***Evening Standard reporting that Beardie Rail has its eye on the East Coast franchise***
Hulleys’ Closure - My Thoughts
1 year ago
Tuesday, 3 February 2009
Monday, 2 February 2009
The green grass
On the day the railways stopped because of a bit of snow...
Here true ingenuity and pluck!
Captain Bob, with bowler tip to Dan.
Once men like these built the railways.
Dead donkey
Full marks to New Civil Engineer for having its finger on the pulse!
This from the NCE website...
Crossrail chief executive to be named today.
Except he wasn't. So snow delaying Crossrail already.
Snow in London - World Ends!
It's official - public transport can't handle the snow.
At least not in the South East.
Meanwhile, outside the Metropolitan village, life continues as normal.
Webbed fingers
Avoid Norfolk at all costs, if you plan to require the services of an ambulance.
This from the Norwich Evening News...
Ambulance bosses have defended their decision to use a new fleet of vehicles which are too big to go under some railway bridges.
The East of England Ambulance Trust has come under fire for purchasing new ambulance vehicles which are “taller” than existing ones.
Hopefully NR is seeking legal advice on whether individual members of the EEA Trust can be held accountable for the inevitable bridge bashes and resulting disruption?
Tell them nothing!
Not a good day for Chris Austin OBE, the Director of Public Policy at ATOC.
Austin used to head up communications at the SRA before Bowker moved him sideways.
With good reason, judging by this in the Western Daily Press...
At the beginning of last year, WSR (the West Somerset Railway) was offered free use of a rail grinding machine by Network Rail to upgrade the surface of its tracks, on the basis it would be a useful training exercise for Network Rail...
As a result, most of the steam train services had to be suspended until mid-July, with the timetable being maintained by vintage diesel locomotive...
In his report, (David Morgan of the HRA)... said: "It seems that management woke up rather late to the fact that there was a public relations problem at all.
"In his letter, the (then) chairman, Chris Austin, candidly admits that he took the decision not to press release the bad news of the track problems more widely 'both to protect the reputation of the railway and to protect revenue during a difficult year'.
Morgan concludes "The lack of dissemination of the bad news resulted in many groups coming long distances to travel on a steam train to be confronted by the lack of such a service, or at worst cancellations."
Good to see such devotion to transparency from the man in charge of ATOC's Public Policy.
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!
Saturday, 31 January 2009
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.
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.
Friday, 30 January 2009
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!
Thursday, 29 January 2009
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!
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