HS2 - Nimbyism alive and well in the 'nasty' party!

This from Channel 4 News...

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond faces protesters who are campaigning against the new London to Birmingham high speed rail line route.

Channel 4 News Political Correspondent Cathy Newman has learnt that at least two ministers may resign if the route is not changed.

Welcome to the New Politics or, in old money, Nimbyism.

Forget the LibDems tearing the coalition government apart - clearly the Tories are more than competent enough to do this on their own.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, probably best to wait till the 20th October when the whole HS2 thing will be declared unaffordable.

So all in all a non-story.

Poetry corner - Clarence Spad resurgans!

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

I am just back from being the Young Railway Poet in residence at the summer-long Belarus Fraternal Festival of Vertically Integrated Railways held at the famous freight yards in Minsk where I was most honoured to be asked to write a poem by Premier of Belarus, Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko, no less

Lines on the proposal by Anatoly Siva, head of Belarusian Railways suggesting that Kazakhstan switch to common rail freight tariffs with Belarus and Russia.

'Oh mighty railways of Belarus, Kazakhstan and the Russia Federation
Bonds of steel, sinews of trade, muscles of cultural solidarity, veins of history, bones of grandeur
Why do you not have the same rail freight tariffs?'

I am told it translates very well in to Russian and even rhymes in part.

I have to admit I was a bit lonely at Minsk because UK national railways are, rightly, banned from the festival.

There was someone from LUL but whenever he talked about Boris everyone asked whether a miracle had taken place and Mr Yeltsin had risen from the dead and become Mayor of London.
Any attempt to say this was not the case was met with utter disbelief.

Anyway, you can imagine my surprise on returning to Reading Station to see that someone has written a poem in my name about the esteemed Doctor Mike Mitchell no longer having a job.

I am told this is incorrect information as a friend of Mark Hopwood who also knows everyone at First Group says that the Doctor was at a top table at the National Rail Awards last Thursday.

Surely this must mean he still has a job?

Lines on Dr Mike Not Getting The Sack

'It is the seventieth anniversary of the Battle of Britain
When we remember brave men who saved their country
There is a man today in Whitehall doing the same
For our railway industry
But he is not the same as those pilots of yesteryear
Because he occasionally wears a beard.'

PS My close circle of friends on Reading Station are most concerned that we have not been consulted about Reading station redevelopment. It all seems to be rushed through without the thought of the consequences.

All the new platforms will be most confusing and the daily miracles, and sometimes source of sardonic amusement, that are Platforms 4 and 5 will disappear.

Railway Garden Competition - Leamington caped

This from BB...

Following the sabotaging of Wolverhampton's Railway Garden entry, perhaps you can find space for this particular effort to make my small corner of the railway kingdom look rather less shabby?


The Fact Compiler is impressed - good effort!

Is there any news on the buddleia that once used to straddle the bridge abutments at Leamington Spa?

Pointless signs - Bristol Temple Meads

This from the Wicked Weaver...

Bristol Temple Meads still has space for yet more signs.

My colleague pointed out this recent addition, adorning the subway, which specifically states "hold handrails" (plural).



Here he struggles to comply.

Exciting new PPE kit for the Ladies

This from the Commander...

After the risk-averse culture requiring track visitors to wear all-over orange including trousers, necessitating the long-ago prophesied collection of useless data such as inside-leg measurement, we now have the same for our female colleagues.

I am agreeably surprised that the original specification of ‘safety’ footwear has been subject to a partial derogation in this instance, and that the prohibition on the wearing of short trousers on the track has also been allowed to lapse.

The below is from page 20 of the recently issued September edition of Railstaff.

From the report on the Liverpool Rail Plant Show, the caption reads:

“And finally, full marks to Sharesh from Universal. When she was told to wear full-orange for the day she quite naturally put on her orange miniskirt and high heels.”

Naturally!

First for walking by on the other side...

Oh dear!

This from the BBC...

Staff at a rail company gave no medical assistance to a commuter who collapsed, it has emerged.

The man collapsed three weeks ago at St Albans station on a line into London run by First Capital Connect.

But bystanders were forced to give medical help. The company later said even if staff were trained, they were only permitted to help other employees.

Eye wonders whether there is a chapter on rendering assistance to stricken fare payers in Sir Moir's lovely book?

"Moving people is what we do best" claims First.

Perhaps not.

UPDATE: This from the First Capital Connect press office...

I think the piece above about FCC may need a bit of first aid of its own.

It was an FCC staff member who initially was so concerned about the customer's state of health that he encouraged him to leave a train early at St Albans so he could get assistance. He should be commended not derided.

When the customer subsequently collapsed, staff and other passengers made sure the individual was as comfortable as possible while we called an ambulance and made an announcement for any doctor that may have been on the station at the time.

Staff trained in first aid can give assistance to customers, but there was not one available at the time so the guys on the ground did exactly what they're trained to do - they called the paramedics who arrived within 7 minutes.

Having said that, we know we're not perfect so our MD has met the lady who made the complaint to see how we can do things better.

RMT flies the flag for Britain!

Good to see the RMT standing up for the Brits!

A RMT spokesman has demanded an apology from Stena lines after a director of the Dutch company, which now operates the former Sealink Harwich - Hook route, called British workers "fat and covered in tattoos".

Eye wonders if he had anyone particular in mind?

UPDATE: This from the Velopodist...

I was fascinated to learn of a new entrant to the ferry market, a Dutch company called Stena Lines.

Are they in any way connected to Stena Line, the Gothenburg-based Swedish company?

The Fact Compiler responds - Fair, ferry fair.

Lookalike - lowering the standard?

Exciting news for Eye's readers at Innotrans in Berlin!

The new ERTMS Logo is going to be officially launched on Tuesday 16h30 at the InnoTrans, Hall 4.2, (UNIFE) Stand 120 - you are cordially invited to participate!

For those unable to attend here it is...

At least someone has a sense of irony.

UPDATE: This, unbelievably, from Prof Stephen Hawkins...

Am I alone in seeing a strong similarity between the new ERTMS logo and a diagrammatic representation of an object falling into a black hole?

A sense of irony indeed!!

UPDATE: This from Inspector Blakey...

I don't think it was the famous theoretical physicist and cosmologist who contacted you.

He spells his surname Hawking.

Must be another expert on black holes out there with a confusingly similar name...

UPDATE: This from Chionanthus virginicus...

Clearly The Fact Compiler has spent too long on the cushions.

Had he spent anytime up-front he would know exactly what the new ERTMS logo looks like...

Been there, seen that, nothing new under the Sunflower!

Villiers vignettes... there may be troubles ahead...

Has the Saviour of the Jammy Dodger turned against Rail Barbie?

This from a House of Commons debate on the 15th September 2010:

Theresa Villiers (Minister of State (Rail and Aviation), Transport; Chipping Barnet, Conservative): That franchise experienced significant disruption between October 2009 and January of this year. That was largely caused by industrial action, and Thameslink services were the worst affected. However, there were also problems on the Great Northern line, which serves Enfield.

It was particularly regrettable that action by drivers meant that no trains ran on Remembrance Sunday last year on the suburban Great Northern line services.

I am relieved that the problems that led to that disruption have gone away for the moment, and that First Capital Connect's overall public performance measure has recovered to reach the levels prevailing prior to that episode.

Eye thinks we should be told.

PMs IEP phone call - Exclusive transcript!

As Eye readers are no doubt aware Hitachi has been carrying out a vigorous lobbying campaign to rescue the doomed IEP.

Even the Japanese prime-minister, Naoto Kan, has been pressed into service, phoning David Cameron to try and save the order

According to Saturday's FT:

Phil Wilson Labour MP for Sedgefield, said "Talks have taken place between our prime minister and the prime minister of Japan because the issue is so important for bilateral relations."

Fortunately Railway Eye's man in Whitehall, retired top Mandarin Sir Humphrey Beeching, has obtained a copy of the resulting Cabinet Office note.

Verbatim Minute of telephone conversation between:

Naoto Kan (PM-J)
DC (PM-UK)
PH (SoS-T) in attendance

PM-J said he had noted with approval the decision by the UK Government to endorse the superiority of Japanese railway technology by placing the order for the Intercity Express Programme with Hitachi.

However he was concerned to learn that the order was under threat.

PM-UK explained that in the current economic crisis affordability was paramount and the report by Andrew Foster focused on this issue. Hence the government's study of lower cost credible alternatives.

PM-J said it would be regrettable if short term financial decisions meant that the opportunity for the UK to return to the train building market was lost. The new factory would open up the European market to the Japan/UK joint venture.

SoS-T suggested that there might be resistance to sales of Japanese trains in Europe because the Japanese rolling stock market was closed to European manufacturers.

PM-J commented that this was was only to be expected given the inferiority of European rolling stock.

SoS-T said that this was not the UK's experience to-date.

PM-J offered to send the President of Hitachi to UK so that he could join the President (sic) of Network Rail in making humble formal apologies to travellers at Ashford and London for the inferior track which had prevent Japanese rolling stock from demonstrating customary flawless operation. He was prepared to make this gesture because the IEP contract was so important to bi-lateral relations.

PM-UK said that he understood bi-lateral to mean two-way and wondered whether there was scope for reciprocity in other aspects of railway technology. He noted that Invensys had recently signed a deal with China to supply advanced signalling technology.

PM-J regretted that this was unlikely because NR had already invited Hitachi to apply superior Japanse signalling technology to solve problems with European Standard Signalling System (ERTMS?). However, he understood that British expertise in branding through bodyside vinyls was unrivalled and suggested a suppliers' mission should visit Japan at his personal invitation.

PM-UK closed the telecon by thanking the PM-J for his interest and assuring him that his comments would be given serious consideration.

Conversation ended.

UPDATE: This from Billy Connections...

I'm not convinced that the Japanese PM would have been quite so confident of his country's superior technology judging by this picture which I found underneath the Alstom table at the end of the National Rail Awards.

On the back was written: "Here is a proper high speed train - no wobbles. Japanese engineers must strive harder to meet European levels of excellence and reliability!"

Fortunately though, it made no mention of the unique aroma surrounding the vestibule area outside the loos.

UPDATE: This from Kendo Nagasaki...

Smell of seaweed in Pendolino vestibules makes Japanese tourists feel at home so no wonder train gets the thumbs up.

I always assumed it was typical of the attention to detail by Branson San.

Mediaballs - Taking the pi$$ but not on Southern

Much nonsense being spoken by the Chatterati about the absence of loos on trains due to operate between Portsmouth and Brighton.

This tosh from the BBC...

Southern Railway to axe toilets from new train fleet

A train company has been branded a "disgrace" by union chiefs after it emerged some of its new fleet will have no toilets on board.

Southern Railway opted to forgo the facilities on its latest trains running on the Portsmouth to Brighton service.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers' union (RMT) said on a journey of that length it was "unacceptable".

Where to begin?

First, despite over excited twitterings to the contrary, Southern are not withdrawing loos from all its trains.

Secondly, the 'new trains' that will serve the Portsmouth - Brighton route are no such thing. They are Class 313s which are over thirty years old. They never had loos and never will.

Operating trains without loos on a journey of over an hour is also not new - there appear to be little objections to passengers travelling from Waterloo to Weybridge via Hounslow on Class 455s.

And lets not even start talking about South Eastern's 'metro' (Class 376) fleet.

Or for that matter LUL sub-surface and tube stock where end to end journeys on many lines can comfortably exceed an hour.

The reasons that passengers on these routes tend not to complain about the lack of on-board facilities is that their journeys are generally short.

Perhaps surprisingly Bob Crow claimed that the 'new' trains risked turning carriages into "stinking cattle trucks" creating appalling conditions for passengers and staff.

With Voyagers and Pendolini in mind one would have thought that not installing modern toilet units would actually prevent the usual stink to be found in vestibule areas, unless of course the flexible spaces replacing the loos really are very flexible indeed?

Eye wonders whether all this RMT special pleading points to a pre-Christmas pub crawl between Brighton and Portsmouth? You have been warned.

UPDATE: This from the Old Member...

The Fact Compiler might wish to consult with Annie Mole on the corrosion issue which LUL used to discreetly refer to as the 'J door problem' whereby the J Door - providing access from the main saloon into the driver's cab, suffered severe electrolytic corrosion along the bottom edge due to the dampness experienced inside the driving compartment. This was especially a problem on 1938 stock where there were often intermediate cabs in the train formation.

This problem may well have occurred to a lesser degree on the old Blue Trains (now due a golden jubilee celebration - introduced 1960). I have heard of backpackers in desperation having come in from a ferry at Gourock or Wemyss Bay using the gangway connection between carriages with doors closed and guarded to form an improvised 'stall'.

Perhaps this information may lead to Southern removing the inter-carriage doors , as a measure to prevent corrosion.

UPDATE: This from Captain James Bigglesworth...

Vickers Viscounts ran into corrosion problems around the tail spar.

This was due to people with poor aim causing critical levels of corrosive liquid to build up in this vital area. The toilets were at the rear of the cabin.

Far better to relieve oneself into an old beer bottle and lob it out of the window when over the Hun lines.

UPDATE: This from Tony Miles...

One fleet of trains currently being overhauled is requiring extensive work to the drivers' cab doors - with the lower part of the inside having to be replaced because of... damage by urine.

Strangely these trains are fitted with toilets for the passengers but clearly the drivers and or conductors (many of which must be RMT members) have been unable to control themselves regardless of the facilities fitted to the trainsets.

Mr Crow may like to put his own house in order before going public with his error-strewn rants.

UPDATE: This from Aslef, penned in Keith Norman's name...

Southern has decided to remove toilets from its new fleet running along the hour-and-a-half Portsmouth to Brighton line

No they haven't!

There were no toilets to remove and its not a new fleet.

Come on Keith, get a grip!

Pointless signs - outside Birmingham New Street

This from Trailer Second...

While wasting charter minutes outside New Street I started to think - this is not my idea of limited clearance.



Have we suddenly changed over to Berne Gauge?

Tom Harris MP - vote early, vote often!

Tom Harris MP is threatening to abandon blogging.

He posted the following on Saturday...

So if you hate this blog and you have a Labour MP, persuade him/her to vote for me in the Shadow Cabinet elections.

The Fact Compiler has mixed views on this.

Tom would make an excellent member of the Shadow Cabinet and his communications skills combined with his moderate and reasoned stance on many issues would prove attractive to many floating voters at the next election.

However, were Tom elected to the Shadow Cabinet he would have to resign his membership of the Transport Select Committee. The loss of a former Transport Minister with first hand experience of the DfT's inner workings would inevitably reduce that Select Committee's ability to effectively hold the Department to account.

It also goes without saying that Tom's blog would be greatly missed.

So on balance Eye readers are invited to do all they can to keep Tom blogging (and Labour out of power).

Did you see what Eye did there?

Lookalike - The XJS Men

With a bowler tip to Tom Harris MP who tweeted this picture of Petrol-head enjoying last night's National Rail Awards.

The future of rail... is bleak!

Telegrammed by Leo Pink
Flyers have just been circulated for the 2010 Future of Rail conference in mid November.

Closing the morning session will be a presentation by Elaine Holt on turning around the East Coast Main Line.

Among the questions she will be answering will be:

1) What action has been taken to turn the line around?
2) What is still to come?
3) What can other TOCs take on board from the East Coast experience?
4) What wider implications do the East coast events have for franchising in the UK?

For those who can't wait for the answers, or think the conference a little pricey, Railway Eye can save you £992.28 (including VAT)

The answers are:

1) Sack anyone with any experience (the Pol Pot strategy)
2) More sackings
3) Treat it as an awful warning
4) Treat is as an awful warning

Of course those really keen to know the future of rail post CSR could always attend the Derby and Derbyshire Rail Forum annual conference, headlined by Sir Roy McNulty on the 4th November, for the princely sum of £100!

Rail awards result in high level exposure

Much excitement after last night's National Rail Awards.

Several attendees at the industry's annual bun-fight were awoken in the wee small hours when the fire alarm at their Bayswater hotel was activated.

But which guest, a director of a well nown Derby engineering firm, exited his room with such alacrity that he appeared in the hotel's foyer with nothing more than a pair of briefs to protect his modesty?

Eye understands that the apparition caused great excitement amongst his fellow evacuees, with at least one shocked lady having a stroke! Sadly several more missed.

The Fact Compiler is of course sworn to secrecy and would never rvel the answer...

Railway Garden Competition - Wolverhampton

This from D0260...

Today, 15th September 2010, saw the beginning of the end Wolverhampton station Railway Garden.



Not sure if they were all posing for the camera, or just surprised to the see the speed of the guy in the foregrounds single handed demolition work.

East Coast - New Ops Director named

The management changes at state owned East Coast, that Eye alluded to on Friday, have now been announced.

This press release issued today:

MANAGEMENT CHANGES AT EAST COAST

Danny Williams has been promoted to the role of Operations Director at East Coast.

Mike Hogg, who has until now been responsible for Operations, has stepped down from his position and will be leaving the company.

Karen Boswell, Managing Director of East Coast, commented:

“I want to pay tribute to Mike Hogg for his dedication to the role over many years. His operational judgment has never been in question at East Coast, and his knowledge and experience within our industry is highly respected.

“But the move comes as a result of our determination to make a significant step change in performance improvement – an area which has been challenging for our business over the last nine months. Working closely with Network Rail and other industry partners, I expect Danny Williams to tackle this challenge with renewed vigour.”

Michael Holden, Non-Executive Director of Directly Operated Railways, the parent company of East Coast, will work closely with Danny Williams during an interim period and will provide advice on the implementation of specific initiatives designed to achieve sustained improvement in operational performance at East Coast. Michael Holden has had a long and successful career in railway operational management since joining British Rail in 1978, including four years as Regional Director for the Southern Region of Railtrack, and then Network Rail. In 2003 he set up South Eastern Trains and was its Managing Director until it was re-franchised in 2006. Today, he specialises in providing strategic advice to the rail industry.

Before joining East Coast earlier this year, Danny Williams was Head of Trains Service for First Capital Connect (FCC). Here, he was instrumental in improving FCCs Thameslink train Public Performance Measure to 90% (Modified Moving Average) via a cross-functional ‘Destination 90’ initiative.

He led a driver management team that was responsible for the day to day operation of eight train-crew depots across the FCC business, and his extensive operational responsibilities also included safety line management, and the management of three control offices. Most recently he was Head of Customer Service Delivery for FCC, with 78 stations, and occupational safety also under his remit. Danny (36) has worked in the rail industry for 19 years, and in 2009 he was nominated ‘Young Professional of the Year’ at the Rail Business Awards.

Danny Williams and Michael Holden will take up their new positions with immediate effect.

ENDS

UPDATE: This from Steve Strong...

I note that Ms Boswell says that Mr Hogg's "operational judgment has never been in question".

Perhaps this explains why East Coast have decided they need to replace him with two people - at the taxpayers expense of course.

If double-manning is good enough for management then can it be long before Aslef demand a return to similar practices on East Coast footplates?

UPDATE: This from Mallard...

With East Coast performance languishing at the bottom of the PPM table isn't it about time that the government acted against this failing TOC?

I suggest that East Coast is immediately stripped of the franchise and that its operation is handed over to Directly Operated Railways which was set up for this very purpose.

Only in state owned hands can the franchise return to its former glory! (Is this right? Ed)

ATOC - sound theology, poor proof reading

Good to see ATOC is gearing up for the visit of the Holy Father.

This via @NationalFailEnq, via Twitter...



How clever of NRES to alight on one of the three theological virtues.

The other two being faith and charity, or for our ATOC readers: aith and harity.

Battle of the Barriers turns nasty in Sheffield

This from the Sheffield Star...

THE long-running battle over Sheffield station bridge came to a head when managers were forced to call in police to help them deal with residents who insisted on their "right" to use the station as a route into the city centre.

Staff and British Transport Police officers handed out 45 cautions in a single night as the row reached boiling point.

45 cautions - these are local residents trying to move about their city not football hooligans!

As the demand to gate the station is coming from the DfT let us hope that the rumoured 600 job cuts at the Department will include the genius behind this particular scheme.

Meanwhile Eye will watch with interest whether Deputy PM Cleggy, a local MP, can bring some sanity to bear on this matter.

Although there is little point in holding your breath.

After all, denying access by socially disadvantaged residents of Norfolk Park and Park Hill to the bright lights of Sheffield city centre is probably perfectly aligned with ConDem social policy.