Shaken and stirred: Ross to Scotrail

This from The Herald...

David Ross, one of the most senior figures in [Labour leader, Kezia] Dugdale’s team, will leave after June 8th to join transport firm Scotrail on a temporary basis.

His social media biography describes him as “official spokesman” to Ms Dugdale and states: “I am a senior staff member in the Scottish Labour Party's communications team, reporting directly to the leader.”

A big gain for Scotrail, but the timing of the announcement is interesting, just before the local and general elections.

PM commits to HS2

This from The Grauniad...

Theresa May has committed to delivering the HS2 high-speed rail link.

The prime minister was reportedly coming under pressure from Tory MPs in the south to cancel HS2, which the government projects will cost £55.7bn.

Her announcement ends speculation that she was preparing to drop the new north-south railway from the Conservatives’ general election manifesto.

That sound? That is the sound of the Chilterns weeping into their skinny lattes.

The crumbling edge of quality: Manchester Piccadilly

This from Charlemagne...

It looks like NR's cutting back on renewals is good news for the makers of tie-bars. 

The road through platform 13 at Manchester Piccadilly is held together by dozens of them!

Pointless signs - Northallerton

This courtesy of 'BA'...

So much thought, so little point!

Phillips chairs BTPA as McVey contests Tatton

This from the British Transport Police Authority...

I am writing to inform you that Esther McVey has formally resigned her position as Chairman and her membership of the British Transport Police Authority following her selection as the Conservative Party candidate for the Tatton Constituency in the upcoming General Election. Esther, who was formally selected as a prospective parliamentary candidate on 26 April, has been Chairman since November 2015.

Mark Phillips, the current Deputy Chairman, will be fulfilling the duties of Chairman until a permanent replacement can be appointed. Mark, who has been a member of BTPA since September 2013, has a background in rail, having worked for British Rail, Railtrack and National Express. He is currently Chief Executive of the RSSB.

Tatton was the constituency of the former Chancellor, George 'Many Jobs' Osborne.

Railway Garden Competition - Urmston

Back due to popular demand (thanks Sid and Doris Gricer) Eye's Railway Garden Competition!

@TheFactCompiler you really need to bring back the railway garden comp pic.twitter.com/6Jz1ua6UTd

— Pete (@noddingdonkeys) April 29, 2017

Keep 'em coming!

Shaken and Stirred: Nick Joyce takes on DG Rail role

Nick Joyce is the acting Director General, Rail Group, at the DfT

Previous incumbent Bernadette Kelly took on the role of DfT Permanent Secretary on the 18th of April.

Joyce became acting DG Rail on the 25th April, and was previously DfT's Corporate Finance Director.

Fans of the West Coast Franchise fiasco will remember Joyce as a safe pair of hands, after the event.

Presumably this dreadful photograph of Nick, from the equally dreadful gov.uk website, was taken at that time? (Why do DfT insist on publishing awful photos of officials on their own website? Ed)

It will be interesting to see how quickly this key role is filled with a permanent appointment.

Scotrail celebrates #EdBallsDay

Alas, not taken in passenger service...

No doubt the Cybernats will soon demand this tweet is deleted?

Good effort!

Eye's powerful intervention in Nationalisation debate!

As any ful kno evidence based arguments are the way forward!

That is all.

Shaken and Stirred - RDG's Quigley and new arrival Thomas

Word reaches Eye of some changes at the Rail Delivery Group.

Christine Quigley, Head of Public Affairs, has been poached by Keolis as their new Director of Communications. Prior to joining RDG Christine was special advisor to then Labour Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, Mary Creagh. In her spare time Christine treads the boards as a stand-up comedian (Shurely a mandatory skill for anyone in railway comms? Ed). Christine starts her new role at Keolis in June.

John Thomas will join RDG as new Policy Director in July. John has railway form, from 2001 to 2011 he was an economist at ORR. Most recently he has been in the Middle East developing new railway networks across the region and has advised the World Bank.

Presumably the arrival of Thomas at RDG will be causing palpitations in One Kemble Street?

Gibb Report spiked - Official

This written response from Paul Maynard confirms what Eye predicted last week...

Caroline Lucas Green, Brighton, Pavilion: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answers of 20 January 2017 to Question 60337 and 21 March 2017 to Question 67853, on what date he received the (a) advice and (b) set of recommendations developed from the advice from Chris Gibb; if he will publish all documents received from Chris Gibb in full before Parliament prorogues ahead of the 2017 General Election; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Maynard Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport): Chris Gibb’s findings were received by the Department on 30 December 2016. The Department will not be publishing Chris Gibb’s findings before Parliament prorogues however we intend to publish Chris Gibb’s report in full, with minor redactions to protect commercially sensitive material, and the Government’s response in due course.

So no, you can't see the Gibb Report before the election on account of the fact that it is probably too embarrassing for DfT.

Jones unlucky at Hornchurch and Upminster

Further to yesterday's post on Simon Jones seeking selection as Tory candidate for Hornchurch and Upminster

This from Conservative Home...

Cllr Julia Dockerill... won [last nights] selection in Hornchurch and Upminster by an outright majority on the first ballot.

Back to business as usual in the DfT SpAds office...

BTP promotes early age safety culture

This from the Inverness Courier...

TWO Inverness schoolchildren are to become rail safety ambassadors after trespassing on a main line near the city. 

The girl and boy aged five and six were caught with a group of older children on the railway line at Woodside Burn, Smithton...

PC Andrea McGhee said: “When the schools go back after the Easter holidays I will be speaking to the local primary school on the dangers of being on the line and I have asked the two children to be my wee helpers during my presentation.

“I have already had a chat with them and made them aware of the dangers of going onto a railway line.”

Always good to see Scotland leading the way.

More of this please British Transport Police, as part of your national programme.

Precisely why we need a specialist, nationwide, transport police service. 

Just in case Transport Minister, Humza Yousaf, is listening?

RMT backs Corbyn for GE2017

This from The Brothers...

"The union said that, following a decision of its ruling NEC, RMT is supporting a maximum Labour vote at the 2017 General Election to defeat the Tories and for there to be a Labour Government led by Jeremy Corbyn."

In other news, bears have confirmed that their PNBs are wood centric.

Simon Jones shortlisted for GE2017 seat

According to Guido, Simon Jones is on the Tory shortlist to contest the Hornchurch and Upminster seat.

Jones is Chris Grayling's special adviser. He is in a three-way for the Conservative candidate nomination against Mark Field’s parliamentary researcher Julia Dorkerill and former Cameron adviser Shaun Bailey.

Hornchurch and Upminster was held in the 2015 election by Angela Watkinson for the Tories with a 13,000 majority. Watkinson is standing down as MP for health reasons.

Ellman is first transport casualty of GE2017?

An early casualty of Theresa May's general election is likely to be the Chair of the Transport Select Committee.

Commons rules say that an MP can chair a select committee for eight years or two parliaments, whichever is the longer.

Louise Ellman, the Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, was first elected chair of the Transport Select Committee in 2008, following the untimely death of 'Madam Chairman' Gwyneth Dunwoody MP.

Louise has served on the Transport Select Committee for twenty years, since she was first elected to Parliament in 1997.

Although held by a Labour MP over many years, the chairmanship of the Transport Select Committee (and indeed the party affiliations of all the select committee chairs) will be dependent on the share of seats held by each party in the new Parliament.

Ellman has presided over an increasingly influential Transport Committee, and it is be hoped (voters willing) that her experience will not be entirely lost to TSC after June.

Southern's 'Turn up and go' turns out to have gone?

Good news for fans of accessibility!

This written answer from Lord Ahmad given on the 24th April...

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have been officially informed by Southern Rail that they have withdrawn "turn up and go" access for disabled passengers from 33 stations; and if so, whether they intend to intervene to ensure that this service is restored.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) have advised the Department for Transport that passengers do not have to book assistance before travelling with them; GTR only recommend this to ensure they have staff prepared with ramps or that alternative travel is in place if a station is not accessible.

We take the issue of accessibility on our railways extremely seriously. It is vital that all passengers, including disabled passengers, are able to use public transport and we look to train operators to make reasonable adjustments to facilitate unbooked assistance.

In other words; you don't have to book ahead, unless you actually want to get on the train.

UPDATE: Courtesy of @LeeRender...

@TheFactCompiler It was a six month trial that applied to 36 stns only and trial started back in May 2015 https://t.co/7R8FD9XOJm

— Lee Render (@LeeRender) April 25, 2017

Eye's 'Rule of Railway Trials' has always been that this is how we hardcode customer benefits into daily service!

Alas, apparently it is now more advantageous to inconvenience the passenger by removing, rather than retaining and enhancing, the status quo.

But this is Southern, the franchise that slaughters customer service on a daily basis.


No matter.

Virgin and Stagecoach partner with SNCF

This from StockMarketWire.com...

Stagecoach Group and Virgin Group are joining forces with France high speed operator SNCF to bid for the West Coast Partnership rail franchise.

The government has announced that the West Coast Partnership franchise would run from 2019. 

It would include current West Coast services and the first few years of operation of High Speed 2 (HS2) services.

Stagecoach had a 50% share in the bid vehicle, West Coast Partnership Ltd, with a 30% share held by SNCF and the remaining 20% owned by Virgin. 

"It is envisaged that services under a successful bid would carry the Virgin brand," the companies said in a statement.

Let's parlez Franchise, indeed!

Four trains celebrate UK railways

Alas, not a kettle in sight!

Think I must have the wrong location for this #fourtrains jolly- places everyone😉 no #Rail paparazzi anywhere #Tamp pic.twitter.com/oqpGRhnv7f

— Robin Morel (@13milepost) 23 April 2017

Just saying.

UPDATE: Now this is grown up coverage (with added kettle):

#FourTrains made the business pages of @thetimes good exposure @DavidHorne @RAIL pic.twitter.com/lLfKSePHni

— Graeme Bunker (@BunkerGraeme) April 23, 2017

Good effort!

Let's parlez Franchise

Picture the scene: A room somewhere near NW1:

V: Hola, estoy aqui para la entrevista.

R: Vous est dans le wrong chambre, mon old mate. C'est le salle de franchise bid.

V: ¿Pero yo pensaba que el español era necesario?

R: Era. Mais now la grande alliance avec comedores de caracoles!

V: Meirda, or should je dit, Merde!

R: C'est not a problem. Ave vous l'ability être completely sans service de customer, avec les professional disinterest et hauteur?

V: Ci... er... Oui!

R: Très bon. Welcome to mon team.

Coming to a railway near you soon, possibly...