DfT: An apology!

Over recent years Eye may have given readers the erroneous impression that officials hadn't a clue about rolling stock procurement.

Headlines such as 'Sell out to the Boche', 'IEP in your Dreams' and 'Lets make Pendolino Extensions Really Complicated'  may have led readers to believe that the Department wasn't fit for purpose, or indeed couldn't organise a soiree in a brewery.

In fact nothing could be further from the truth, as has been revealed by DfT's inspired decision to allow Southern to exercise an existing option for 40 new Electrostar carriages from Bombardier, and develop proposals with the Department for a new procurement competition for 116 electric (dual voltage) new rolling stock vehicles, with an option for a further 100.

Such a masterful and visionary approach is of course entirely unconnected with the potentially embarrassing scenario of diesel trains running under newly electrified lines in the North West.

Eye is sorry for any confusion that previous coverage may have caused and looks forward to welcoming the expected announcement that the £1.4bn Thameslink fleet order will now be transferred to Bombardier. (Is this right!?! Ed)

Pointless signs - Newport

This from Chef Ellwood...

This sign recently went up at the entrance to Newport station.

A classic statement of the bleedin' obvious, in any language.

What really adds insult to injury though is that fact that the internal signage is so appallingly bad that passengers unfamiliar with the station layout are frequently left wandering around in a confused state trying to find their way out of the infernal place.

Whitehall unveils new interwebby

This from Henry Trumpet...

A big welcome to Whitehall's brand spanking new interwebby - just gone live today!
 
A single Whitehall website in which the DfT is the first enlightened member to join, along with Pickles' DCLG (only 22 more Departments to follow!).

Click on the link and then click to go to the new “gov/dft” site to find a beggar's muddle of DfT-DCLG info (Eye thought DafT was cosying up to BIS? Ed).

And what is the headline story on this exciting new window into the non micro-managing department?

Additional 'Santa Specials' from that nice man Stormin' Norman!

Make it up you could not.

Britain's Best Bridge Bashes - from the archives

These from Prester John...

 

These are my favourite, because of the advertising on buses...

Blogging hack succumbs to Dead Tree Media

The Fact Compiler is now writing a regular comment piece for Passenger Transport.

Here the article that appeared in the 31st October issue calling for a more representative RDG.

You can subscribe to Passenger Transport here...

Britain's Best Bridge Bashes - New Feature!

Time for an exciting new Eye feature - Britain's Best Bridge Bashes!

These pictures taken today at Ely...

Should have stuck to shooting badgers... (Shome mishtake, shurley! Ed)

Lookalike - Erastian Railway edition

Has the DfT taken job sharing too far?

Eye thinks we should be told!

ORR - Two for the Price of errr.. Two!

This from the Office of Rail Regulation...

ORR appoints Alan Price as Director of Railway Performance

The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) today announced that Alan Price has been appointed as its Director of Railway Performance.

Alan is currently Rail Division Infrastructure Director at FirstGroup. He will bring to ORR a wealth of railway engineering and operational experience both from his role at FirstGroup and from former appointments at London Underground, Metronet, and Bechtel. Additionally, 

Alan has recently played a significant role supporting the work of the Rail Delivery Group.

With Price D'Off already ensconced in Kemble Street another Price joining the ORR risks causing confusion.

Therefore, as a service to the industry and for the sake of clarity, Eye welcomes 'Price Check' to the ORR.

Pointless signs - LUL Kings Cross/St Pancras

This from Our Man by the Photocopier...

Seen at the above station on Monday:

Some sort of heritage display, perhaps?

Harris and Walmsley in Paternity Suit - Shocker

This from Alec Trick...
 
It's all getting very competitive in the Dead Tree Media world.

According to Stop and Examine in the latest issue of RAIL (p79 issue 709) Nigel Harris invented the idea of TRAXX UK in 2010!

Hmmm...

Reading through back copies of Modern Railways I discover that one Ian Walmsley, of Porterbook fame, put the idea forward in November 2008 and according to Bombardier sources has been pursuing it tiresomely ever since. (shurely 'tirelessly ever since'? Ed)

Still, success has many fathers whilst failure has none.
 
Who for instance would be brave enough to claim paternity of the Incredibly Expensive Procurement?

UPDATE: This from a Mr Neil Bennett...

May I gently correct the claims of both gentlemen to the progeny of Traxx UK?

This project was initiated in 2007 by Allco Rail (now Beacon Rail) in conjunction with Bombardier locos (Italy).
 
So there you have it. Both Harris and Walmsley cuckolded - Official.

Attlee heralds return of 3rd Class travel

This gem spotted by the RMT...

House of Lords - Railways: Third Class Travel
 
Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether invitations to bid for new rail franchises permit the introduction of a third passenger class.[HL3021] 
 
Earl Attlee: The current franchising system allows bidders to propose the introduction of a third passenger class as long as these proposals comply with the ticketing and settlement agreement and franchise agreement.


Third class travel was abolished on British Railways way, way back in June 1956, although some may not have noticed...

Update: This from Ian...
 
British Rail introduced third world travel in the 1980s when they introduced the Pacer.

Northern Rail continue to make sure that the standards are maintained!

Update: This from a Mr Sidney Feltcher...
 
What Attlee actually heralded was the return of a third class of travel, not third class travel.

The new class could for example be second class and it would be up to the operator to decide where the new class sat in relation to the existing ones.

This will open up an exciting range of... (cont' p94)

Update: This from a Mr Bond, Brook Bond...

As this question was asked in the Lords might I suggest the following designations, with MPs' expenses in mind?

In declining class order: Peers, Plebs and IPSA?

ORR makes grab for fares regulation

This from Sue Persaver...

In her evidence at today's Transport Select Committee, Anna Walker, Chair of ORR suggested that she was keen to take on the role of regulating fares.

This is the same ORR who's summer consultation on freight suggested that an increase in charges leading to a 10% per annum reduction in traffic levels was perfectly acceptable.

Passenger Focus and Rail User Groups may wish to start panicking now.

Of course should Anna succeed in her audacious bid we may need to think up a new nickname for 'Right Price', her CEO.

Perhaps 'Price D'Off' would be a more fitting soubriquet?

Alliance goes Jesuit on railway safety

This from Network Rail...

Children in primary schools across the south and south west of England are to take the lead in educating classmates about staying safe on the railway.

The Network Rail and South West Trains Alliance is launching the railway safety reps programme across the route which runs from London Waterloo out to the south coast and south west England.

Primary schools will nominate children to learn about how to stay safe when using level crossings and the dangers of trespassing on the railway and will then share their new knowledge with their friends.

The programme will complement Network Rail’s ongoing safety campaigns and continued efforts to improve safety and reduce the number of incidents involving children and young people.

Eye missed this when it was released last Wednesday but, in light of ASLEF's comments the day before, well worth a mention.

V. Good. Tick.

ICWC fiasco - RMT consult M'learned friends

This from the RMT...

RAIL UNION RMT today notified the Government that it will be petitioning the European Commisson over breaches of the Consolidated Directive on Public Procurement (2004) over the planned award of an extension to the current West Coast Main Line contract to Virgin Rail Group.

Solicitors for the union will be tabling the petition this week as the talks over the new contract, due to start on the 9th December, remain log-jammed.

Good to see the brothers ensuring that the only real beneficiaries of rail privatisation can continue to live in the style to which they have become accustomed.

Pointless signs - Welwyn Garden City

This from a Mr Lost in Space...

 

Or perhaps a Railway Garden?

First TPE in wage cost-push - Shocker

This from George & Weedon Grossmith...

Good news for the train driving community:

TPE may expect bumper crop of applications with a potential salary like this!

Longsight honours war dead

This from Alstom (who actually bother to send press releases to Railway Eye, other PRs please note)...

Manchester Traincare Centre hosts second annual war memorial service
 
Staff and dignitaries at Longsight joined together to remember the dead of two world wars at a special ceremony at the traincare centre.

The memorial service, again led by the Rev Richard Cook of the National Rail Chaplaincy, remembered the 21 men of the Locomotive Department at Longsight who lost their lives during the Great War, as well as the 89 who served in the armed forces, together with those who served and died in the 1939-45 war.

Present on the day were 30 Alstom employees, including Customer Director Tim Bentley, who laid the wreath, and Bishop of Manchester Nigel McCulloch, Manchester’s Lord Mayor, Elaine Boyes, and the Lady Mayoress, Linda Geoghegan.

The ceremony took place in the Memorial Room at Alstom’s Manchester Traincare centre, which was originally dedicated on 13 November 1921, in remembrance of those who lost their lives in the First World War. In 2011 Rev Cook led a service to re-dedicate the roll of honour.

Alstom refurbished the roll of honour in 2011 and in doing so created the Memorial Room for employees and visitors to remember the former railway workers from the site.

Here Tim Bentley, Alstom's Customer Director, honours Longsight's war dead.

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn...

UPDATE: This from the Vice Marshall...

"I went over to the National Memorial Arboretum yesterday.  

"Couldn't get in initially, until the official ceremonies had taken place, but having got in at about 14.00 we walked down to the Railway Industry Memorial — sadly to find no tributes had been left on it at all, save for a single poppy on a cross resting against one of the surrounding seats.  You can see it bottom right of the attached picture.

"Shame — after all the fuss made about its unveiling back in May.

"Most of the other memorials in the Arboretum featured tributes — some wreathes, but mainly lots of poppies on crosses."
 
Oh dear, this is very disappointing! 

Perhaps coordinating a suitable annual Armistice Day commemoration at the Railway Industry Memorial is something that the RDG can take on?

Virgin on the ridiculous - part 94

This from Our Man by the Photocopier...

Virgin Trains has issued a timely press release about Christmas travel which includes the following wise advice:

Planning ahead is the best way to ensure you get back home to your nearest and dearest without a hitch this Christmas.

With less than a month to go before the present West Coast franchise runs out of steam and with still no confirmation of what will happen after 02.00 on 9 December let’s hope this release was sent as an advisory to DafT, where there is precious little indication of any kind of planning and absolutely none of actually getting things done.

Indeed, if the present impasse between Euston and Horseferry Road is not resolved pdq, the only way to get home for Christmas on West Coast will be a nice brisk walk.

Railway Garden Competition - Birmingham Int'l

Blessed to do announcements on SWT?

This from @BrianBlessed...

I'll do the voiceover for @sw_trains if my fee is donated to Samaritans @My6Percent @joekolakowski #MINDTHEGAP

And with the generous offer to donate his fee to the Samaritans, that will do nicely!

Here a gratuitous video of Brian at his best.



The ball, as they say, now lies in SWT's court...