Changes at Network Rail?

***PA reporting that Iain Coucher may be leaving Network Rail***

More to follow...

UPDATE: This from Network Rail...

IAIN COUCHER TO STEP DOWN AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF NETWORK RAIL

Thursday 17 Jun 2010 10:30

Iain Coucher has informed Network Rail’s Board of his intention to step down following eight years with the company, including three years as chief executive. He will remain in his post over the coming months and will be involved in the search and recruitment of a successor to allow for a smooth and orderly transition.

Network Rail chairman, Rick Haythornthwaite, said: “Iain has been an outstanding leader for Network Rail both as chief executive and deputy chief executive. During his time with the company Britain’s railway has been transformed with improved punctuality which is at record levels, safety improved and billions removed from the company’s costs through efficiency saving. What was a company with enormous problems in 2002 is a strong and stable one today – and Britain’s rail users and taxpayers are the main beneficiaries.

“The Board and Iain agreed that ,with Network Rail one year into a five year financial settlement, now is the ideal time in our financial and regulatory cycle for Iain to hand over to a new chief executive who will guide the company through the process of reviewing our funding with the Office for Rail Regulation for the next regulatory control period and address the next phase of challenges in its transformational journey.

“Iain and I are working closely together to find a successor and then deliver a smooth and orderly transition, all the time focussed on making sure that throughout the period the company continues to deliver a safe, reliable and efficient railway.”

Network Rail chief executive, Iain Coucher, said: “I am enormously proud of what the Network Rail team has achieved over the past eight years. Britain’s railway is now on a sure footing for the future.

“Following three years as chief executive, and five before that as Deputy, now is a good time for me to move on. The company needs continuity of leadership throughout the next five year regulatory review period.

“Leading the thousands of dedicated railwaymen and women that make up this company has been the greatest privilege of my professional life. I know that under the management team we have in place, complemented by a new chief executive, they will continue to go from strength to strength in the future.”

A process to select a new chief executive is now underway, led by the chairman, Iain Coucher and the Board.


Notes to Editors:

Iain Coucher biography

Iain Coucher has been chief executive of Network Rail since 2007, having been deputy chief executive for five years before that.

Previously, Iain was chief executive of Tube Lines, one of the preferred bidders for the London Underground public private partnership. Before joining Tube Lines, Iain worked for EDS for 15 years, culminating in heading up the company’s mergers and acquisitions across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

He was seconded to the TranSys consortium between 1996 and 1998 as its chief executive and led the development of the Underground’s Oyster smartcard ticketing system.

He was also responsible for delivering the IT PFI to London Underground that provided the company with a new IT infrastructure.

Iain is an engineering graduate from Imperial College, London and also has an MBA.

Department for Transport - an epicures delight

Although Transport is one of the more lowly Departments of State it can on occasions get right up there with the best of them.

So it was with a sense of pride that the Fact Compiler discovered that DfT officials have won both second and third place in the coveted Troughing Stakes.

This from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism via the Daily Telegraph:

Here are the most wined-and-dined mandarins in Whitehall, based on the published hospitality information for central government departments, and FOI research.

1. Dave Hartnett, Permanent Secretary for Tax, HMRC

Accepted hospitality on 107 occasions.

2. Mike Mitchell, Director General National Networks, Department for Transport

Accepted hospitality on 89 occasions.

3. Simon Webb, Director General: International Networks & Environment, Department for Transport

Accepted hospitality on 80 occasions.

How noble that Messrs Mitchell and Webb should sacrifice their waistlines in pursuit of a better understanding of transport issues.

In these austere times an example to us all.

Of course such onerous duties take it out of a man, so it comes as no surprise to discover that Dr Mike will hang up his napkin in November.

Discreet soundings are already being taken on who should replace him.

Eye understands that an ability to think on your stomach heads the list of candidate attributes.

UPDATE: This from The Master...

Presumably it is safe to assume that Dr Death wasn't wined and dined on East Coast...

ConDems turn the juice off

More dark clouds over the previous government's electrification plans.

This from a Lord's debate on Tuesday 15th June ominously entitled Transport: Savings

Lord Faulkner of Worcester (Labour)
My Lords, I join those who have congratulated the noble Earl on his appointment and thank him for the courtesy he extended to me when I was sitting in the place that he now occupies. Perhaps I may start with an easy question for him. Does he agree that the maintenance of the commitment to electrify large parts of the railway system, as announced by my noble friend Lord Adonis, and the commitment to build High Speed 2, are both very sustainable and green forms of transport which the new Government will follow?

Earl Attlee (Whip, House of Lords; Conservative)
My Lords, we are committed to High Speed 2, but the noble Lord will understand the problems with expenditure on electrification in the current economic climate.

So that will be a "no" then?

Aslef solves the need for a Rail Review

This from Keith Norman of Aslef...

‘There’s a simple solution to keeping down costs,’ Keith says. ‘Stop money pouring out of our industry into the hands of private speculators. Stop paying fortunes to lawyers, consultants and accountants to negotiate franchises. Keep rail profits in the industry rather than seeing them disappear into investors’ profits. Reinvest in rail and the problem’s solved - and the review’s not needed.’

Perhaps anyone who has not been a consultant to the industry in recent years might care to comment?

Sorry Iain, not you.

Thameslink 4000 news

Eye hears that technical specialists working on Thameslink are being temporarily stood down.

Although the possible remobilisation in Autumn is clearly dependent on the spending review.

One piece of good news.

NR's previous inability to give a clear date for London Bridge's re-opening now looks positively prescient.

UPDATE: This via the BBC...

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has committed the Government to delivering the full £16bn Crossrail scheme.

Every cloud has a silver lining.

Exciting DfT announcement tomorrow

Eye understands that there is an "item" on the grid tomorrow for the Department for Transport.

What could this exciting announcement be?

Perhaps it's the unveiling of the new Eurek timetable?

Although it may already have become the Eure timetable.

Or possibly as little as the Eur timetable.

Either way anticipate some spin tomorrow and if it does involve SLC2 don't expect the East of England to be convinced.

UPDATE: This from Billy Connections...

You are a touch "previous" - announcement is Thursday.

APPRG elects new officers for a new Parliament

Last night the All Party Parliamentary Rail Group (APPRG) held its annual general meeting.

It being a new Parliament there was an election of officers.

The following were duly elected:

Joint Chairmen: Tom Harris MP and Stephen Hammond MP
Joint Vice Chairmen: Lord Peter Snape and Kelvin Hopkins MP.
Secretary: Lord Tony Berkeley.
Treasurer: Lord Richard Faulkner.

Eye would just like to point out that those chairing the APPRG have more railway knowledge and understanding than both the front bench transport teams put together.

This must be The New Politics that Tom Harris keeps blogging about.

Exciting aviation committee formed to drink tea

Exciting news from Petrol-head Hammond!

A drive to reduce long queues and the number of delayed flights was announced today as Transport Secretary Philip Hammond unveiled a new group tasked with improving operations at the major South East airports. It will be made up of key players from the aviation world and chaired by Aviation Minister Theresa Villiers, with the initial focus on Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.

Bloody marvelous - an aviation talking shop - whoopy-doop!

Is this the best that they can come up with?

God help us when Hammond begins to focus on the railway's chronic shortage of rolling stock and passengers in excess of capacity.

Eye predicts that this august body will only deliver shorter airport queues by demanding that passengers stand closer together.

Foster report on IEP set to music - Shocker

Telegrammed by our Cultural Correspondent
Cultural icons abounded in Marsham Street last evening as Lord Andrew Lloyd Weber's Really Useful Company sought to gain publicity from the delivery of Sir Andrew Foster's report on the value for money of the Intercity Express Programme.

As he arrived Sir Andrew (Foster that is) was swept up in a parade of Dorothys and Munchkins from the Wizard of Oz singing 'Ding dong, the train is dead, which old train, the Zombie train, Ding dong the Zombie train is dead'.

They were followed by the cast of Starlight Express with Speedy the revitalised diesel train pushing Origami the incredible paper train into a symbolic shredder.

Finally the cast of Joseph serenaded Sir Andrew into DfT's Marsham Street Offices with a chorus of 'Any dream will do (so long as it's value for money and credible)'.

Then, like some insubstantial pageant faded. Left not a jot behind.

UPDATE: This, implausibly, from motoring guru Jezza Clarkson...

'Oi! Compiler, get your facts straight. Weber make carburettors, including the twin-choke downdraught 38 DGAs fitted to the iconic Essex engine.

The music bloke is Webber.

UPDATE: This, remarkably, from Herr Carl Maria von Weber...

I think you must have your composers confused.

But if you would like a comic opera on the subject of the IEP I would be happy to oblige.

UPDATE: This, even more remarkably, from Sir W.S Gilbert...

I say, what a cracking idea for the next Savoy Opera.

We could have a magic potion which drives civil servants into increasingly bizarre specifications for new trains.

UPDATE: This, from a somewhat tetchy, Sir Arthur Sullivan...

I've told you again and again, Gilbert NO MORE MAGIC POTIONS'

Right. Enough. No more dead composers please. Ed

Overground aural overload

This with a bowler tip to the Going Underground Blog...



Perhaps the Camclegg twins can add over use of on-train announcements to the Great Repeal Act?

UPDATE: This from @StephenRees, via Twitter...

That London Overground video certainly takes the PIS!

'I Spy' - lifting the lid on railways

This from Sheepbridge...

'I-Spy' books have apparently returned to our bookshelves (now sponsored by Michelin) and seem to be offering a wealth of additional extra dimensions to the avid 'spotter'.

In my day, my ABC consisted of locomotives and the like.


Has the hobby really degenerated to spotting railway carriage lavatories ?

UPDATE: This from Sussex Driver....

Is there a category for working toilets?

Surely this would be worth bonus points!

Railway Garden Competition - Bournemouth

With a bowler tip to @swlines via @twitpic

Railway industry signs away destiny - again!

Bulldog Drummond gets to read Sir Roy McNulty's Scoping Study...

The DfT and ORR issued the McNulty Value for Money Report Scoping Study today without explaining why it had taken ten weeks to put the it into the public domain (it is dated 31 March).

Lots of good stuff and well worth a read but throughout a depressing response from the industry where the general tenor of comment is to acknowledge that there are problems but it is really for others to get a grip.

Statements that should have appeared in the report but, depressingly, did not (unless Sir Roy is playing his cards exceptionally close to his chest) include:

'Many senior members of the industry we met were just bursting with ideas how to create a better deal for customers but felt thwarted by current circumstances.'

'We were impressed by the overall strategic view that many of our respondents took and their acknowledgement of the need, if required, to reduce profits to make for a better railway.'

'We were highly impressed with the personal responsibility that many we met took for the current, largely undesirable, state of affairs and their desire to put things right as quickly as possible.'

'We were told of a number of carefully thought through ideas that could be implemented immediately and which would reduce cost, produce great efficiencies and demonstrate the commitment of senior management to the industry as a whole.'

If you're not part of the solution...

DfT Press Office - power-users one and all

Good to see that the DfT press office have mastered this worldweb-interwide thingy.

This courtesy of the Government's news website:

Operational Note – Transport Secretary Philip Hammond Visits Crossrail project at Canary Wharf

NOT FOR PUBLICATION

Venue: North Dock, off Upper Bank Street, Canary Wharf

Presumably the injunction 'Not for Publication' only refers to Dead Tree Media?

Railway Garden Competition - Disqualified

This is all wrong!

Clearly Orpington is not imbued with the spirit of the age.

Where is the wilful neglect and can't be arsed attitude?

What a shocking departure from established Railway Garden practice!


Presumably the staff responsible for this outrageous display don't even qualify for gargantuan bonuses?

What on earth makes them get out of bed in the morning?

Railway Garden Competition - Lewisham

Lewisham, Thursday 10th June. North end of platform 2.


With a bowler tip to Portugoose Al.

The crumbling edge of quality - WCML

This from the 'Chartered Surveyor'...

Here is Moore south of Warrington.


Clearly maintaining the 'assets' has become a low priority. And this before the Spending Review.

Railway Garden Competition - Peterborough

Blowing the whistle again...

Telegrammed by our International Correspondent
Much excitement in yesterday's Mail on Sunday that the man overseeing MP's expenses is to leave the role early.

A shattered Mr Gooding told The Mail on Sunday yesterday: ‘I have left the job for the sake of my health and sanity.’

Of course Nigel Gooding may be better known to Eye readers as the former Station Manager at Brighton, and the man who in the very early privatisation efforts blew his referees whistle at the then LTS management buy-out team for a very liberal interpretation of trading rules regarding season tickets and settlement for the Underground portion.

OPRAF (remember them?) said it was a serious breach whilst In the Commons Clare Short MP suggested that it was a deliberately organised fraud.

Not of course an accusation that could be levelled at Ms Short who the Telegraph revealed had "claimed the full cost of her mortgage for two and a half years, despite being entitled to charge only for the interest element."

Happily Clare has left the Mother of Parliaments.

Poetry Corner - Lines on First Group changes

This just in from Clarence Spad, Life President of the Young Railway Poets Society...

LINES WRITTEN ON THE CHANGES AT FIRST GROUP ANNOUNCED RECENTLY

In the style of William McGonagall who was a great poet of Dundee and if he were alive today would be most welcome on Reading Station

T’was on the afternoon of eighth of June twenty ten
Most interesting and curious news came to Reading Station
That the gallant knight of Scotland called Sir Moir
Was reorganising First Group leaving blood on the floor

From First Group House in the granite city of Aberdeen
The word went out along the railways from Wick to Sheen
Great changes were afoot in the corridors of power
The dark and beetle browed knight was man of the hour

But then as always gangs on this sad earth some evil news
The queen of buses, Nicola Shaw, had gone, new job to choose
‘Tis said that she was most affronted
Not to get his job and was in a siding shunted

The bosses of First Group are paid very well
But that’s the purpose of privatisation I’ve heard tell
Our maisters tell us ne’er ever should we complain
T’is a privilege to pay handsomely to travel by Sir Moir’s train

Now welcome back to Britannia Tim O’Toole
A sharp and clever graduate from law school
On Britain’s railways that’s the skill that’s needed
To ensure the company’s demands are heeded
And the Government continues great sums to pay
First Group PLC until Judgement Day

We have now heard unofficially that the Son et Lumiere we noted on our last post has been cancelled.

Mark Hopwood is said to be very relieved.

His body stocking had split in a number of places following vigorous rehearsals and the textile re-fitting team at Swindon were finding restoring it to good condition an impossible challenge.