BREAKING NEWS: RMT Strike

Twitter sources reporting Network Rail gets court injunction to prevent RMT strike

More to follow...

UPDATE: This from Network Rail...

Network Rail head of operations and customer service, Robin Gisby said:

"The signallers strike is off and train services next week will run as normal. This is good news for the millions of passengers who rely on us every day, and for our freight users and for the country as a whole.

"A dispute with the unions remains however, and we have a responsibility to our people to continue talking to the unions to find a settlement that works for us all."

UPDATE: This from the Archer...

Signallers can’t strike, maintenance staff still can!

UPDATE: This from @swlines...

Read between the lines "Services will be normal until something fails and then there will be no service until strike over."

UPDATE: This from Channel 4 News...

Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT, said: "This judgment is an attack on the whole trade union movement and twists the anti-union laws even further in favour of the bosses.

"Workers fighting for the principle of a safe railway have had the whole weight of the law thrown against them. Our executive will meet this evening with a recommendation for a re-ballot."

March visitors

In March Railway Eye received 32,001 visits from 8,552 unique visitors.

According to Google Analytics you viewed 43,223 splenetic utterances in total.

Thank you.

ATOC claims 99% of railway spend is waste!

This from the Archer...

Further to Eye's earlier piece on RAIL's expose of the doomed nature of railway financing, did anyone else hear Michael Roberts of ATOC on Radio 5 this morning?

He rolled out the following amazing statistic:

"For every pound that is spent on services by the government just one penny is spent on running the railways."

To Listen Again click here and go to 1:51.51 into the programme.

The canny journalist obviously wasn’t going to be caught out by what he must have thought was an All Fools' day wind-up.

If only this were so!

UPDATE: This just in from @EdwardWelsh, not via Twitter...

I am delighted to see that it wasn't just Michael and I who were up at the crack of dawn this morning.

I am confused, however, why you think that "services" applies only to train services?

When talking to a national audience, I think you can safely assume that they would know he was referring to all government services and not just train services.

Happy All Fools' Day.

Strikeballs - The Grauniad

Reports of the demise of National Express East Coast appear somewhat exaggerated...



Unless this is what passes for All Fools' Day humour in Kings Place?

Maundy Thursday at St Pancras

Evidently railway padre and St Pancras station chaplain, the Rev Jonathan Barker, takes Dominical Injunctions seriously.


Although Eye is struggling to find any specific reference to the use of Cherry Blossom in John 13.

Industry bust by 2020? Eye told you so!

Telegrammed by Bulldog Drummond
RAIL (issue 640) breathlessly reports a shock meeting on 14 March where Dr Mike Mitchell told railway chiefs that the industry faces economic meltdown by the start of CP6 (2020).

Of course this won't be news to Eye readers who were told this was going to happen wayback in December 2008.

The CP4 settlement exacerbated the problem and by 2014 leaves Network Rail with a £31.5bn debt mountain costing a cool £1.7bn to service.

If this goes on to 2020 DafT has come to the conclusion that NR's debts would cost £4.5bn a year to service and that 'urgent, radical reform is needed to slash costs generally.'

What was even more surprising is RAIL's description that eighty ashen-faced industry chiefs 'listened in shock' to this news.

What do these guys do all day?

They certainly don't read Bill Emery's vivid prose, look at what passes for Network Rail's company reports and, crucially, don't understand that even gravy trains can hit the buffers.

But Eye readers can relax.

RAIL reports these comforting words from a Network Rail spokesman: 'Our debt payment charges are more than manageable and only increase by affordable investment that's supported by a business case which delivers a positive return over time. By 2014 Network Rail will be amongst the most efficient rail infrastructure providers in the world, having cut 50% of its costs...'

So that's all right then.

UPDATE: This from Ithuriel...

But that doomsday debt scenario is dependent on DfT using the Network Rail credit card (aka the RAB) to the max and ORR letting them do it.

And ORR is already questioning Lord Adonis flashing the plastic on electrification.

So the real message from Mike Mitchell is 'things will get really nasty if my Secretary of State carries on spending money he hasn't got and ORR hasn't budgeted for'.

UPDATE: This from our man at 222 Marylebone Road...

It's all very well Bulldog calling RAIL's cover headline 'breathless', but if you had a scoop wouldn't you be a bit up front?

What is more interesting is that the meeting was held on 4 March, yet there was absolutely nothing about it in Informed Sources published three weeks later.

No doubt Captain Deltic will try to cover up being last with the news with a smokescreen of brain numbing analysis.

Whatever happened to boiling frogs?

Lookalike: The future is...

First for not putting its head above the parapet

So the government's exciting plans for franchising have gone down like the proverbial turd in a punchbowl amongst ATOC members.

This from the Telegraph...

In a joint reaction to the new guidelines proposed by Transport Secretary Lord Adonis, the companies will express their fears over even more "micro-managing" of the railway by politicians and express their frustration at the Government's failure to listen to their concerns.

Their response is being co-ordinated in a letter from the Association of Train Operating Companies, whose members include the rail subsidiaries of Britain's big five quoted transport groups – Stagecoach, FirstGroup, Arriva, National Express, Go-Ahead – and Virgin.

But what's this?

Despite ATOC claiming unanimity amongst its members there is one significant signature missing from the excoriating letter.

Whose could this be?

Why step forward First Group's very own Sir Moir Lockhead, who clearly knows which side his bread is buttered on.

And a jolly good thing too!

Not least for Dr Mike Mitchell, who can continue referring to Worst Group franchises in the first person plural.

FuCC up?

This from Storm Force...

Our friends at FuCC have a major problem.

North of London: up is south; while south of London, up is North.

North of London: down is north and south of London, down is south.

Get my drift?


Well, clearly FuCC don’t.

Lord Adonis in Holy Week on Guided Busways

This from the Upper House on the 29th March...

Lord Berkeley (Labour)
To ask Her Majesty's Government what financial contribution they have committed to the Cambridge guided busway project; what is its expected opening date; what is the estimated outturn cost; and whether they intend to contribute further funding to the project.

Lord Adonis (Secretary of State, Department for Transport; Labour)
The Department for Transport's contribution has been capped at a maximum of £92.5 million. There is no intention to contribute further to this scheme. When approved in 2006 the scheme had an expected outturn cost of £116.3 million. I understand that Cambridgeshire County Council has recently indicated that the total may now fall between £140 million and £145 million.

I also understand that the council is in regular contact with the guided busway contractors regarding establishing an opening date.

And Pilate washed his hands...

NR gets all legal on RMT's Ar$e!

Good news for My Learned Friends...

This from Network Rail...

Earlier this afternoon we served papers on the RMT to see them in court tomorrow in a legal challenge on the signallers dispute.

This week we have been having constructive talks with the RMT on the maintenance dispute and hope these continue

A spokesman said:

"Network Rail has a responsibility to all our passengers and freight users, and to the country as a whole, to do everything we can to avert a strike. Talks continue and our aim is a negotiated settlement, but we must explore all avenues at our disposal and that includes legal ones.

"We can confirm that papers have been served on the RMT this afternoon. This calls into question the validity of its ballot amongst our signallers, highlighting scores of discrepancies and inaccuracies.

"We will appear before a High Court judge tomorrow afternoon."

Privs' and status passes to go next?

"Will this waste of our money never stop?" - Telegraph

Telegrammed by our man at 222 Marylebone Road
Here is Philip Johnston writing in today's Torygraph:

All the familiar ingredients are there: the waste of taxpayers' money on an ocean-going scale, incompetent management, political naivete, wildly over-optimistic promises, IT failures, the liberal use of outside consultants and the refusal of anyone in Whitehall to listen to the experts.

Eye was looking forward to some weapon's grade pyrotechnics once Captain Deltic found out that this Johnston-Come-Lately had wandered on to his patch!

Alas.

Mr Johnston was fulminating about proposals to set up a network of national fire control centres, which in 2004 this was due to cost £72m and be ready by 2008. Now the final bill looks closer to being £240m.

Wonder if he knows about the IEP yet?

Eye prompts questions in the House

It's amazing what you can find on Hansard.

Regular readers may recollect that Eye discovered two videos on YouTube, which were produced by DafT to show press officers how to use a Flip Camera (surely not the most challenging of tasks!).


This from Railway Peer Lord Berkeley on the 29th March...

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the cost to public funds of the instructional videos that the Department for Transport commissioned on how Flip video camcorders should be used when filming Ministers; whether they will place those videos on the Department for Transport's website; and what other such videos have been commissioned in the past five years.

The Secretary of State for Transport (Lord Adonis): The cost to public funds for the production of the camcorder training video was £767.71.

As it is for internal use, the video will not be placed on the Department for Transport's website. No other camcorder training videos have been commissioned in the past five years.

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures are in place in the Department for Transport to monitor the effectiveness of staff in their use of Flip video camcorders. [HL3035]

Lord Adonis: As a trial, a total of four small camcorders were acquired in 2009 and issued to selected communications directorate staff for the purposes of producing short films suitable for publicising departmental announcements and events on social media such as YouTube.

Material produced using these small camcorders is edited by the department's social media team and checked for quality and suitability by Communications Directorate senior management.

That's another £767.71 for Captain Deltic's spreadsheet of Departmental savings.

Open Access without ORR approval - way to go!

This just in from the Commuter...

At the end of last year Eye reported on the launch of Britain's first co-operative train company.

Like many open access plans in the past (Trotter Rail and Rutles Rail) I thought this was dead in the water.

That was until this plonked itself in my inbox a few hours ago:

Dear all,

Go! Co-operative - the UK's first co-operative train operating company - is launching its first route from Yeovil Junction to the Midlands via Oxford on 20th and 21st April.

See www.go-now.coop for venue details and more information.

Regards...

According to the launch invite they are planning on running a service from that well-known hub of industry and commerce Yeovil to Banbury (that's almost the Midlands isn't it?) via Melksham (where?) with future extensions to Birmingham and Weymouth.

How's that track access application to the ORR coming along?

UPDATE: The Fact Compiler observes...

Go! is not alone amongst proposed Open Access Operators in bigging up their plans.

Only today the BBC ran a puff piece from Devon & Cornwall Railway on their plans to run daily services between Okehampton and Exeter St David's from "late May 2010".

No doubt this to the delight of franchised operators First Great Western and Arriva Cross County with whom they will need to share track from Cowley Bridge Junction.

When the Eye visited the ORR website to see the status of their track access agreement, alas, the cupboard was bare...

UPDATE: The Fact Compiler offers a bowler tip to both WNXX and @swlines (a wise head on young shoulders)...

What have we here?

TRACK ACCESS CONTRACT (PASSENGER SERVICES)
Dated
16/03/2010
Between
NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED
and
DEVON AND CORNWALL RAILWAYS LIMITED

and

Application to the Office of Rail Regulation for a passenger track access
contract under section 17 of the Railways Act 1993

The Fact Compiler offers his unreserved apologies for doubting Devon & Cornwall's commitment...

DafT says...

Via Twitter...

Better access for disabled passengers due at 42 stations thanks to Government funding.

A grateful people indeed give thanks for the beneficence of our elected masters (shurely shome mishtake? Ed).

And good to see that the Civil Service retains its hard earned reputation for political impartiality.

Why one might almost think that an election is around the corner...

New competition to select IEP successor - Shocker

This just in, unbelievably, from the late Louella Parsons...

Darlings, I've been schmoozing with the dishy Lord Andrew.

No, not Lloyd Webber!

The dishy one with such an angsty face who's in every quality broadsheet. Yes! Lord Andrew Adonis.

And he told me, as we 'supped an ale' at the Betjeman Arms at St Pancras, that he is to feature in a new reality show called 'Over the Trainbow'.

Every week Lord Andrew and a team of experts (Stuart Baker) will try out the alternatives to what he calls 'IEP' and by the end of the show we'll know what the future will be for luxury long distance rail travel on your pretty little island.

It all sounds such a gas!

'Do you have a favorite' I whispered into his ear?

"A big chunky loco sounds good", he replied

Dunno what that means, but Andy sure is fun.

He even asked me if I wanted to know how his bi-mode worked? Fresh or what?

'Sorry, I'm just not that kinda girl' I had to tell him.

UPDATE: This from Muttley...

Rumour has it that the BBC were very interested in showing 'Over the Trainbow'.

Unfortunately they couldn't find a studio big enough to fit the judging panel (Dft, DfT Consultants, DfT Lawyers, DfT Lawyers-consultants, Treasury, ORR, ATOC, Network Rail, Network Rail's consultants, affected TOC's etc...)

Pointless signs - Bishop Auckland taxi rank

Perhaps the instruction 'Press Here' will summon one?

Lookalike - Holiday edition

The Great Detractor?

Telegrammed by Bulldog Drummond
Tom 'pile of bile' Winsor ranted away in The Times on Friday that Buy-us is responsible for the threatened railway strike.

Not sure that, however alluring the honey trap, even Stephen would claim this.

Most of the article is the predictable Groundhog Day stuff about Railtrack going into administration and the 2003 settlement and it not being Tom's fault etc... etc... etc...

But in a new development Buy-Us, Ali D and The Thin Controller are described as the Marx Brothers of national rail policy.

If this is the case step forward Tom as Charlie Chaplin.

Not because of looks, Harry Potter is still our favourite, but because in every Chaplin movie the hero causes absolute chaos and he doesn't notice.

But is there another motive in all this Labour bashing?

Is the one-time LP card holding member turning into... Tory Boy?

Jarvis old joke corner

Telegrammed by Bulldog Drummond
So farewell then Paris Moayedi.

A very exotic specimen in the dull as ditchwater-alongside-the-cess world of senior railway maintenance bosses.

Even during the dazzling smoke and mirrors rise of Jarvis in the nineties he was always short of the readies.

One outcome was to regularly visit Railtrack House shortly before the end of the Jarvis company year in April with imaginative bills to drum up extra cash fast.

Railtrack staffers used to call these visits 'Paris in the Springtime'

Boom boom! (shouldn't that be bust bust? Ed)