EMT Automated Comedy Gold

This from Derby Anoraknophobic...

Those boarding the 06:04 to St Pancras at Derby this morning were greeted by an announcement asking all passengers and staff to immediately vacate the train!

From the platform it was clear to confused passengers, from the excessive smoke around the power car, that there was a small engine fire.

As staff dealt efficiently with the incident and evacuated the platform an automated station announcement bellowed out reminding passengers that smoking was prohibited anywhere on the station premises!

There's a lesson in this somewhere...

Maria the Eagle blusters on bonuses

Another belly flop from Maria the Eagle...

Labour's beleaguered Transport shadow opined...

“Commuters facing inflation-busting fare rises will be outraged at the scale of the bonus packages being enjoyed by a few at the top of the rail industry. This comes on top of the Tory-led Government cutting taxes for the most well off while millions pay more.

“Ministers must now act and make clear that bonuses on this scale are simply not appropriate in a company that receives nearly four billion pounds of taxpayers’ money every year."

Eye supposes it is just too much to ask for Maria to actually understand the industry that she mouths on about?

It is ORR that requires Network Rail to have a 'management incentive plan' (bonuses in Maria speak) not government! 

And it will be remembered that ORR is not part of government - the clue is its role as an 'independent economic regulator'.

No matter.

Of course if we are looking round for someone to blame for NR's bonus culture perhaps we might focus on the party in government when the company was actually set up?

Not much from Maria on that one, eh!

TPE introduces PEDs!

Exciting news for fans of Platform Edge Doors! (shurely Platform Edge Designs? Ed)

This from 'Northern Spirit'... 

Obviously the standard yellow line with white platform edge is not sufficient at Dewsbury (this is the slow line with fast trains in this direction using the through line). 

Good to see that in these times of austerity First TPE has discovered a cheap way to keep passengers away from platform edges, or an expensive way to waste paint...

Railway Garden Competition - Birmingham New Street

This from JT19...

Although these are some weeks old it appears that there has been a good start to the new growing season at Birmingham New Street..

 

Good to see the LNW Route is able to maintain the very best traditions of a centralised NR.
 

Pointless signs - Brundall

This from Anonymous Please...

I thought Eye readers might enjoy this sign seen at Brundall Station in Norfolk last week.

It seems that the Dutch have moved the international dateline to somewhere around the Wash!

CrossCountry rejects use of IEP! - Shocker

Good point. Well made.

Pointless signs - Euston

This from Joseph-Michel Montgolfier...

Not really a pointless sign...

More a statement of ride quality South of Rugby.

Brompton on manouveres

This from The Man in Room 205...

Given recent snaps of industry Brompton bikes, I thought you’d appreciate a picture of my SWT Brompton decidedly off region in my office at London Marylebone (Class 67’s & MK III’s sadly out of shot, as I know this blog appeals to those with a ‘professional interest’).

A great innovation, that is sadly under review. I hope the review concludes the scheme is worthwhile and should continue beyond the rumoured 3 month deadline.

Notwithstanding the health and environmental benefits of cycling, it is actually cheaper than my equivalent Oyster fares.

Railway Garden Competition - Belper

A welcome return for that Eye hardy perennial - the Railway Garden Competition!

This from the Wicked Weaver...

Perhaps, in the 'Spirit of Partnership', NR's Route is helping EMT save on carriage cleaning costs?

The railway and the rise and rise of Ukip

The Fact Compiler's latest column in Passenger Transport published on the 10th May...

The next edition of Passenger Transport will be published on the 24th of May.

McNulty strikes again!

This from the Evening Standard...

The Gatwick Express “at times veers towards Third World conditions” giving some business executives and tourists flying to London a poor first impression of Britain, an airport boss warned today.
 
Sir Roy McNulty, the new chairman of Gatwick Airport, stressed it was vital to improve the rail service to the Sussex airport.

How's that Value for Money stuff going for you Roy?

Pointless signs - Pendolino

This from Pendolino Warrior...

Does anyone actually read the safety notices?

Let's work through the Virgin Pendolino window smashing guidance. 

1. Locate window hammer and strike cover with fist.
2. Strike emergency window repeatedly in one area to form a small hole.
3. Tear out a large hole in the inner window pane.

Then what? Stare though the outer window pane?

PWC appointed to advise on IEP

This from Our Man at 222 Marylebone Road...

I understand that DfT has just appointed Price WaterhouseCoopers as financial advisers for IEP.  

The announcement says that:

'DfT is looking to secure excellent value for money and the appointed firm will be required to provide proposals that offer cost reduction, efficiency and improvement opportunities throughout the contract term'.

Presumably it would be too much to expect PWC to say 'bin it'?

(Unlikely as PWC has form with the "biggest privately financed passenger rolling stock deal in history, anywhere in the world". Ed)

Eye gives you Christian Farage!

The leader of UKIP had better look to his laurels!

This from Mayoral candidate Christian Wolmar, reflecting on the impact of EU policy on Croatia's railways:

So the net result of EU interference is precisely the opposite to what it was supposed to be set up to do, improve international relations and cross border trade and passenger flow.

I have always been against the Euro but in favour of the European Union. However, this type of imposition of a neo-liberal agenda on the railways does make me hesitate about what we should do about the EU. 

Clearly, the Eurocrats still have a naive federalist agenda that they are trying to impose and they need to be stopped.

There is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents...

May slams 'ugly' bridges

This from GetWokingham...

Theresa May disappointed with "ugly" Woodley railway bridge

Disappointment surrounding an ‘ugly’ new railway bridge has been forwarded to rail officials by Theresa May MP...

The Home Secretary met senior Network Rail officials to discuss improvements to the Great Western route when she raised people’s concerns that new bridges appearing in the ongoing work are “ugly”.

Eye wonders whether 'kitten heels' might improve the overall effect?

Burns Lite - RMT unspins the big man

This from the Brothers...

RMT research and answers to parliamentary questions have revealed that in an effort to justify the government’s decision to privatise the successful publicly owned East Coast Mainline the Rail Minister Simon Burns has recently deliberately mislead Parliament about the performance of East Coast Mainline in the public sector.

The Minister wrongly told the Transport Select Committee on 24th April that the West Coast Mainline operated by Virgin pays more in premium payments than the publicly owned East Coast Mainline. The Minister then repeated the misinformation the following day at Transport Questions.

Yet Parliamentary answers and official figures recorded by the Office of Rail Regulation show that, Publicly owned East Coast Mainline through Directly Operated Railways has paid the taxpayer significantly higher premium payments than Richard Branson’s Virgin on the West Coast Mainline.

• Publicly owned East Coast paid the Treasury £411 million between 2009 and 2012 whilst Virgin’s West Coast paid £282 million during the same period. A difference of £129m.

• Publicly owned East Coast through Directly Operated railways also paid almost twice as more (£602m) than its predecessor National Express (£370m) over a four year period.

Just fancy that!

Eye awaits with interest to see whether Mr Toad is required to apologise for misleading the House...

UPDATE: This from the Editorial Team at Rail Business Intelligence
 
Simon Burns is also convinced that returning East Coast to “the private sector” will bring about improved punctuality.

According to the details of an interview on BBC Two's Daily Politics contained on the Minister's own website:

[Mr Burns] said there have been improvements on the East Coast Mainline since it was taken into public ownership into 2009, but said there had now been a "plateau".

He said now was the time to return it to the private sector "for a number of reasons".

"...Firstly, because the improvements have now plateaued and we believe that passengers should get even better service from it, better punctuality..."

"We now believe it is the right time to move forward so we can get a new franchise holder coming in, providing the service, using their innovative skills to improve the service for passengers."
 
Readers of tomorrow’s Rail Business Intelligence will no doubt find the following table of interest.

 
RBI readers will of course draw their own conclusions about how much better the private sector is at delivering a more punctual railway.

UPDATE: This from Alecto...

Here is some ORR Data which tells us a lot about the Department for Transport's commitment to 'transparency':

In this Table premia paid to government are shown as a negative number.
 
So when Mr Burns says that West Coast pays more in premium he is clearly right.

BUT under Cap & Collar Virgin gets revenue support because the fare revenue coming in is less than forecast.

So the Treasury got £209.7 million, but paid back £44 million, thus vindicating the RMT claim and showing that Mr Burns either can't do difficult sums or is a political weasel (Shurely: political colossus! Ed)

And here are the comparative net payment figures for the three years (premia shown positive)

Of course the real issue is not about the Minister, but whether the Permanent Secretary is party to this dissimulation.

Crossrail 2 consultation launched

So. Today Boris Johnson launched the consultation for Crossrail 2.

According to the TfL blurb:

Crossrail 2 would create a new high-frequency, high-capacity rail line running between south west and north east London.
 
Transport for London (TfL) and Network Rail (NR) are seeking the views of people in London and south east England on Crossrail 2.

Of course there is no guarantee that this new railway will follow the alignment as proposed or indeed ever be built.

At least not until Chris Stokes comes up with an 'improved' version, after that it's a dead cert...

UPDATE: This from Tunnelling Tim...

I thought all it took for a new railway to succeed was the opposition of Wolmar?

Burns Lite: A week is a long time in politics

More wise words from Third Degree Burns.

This written answer given yesterday...

Chris Williamson (Derby North, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the reasons are for the time taken to agree the signing of the Thameslink contract; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns (Chelmsford, Conservative)
The Department intends to award the contract for Thameslink Rolling Stock shortly. Transactions of this size necessarily include a significant volume of both project and finance documentation. The Department is working with Siemens and Cross London Trains to finalise these arrangements.

Eye has temporarily lost the office copy of Dods Guide to Parliamentary Obfuscation, but from memory "shortly" is further away than "imminent" but perhaps not as close as "Later this month". 

Hitachiballs - East Coast IEP contract signed!

Good news for fans of 'British built' trains!

This from Hitachi...

Hitachi Rail Europe Signs Contract with Merchant Place Developments for Construction of New UK Train Factory

NEWTON AYCLIFFE, May 14, 2013 – Hitachi Rail Europe Ltd. today announced that it has signed the contract with Merchant Place Developments for the construction and fit-out of a rolling stock manufacturing plant in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, UK. Merchant Place Developments therefore have now gone from preferred bidder status to full contract award.

The contract paves the way for the construction of Hitachi’s first train factory in Europe, which represents an investment of £82 million to create its state-of-the-art manufacturing hub in the North East of England. Hitachi Rail Europe receives a £4 million grant by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to support the build of the factory...

The factory will initially be used to build the Super Express Trains for the Great Western Main Line and the East Coast Main Line, with the potential to be used for other orders such as building Crossrail rolling stock in the facility, should Hitachi Rail Europe be the successful bidder. Hitachi places great emphasis on employing locally where possible and the factory will create long-term employment for 730 people. This figure includes a Research & Development department. It is expected that 200 jobs will be created during the construction phase of the factory. 

Good news indeed!

But what's this?

The release continues...

"The decision to build a manufacturing plant was taken after Hitachi Rail Europe won the contract with the Department for Transport (DfT) to replace the ageing fleet of diesel-powered Intercity trains currently running on the Great Western Main Line and the East Coast Main Line. The contract with the DfT was signed in July 2012."

Errr....

What contract to replace 'ageing' diesels on the East Coast Main Line?

Perhaps DfT might care to share?

UPDATE: This from the East Coast High Panjandrum...

The DfT's contract with Hitachi does indeed see the replacement of the HSTs with IEPs.

Of course the issue under debate is what happens with Phase 2 - replacing the 225 fleet or not.

UPDATE: This from Captain Deltic...

There seems to be some confusion over IEP contracts. 

This is not surprising, given the byzantine structure created by DfT to replace IC125.

Here is an extract from the Janet & John guide to Today's Railway:

• DfT has signed a total train service provision contract with Agility Trains to replace IC125 sets on Great Western and East Coast.

• Agility trains is led by Hitachi which will supply the Super Express Trains and depots and maintain the fleet for the next 27.5 years.

• Where the confusion arises is that the two fleets are being replaced separately through separate subsidiaries of Agility Trains, each of which will have contracts with a train operator.

• Agility Trains West is responsible for the Great Western fleet and has reached financial close.

• Agility Trains East will provide the East Coast replacement fleet and this deal has yet to reach financial close. 

There is an option in this contract  to replace the EC IC225 fleet with IEP. DfT was due to have appointed a financial advisor to monitor this deal last month. 
 
Meanwhile, can I commend Nigel Harris' editorial in the latest RAIL on this very subject?

Pointless signs - Tile Hill

This from the Vice Marshall...

Not sure that this sign at Tile Hill station can be described as 'pointless' since it points to Trains to Coventry.  It has recently become visible again as a result of the shrub against the fence being cut down.

Problem is that to follow that arrow one would have to climb over a 6ft security fence, cross two 100mph running lines and another 6ft security fence to reach the platform for Coventry.

Sadly the sign has not been amended by London Midland since the level crossing at Tile Hill was replaced by a £3m new road bridge some six years ago.

This was built as part of the original PUG2 plan for Virgin Pendolini running at 140mph - but, of course, that never happened, either!