Armitt to National Express

This from Sky News...

The former head of Network Rail, Sir John Armitt, is to become the new chairman of National Express, the bus and rail operator.

The smooth and urbane Armitt should compliment the more forthright style of NatEx's Chief Exec.

Come to think of it perhaps National Express should consider a rebrand to something more up-market?

Armitt & Finch has a nice ring to it!

UPDATE: This from the Internet Rapid Rebuttal Unit...

You may want to on-pass the following to National Express.

My spell checker always wanted to correct 'Armitt' to 'Armpit'.

Fortunately it never got into a press release...

Ticket simplification explained

This seen at St Pancras, with a bowler tip to @13milepost...

What could be simpler?

Will legal action delay Laidlaw report?

This from the Daily Telegraph...

Kate Mingay, one of the three civil servants suspended over the West Coast rail bid fiasco, has filed legal proceedings against the Department for Transport over the way she has been treated.

With the preliminary hearing due to take place in the High Court on Thursday Eye wonders if this will have an impact on the publication date of the Laidlaw Inquiry's findings, due out at the end of this month?
 
The involvement of m'learned friends may also mean that Sam Laidlaw's appearance at the Transport Select Committee next Tuesday will be rather less than illuminating.

Pointless signs - St Pancras

Good to see that nanny is alive and well at St Pancras...

Do we really need to treat passengers as if they are idiots?

Floodballs - Rail Freight to the rescue

This from the Oxford Mail's flooding update page...

Really?

Brown Review - update

Interesting.

Sources suggesting that Richard Brown was appointed directly by Patrick McLoughlin rather than being selected by Marsham Street mandarins.

Clearly, in Derbyshire at least, blood is thicker than water.

Indeed there is a growing view that Brown may even be prepared to rock the boat with his report.

We shall see.

Meanwhile those interested in making constructive contributions to the review may do so via: Brown.Review@dft.gsi.gov.uk

Alternatively, you can post correspondence to:

The Brown Review
Hercules House
Hercules Road
Lambeth
London
SE1 7DU

Eye readers will be reassured to see that the SE1 address means contributions are unlikely to be opened by purveyors of the failed franchising orthodoxy.

UPDATE: This from The Spirit of Dark and Lonely Water...

Mr Brown at Hercules House?

This used to be the home of the late lamented Central Office of Information – the body that once delivered government advice with less of nudge and more of a supportive hand on the shoulder, whilst the other was firmly clamped on the nads.

Meanwhile I greatly enjoyed Gwyn Topham's story in today’s Grauniad, which accurately reflects what the RDG 'privately told the man shaping the future of franchising'.

Does Eye have any idea qui bono?

Eye goes soft in Dead Tree Media - Shocker

A surprising encomium in the latest contribution to Passenger Transport published on the 16th November...

The next edition of Passenger Transport will be published on the 30th November.

Directive 91/440/EEC - Just fancy that!

This from Reuters...

The European Union's Transport Commissioner wants rail companies to separate their passenger and freight train business from their railway network management activities by 2023 to make it easier for new entrants to compete, a German newspaper reported.

So obviously not a requirement in 1993, eh Mr Major?
 

First for the new Third Class

This from Rover...

Charging a first class fare for standing or squatting in the vestibule?

Every penny counts!

UPDATE: This from Chionanthus Virginicus...

Presumably where it is necessary to use an external door of a First Class vestibule when joining/alighting at stations with short platforms, a punishable offence has been committed?

Better extend the dwell times then!!

UPDATE: This from Strawbrick...

The no standing in a 1st vestibule with a 2nd Class ticket rule has been in force for at least 57 years. I was 10 years old when I was so told by a Ticket Inspector (sic) when he found me standing in the Corridor (sic again). 

Happily my Mother was able to show him both our first class tickets.

Also, I think you will get short shrift on a flight if you went and stood in Upper/Business/Executive/Club/etc... class with an Economy Ticket ...

I also think something similar applies aboard ships.

The problem is that passengers get upset when they see empty 1st Class seats when Standard Class is full and standing and the train crew do not see fit to exercise the option to declassify the 1st sections. 

They do not do this for a number of reasons:

1. The possibility that passengers may ask for refunds of upgrades; and 
2. That 1st Class passengers might complain vociferously
3. Or more likely, that Control haven't autho!

And yes, I do travel 1st Class because... (err... so do many Eye readers! Ed) And yes, I do ask guards why they have not declassified. 

The answers include "I didn't know I could", I have been told not to" and (best of all) "I would have done, but i could not get through the train to check because it was too full"(!).

One final point, when I started commuting on 310's the 50% uplift in fare was matched by a 50% uplift in space (no knocking of knees) and much more comfortable seats. 

The uplift is still 50% (and some off-peak savings are not available) whilst the extra space has typically shrunk to something like 20% and on the Southern Trains to CLJ the seats appear to be exactly the same.

But of course I take your point on the unnecessary aggression in the notice.
There is no automatic "fine" as the notice would imply, as you have the option of moving or staying but paying for an upgrade.

Britain's Best Bridge Bashes - Bustitution

This from BB...

This is my particular favourite! 

Note the destination blind...

Pointless signs - Essex Road

The Case of the Silent Committee

Telegrammed by 221b Baker Street
Mornin' Holmes.

Good morning, Watson.  I observe you have been reading Mr Samuel Laidlaw's initial report into the strange case of the ICWC franchise competition cancellation

Indeed so, Holmes.  And given the limited time available it is an excellent piece of investigation.

You will, of course, have noted the significance of the section covering the deliberations of the Contract Award Committee?

But Holmes, dashed if I could see any reference to any deliberations by that Committee in the report.

That, Watson, is the significance.

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.