!

Perhaps if Train Operating Companies paid their fat-cat directors and greedy owner groups rather less, then maybe the railways wouldn't be so bloody expensive to run?

Parking charges parked?

Station car parking charges are unregulated and therefore provide a highly lucrative revenue stream for increasingly cash strapped TOCs.

Normally station users have to bend over and assume the position, whilst avaracious TOCs hoover cash from their glove boxes.

But what's this?

The plucky residents of Liskeard are challenging greedy First Great Western, convinced that free usage of the station car park was guarenteed in perpatuity!

Whatever the rights and wrongs of the case expect DafT to impose the charges, or threaten a reduction in the stopping pattern, if Liskeard council doesn't kowtow.

Lookalike lll

Oh no it's not!

When is a franchise commitment not a franchise commitment?

When DafT says so, silly!

Bowler tip to Rail Manager on Line for these gems:

This from DafT on the 14th August 2007:
"NXEC will provide a full restaurant service on 87 train services Monday to Friday with an improved range of full meals".

This from DafT on 6th January 2009:
"Catering is not covered by the franchise agreement with National Express East Coast and is a matter for the train operating company".

DafT - making it up as they go along.

PR News

As any fule kno a good PR man has to be up to date and ahead of the curve.

But what's this?

A quick visit to the website of soi disant "veteran observer" Rupert Brennan Brown reveals the following:


A date fixed at the 29th April

A picture of said veteran with a non-extant Mayor

and a photo of the late Madam Chairman of the Transport Select Committee, who has been enjoying her reward in heaven for some time.

Good to see this particular spinner has his finger on the pulse!

Lookalike ll

Lookalike