Quid est veritas

It is no surprise that Parliament is held in such low esteem when Ministers and their Civil Servants can't be bothered to get their facts right.

Here a response, published yesterday (7th July 2008), to a question from LibDem Transport Spokesman Norman Baker.

Baker had asked for an update on the progress of the Competition Commission's investigation into the ROSCOs.

In a written answer Tom Harris (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Transport; Glasgow South, Labour) said:
The Competition Commission are due to notify their provisional findings during the course of this month. The investigation timetable is set out on their website:
www.competition-commission.org.uk/inquiries/ref2007/roscos/pdf/core-timetable.pdf

Don't bother following the link because the one given in the written answer doesn't work.

Perhaps just as well because the date given by the Minister for the publication of the provisional findings is at variance with that published on the CoCo website.

On the 7th July Tom said:
"The Competition Commission are due to notify their provisional findings during the course of this month (July)".

The Competition Commission says:
"August - Notifying provisional findings and (if required) possible remedies."

As misleading Parliament is a grave offence perhaps an apology from the Minister might be in order; followed by the ritual disembowelment of some of his more Spencer like Civil Servants who, it would appear, couldn't be arsed to read what the CoCo website actually said.

Hymen to that

What's come over Virgin?

A passenger on this morning's fast 10.29 to Glasgow (which in more glamorous days was known as the Royal Scot) reports that staff along the platform were lined up to say "good morning" even to those in standard class.

Pity the same courtesy isn't extended to users of surly Virgin Media, whose Broadband operation was castigated this week for misleading customers over speed and miserable customer relations.

Sauce for the Goose is...

Much media coverage today of the PassengerFocus report into passenger satisfaction.

According to its survey only 40% of customers believe rail journeys offer value for money.

Whilst just 34% were satisfied with the way TOCs dealt with delays.

The Fact Compiler wonders how PassengerFocus itself might score in terms of delay management, bearing in mind the publication of this report was originally due to take place on the 14th May.

That’s a whopping 80,000 delay minutes in railway speak - how do you plead PassengerFocus?

Popular Wrexham

***Seen passing Coventry the 06:45 Wrexham and Shropshire service from London had just one passenger aboard.***

To be fair the other one could have been in the loo…

New LU COO

***Howard Collins to be new London Underground Chief Operating Officer. Bob Thorogood to be new Deputy COO and continue with 'Metronet Liaison' role.***

Revenue protection?

***SWT deny new fare evasion policy heavy handed.***

Dorset Daily Echo story here

UPDATE: Police apologise over gunpoint arrest

Enlightening

Telegrammed from our man in 222 Marylebone Road

Network Rail Public members were invited to a briefing at the ORR in Kemble Street last Thursday.

The possibility of Network Rail being excessively risk averse was just being discussed when a six foot long light-fitting suddenly fell from the ceiling, narrowly missing Tony Berkeley's head.

Fortunately the Noble Lord was unharmed.

All the same, nervous Labour party managers must be pleased that the demise of a life peer doesn't yet trigger a Commons' style by-election, despite their constitutional tinkering.

Martin Sixsmith?

Occasional users of the railway are confused by the superabundance of TLAs (three letter acronyms).

It is heartening, therefore, to see that much maligned First Great Western is doing its level best to communicate with passengers in a language they understand.

Pictured below is a note seen taped to the nappy changing facilities on FGW unit 158955 last weekend.

Clearly attempting to avoid the use of OOU an unknown FGW wag has helpfully clarified the problem by hand.


Nice to see the use of the bracketed expression, which not only explains the precise condition of the nappy changing facility but also of the mother who wished to use it.

Campaign for Plain English 'Crystal Marks' all round!

Airway Mag

The nation's oldest and biggest circulation specialist rail title, The Railway Magazine, looks to be planning a radical change to its editorial coverage, judging from a letter sent to those on their controlled circulation list.

Members of the list have been asked to make a choice between the following two options.

What does one do if you have an interest in railways AND the areas covered in the magazine?

Has The Railway Magazine taken the DafT shilling and gone "modally agnostic"?

Jaw dropping

Is there no limit to the talents of polymath Christian Wolmar?

Cyclists' champion, cricketing legend, journalist, commentator, author and bete noir of Network Rail - the man's skills know no bounds.

In his most recent incarnation, this morning, he was seen under the drill whilst being serenaded by North London's only singing dentist (we may thank God for small mercies).

View the BBC clip here

For those of tender sensibilities best to forward to about 1min 15secs through the clip.

Wolmar is seen on screen for the merest of seconds. The Fact Compiler understands that this was unconnected with the surprise appearence in the consultation room of an NR bance team, instructed to assist with any fillings that Wolmar required.

The magic bus

When is a bus not a bus?

When it's used on a dedicated rail link according to South West Trains.

Adam Carew, LibDem parliamentary candidate for East Hampshire, and a local councilor, is seeking clarification from SWT over whether or not the Government's newly issued free bus passes for over 60s can be used on the dedicated rail-bus link between Liphook and Borden.

Hampshire County Council says they can but SWT, who fund the link, say they can't - claiming that "for administrative purposes" the bus link is considered as part of the national rail network.

Whilst Mr Carew will no doubt make political hay whilst the sun shines he raises an interesting question as, no matter what your age, one bus is pretty much like another.

No doubt a public relations disaster in waiting as Gladys and Ernie are left to the not-so-tender ministrations of feral youths, the Rail-Bus link (or rail-replacement service) having left town without them.

Whilst on the subject what news of ACoRPs discussions with Daft about allowing free bus passes to be used on Community Rail lines? As the song goes "It's all gone quiet over there...".

New head of ACTU

Shaun Brady has been appointed acting General Secretary of the Associated Train Crew Union.

"We are not just about pay negotiations. We want to look at problems facing the industry and at ways to improve it." he said.

Shaun was previously General Secretary of ASLEF but after only 10 months in the role was dramatically suspended in May 2004, following an incident at the union's annual summer bash.

Railway Eye understands that there are no plans for an ACTU summer BBQ.

Robin Sisson RIP

Robin Sisson, Assistant Editor of Today' Railways, has died after being involved in a motor accident.

Robin, 50, began his career as a school master at Bradford Grammar School before joining Today's Railways (formerly known as Entrain magazine).

Robin, who had a life long love of the railways, previously worked for the North West Rail Passengers Council and also played a major role in reopening Frizinghall station between Bradford and Shipley.

Today's Railways Editor-in-chief Peter Fox said: “We are all devastated by what has happened. We are just stunned."

A 20-year-old man driving the Toyota involved in the collision is believed to have been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and bailed until early August.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus story here

Unite unites

Unite - Britain's biggest union and well represented amongst railway engineering functions - is merging with the US-based United Steelworkers union (USW) to form Workers Uniting.

Unite was itself only formed last year when the Transport and General Workers Union merged with Amicus.

The new union will have three million members and will synchronise negotiations with multinational companies.

The merger agreement is to be signed in Las Vegas.

A choice of venue calculated to remind management that future negotiations will be played for much higher stakes.

Less is more

Today is the 70th anniversary of Mallard's record breaking run down Stoke Bank.

The special run saw the LNER locomotive achieve a top speed of 126mph - a world speed record for a steam locomotive that remains unbroken today.

Seventy years later the top line speed on the East Coast Mainline is 125mph (providing the wires aren't down, cables haven't been nicked, points haven't failed, etc...).

Progress schmogress

A small victory

In these politically correct times it is a brave organisation that has a go at the Disability Taliban or those they claim to represent.

Fortunately in the North East they have hearts of oak and are as brave as lions!

Thus Nexus, the operators of the Tyne and Wear Metro, is threatening to sue the driver of a mobility scooter which crashed onto the tracks at Byker station causing massive disruption to the network.

Nexus is considering the move after the scooter's driver, who was not seriously hurt, "broke regulations" by travelling alone on the transport network.

In April Nexus introduced new rules governing Mobility Scooters following a spate of incidents that disrupted passenger services. As a consequence Mobility Scooters are only allowed on the network when 'accompanied and assisted by an appropriate person on foot'.

Nexus director general Bernard Garner said: "This accident demonstrates the importance of the new rule that scooter users only travel with an appropriate companion who can assist with their safety, and that of other passengers, at all times.

"We're exploring the possibility of legal action to recover our own costs associated with the disruption. The point here is that we believe the person involved was in breach of our updated conditions of carriage because they did not have a companion, and that led to an accident.

"If we cannot establish this with all scooter users then the safety risks associated with these vehicles mean we will have no alternative but to ban them." he added.

Nexus is in the middle of a consultation on the future use of mobility scooters on the Metro, a process being carried out by its own advisory body Transport For All.

The Fact Compiler understands that there is no substance to rumours that Guide Dogs found worrying trains risk being shot.

Minister gagged!

At 10:00 this morning Rail Minister Tom Harris announced via his blog that he would be appearing on Thursday night's BBC1 Question Time.

But by mid-day the article had disappeared from view!

Just in case Tom's blog has malfunctioned here is the missing article in full:

Question Time
And another thing...Today at 10:00 AM

I’m to be a panel member on Question Time tomorrow, alongside Nicola Sturgeon of the SNP, David Lansley, the Shadow Health Secretary, LibDem peer Baroness Emma Nicholson and David Mitchell of Peep Show fame.

It’s being broadcast from Musselburgh in East Lothian at 10.35pm on BBC1 on Thursday.

The Fact Compiler wonders whether he will still appear or whether his well earned reputation as a man who knows and speaks his own mind has caused panic amongst the Labour Party Thought Police, who are still reeling following the resignation of Wendy Alexander - Tom's friend and former Scottish Labour leader at Holyrood.

In the land of the blind

***Those who applied to become Network Rail public members should now know whether they have succeeded in getting through to the next stage of the process.***

Worth the wait?

***On Monday DafT revealed that the InterCity Express Programme has spent £9.4m on consultancy fees since 2005***

In case you're reading this whilst delayed by "rolling stock shortages" that figure would have bought two new three-car DMU or EMU trains.

Crank it up

Rail Minister Tom Harris has told a Select Committee hearing that he is holding regular meetings with 'amateur railway enthusiasts'.

The Daily Telegraph reported the Minister as saying "These gentlemen feel very strongly about the industry. They do not have any statutory authority for anything but they really appreciate having access to the minister for half an hour every few months".

What does this mean?

Perhaps the Minister refers to his regular meetings with Nigel Harris (no relation), editor of Rail magazine?

But surely the Minister doesn't really view Nigel as an 'amateur railway enthusiast'?

The alternative, of course, doesn't bear thinking about.

The Fact Compiler understands that Des Browne, Secretary of State for Defence, will now be discussing the worsening security situation in Afghanistan with members of The Sealed Knot.