Pointless signs - Reading

Pointless signs - Cambridge

This from @Al_S...

This sign is at Kings Hedges Road, Cambridge (at the junction for Cambridge Regional College).

The railway it warns of last saw a train in the early '90s.

It is now the Cambridge Guided Busway.

On the plus side, perhaps it wants to be a proper railway when it grows up?

Wattage Watch - Paddington

This, perhaps surprisingly, from I.K.Brunel...

When departing my fine terminus on the hottest day of the year, in the mid afternoon sun, I noted that the station management seem to be unable to turn the platform lights off!

 
Is this worthy of Eye's attention?

Yes indeed Mr Brunel! 

Time for an exciting new Eye feature...

Eye gives you Wattage Watch!

Piccies please of the railway unnecessarily running up utility bills.

RDG embraces 'Transparency'

Good news for fans of openness and transparency!

This from the Rail Delivery Group's summary of proceedings from its July meeting...

Industry Structure and Strategy – transparency
The RDG agreed that the industry should take control of the transparency agenda rather than leaving it to the ORR. Various industry parties were pursuing different initiatives. The Group agreed that nominated RDG Members agree a cross-industry approach.

And quite right too.

But what's this?

The rest of the summary document contains no reference to discussions about simplifying the number of organisations at the 'top' of the railway industry!

Perhaps they just didn't take place, or became so 'transparent' that they were rendered invisible?

Founder of Railway Children honoured

Colas and Network Rail have honoured the founder of the Railway Children.

A Colas class 66 was named David Maidment OBE at the National Track Plant Exhibition at Long Marston last Thursday.

The event was attended by 219 exhibitors from all areas of the rail industry, many of whom have long been supporters of Railway Children. Exhibitors gave donations on the day, with a total of £8,750 being raised for the charity.

David set up Railway Children in 1996, following an encounter with a young girl begging on a railway station in India. For the past 18 years, he has dedicated his life to raising awareness of the plight of children living alone and at risk on the streets and railway platforms.

To this day, across Railway Children’s geographical reach of India, East Africa and the UK, over 50,000 children are contacted and supported by the charity each year. 

Good effort!

Verster explains Lean Management in the Midlands

This from the power-house of PR that exists in Network Rail's LNE/EM Route... 

Phil Verster, Route Managing Director of Network Rail (LNE & EM) volunteering at East Midlands Parkway station today helping passengers navigate their way around the rail replacement services while Network Rail invests £100m to completely renew the railway around Nottingham.  

More than a mile of track is being relayed as well as replacing a series of junctions.  A new platform is being constructed, three signal boxes and two level crossings closed, and more than 140 new signals erected.

Recent visitors to NR's HQ in York will immediately recognise that Phil is clutching yet another design for a Visualisation Board! 

Pointless signs - Beckenham Junction

With a bowler tip to @DickiesTicker.

Railway Garden Competition - Lincoln

This from a Mr Barrett Houzing...

I thought Eye readers might enjoy an update on how the platform 8 garden at Lincoln is doing.

2009...

 2012...

And here, in all its glory, the same Railway Garden today!

Surely worthy of a Lifetime Achievement Award?

Bob gets all hot under the collar...

This from the RMT...

RAIL UNION RMT revealed today that while cattle get legal protection from overheated trains, British passengers, paying the highest fares in Europe, do not as the private rail companies are once again allowed to get away with doing just what they like as they extract massive profits from the network.
 
Welfare legislation sets a legal minimum of 5C (41F) and 30C (86F) for the transport of farm animals. In addition vehicles must be fitted with sensors and a warning system to tell drivers when the limits have been breached.

But no such standards are in place for commuters, the Office of Rail Regulation confirmed over the weekend, with parliament once again failing to put basic measures into rail franchise contracts to protect people using public transport.

RMT also revealed a month ago that there is no requirement in rail franchise agreements to provide toilets on trains.
 
RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said:

"The more we look at the rail franchising system the more we find that the most basic protections for the travelling public have been ignored with the whole racket designed and built to maximise private profit.
 
"Cattle get protection in the hot weather that humans don't, that is simply outrageous and as fares go through the roof to travel on rammed, sweltering and creaking trains the case for an end to this grotesque exploitation is overwhelming. Public ownership of our railways is the only solution to this scandal."

All good points Bob.

But what's this?

Strangely no mention of sweltering heat and loo-less trains on the public sector London Underground!

Perhaps it is in the notes to Editors? (Nope. Ed)

Less is more...

The Fact Compiler's latest column in Passenger Transport published on the 19th July... 

The next edition of Passenger Transport will be published on the 2nd August.

RMT flies a kite... out of control

This from a Mr Ivy... 

I guess you've seen this from the RMT: 

Nothing highlights the growing rail fares scandal more than the fact a walk-on return fare from London to Newcastle costs £301, more than a round trip flight to New York. Skyscanner are advertising return trips to the States for £298 today.

I'm sure the 'Eye' would like to point out how blatantly misleading the RMT is being – by comparing a walk-on rail-fare with an advance booking air fare! It's appalling how they spin. Trouble is, people will believe them….

Out of interest I've checked Skyscanner now, and 'walk-on' fare (I.e. For travel today is £1,133 (the headline price of £796 is not available). I'd like to give Bob Crow £298 and tell him to get to New York with that as a 'walk-on' fare.

Is ATOC fuming. I'll bet not….!

Railway Garden Competition - Harrow and Wealdstone

This from the Ward Room... 

This is NR infrastructure...

One wonders if TfL would permit this on their own tracks?

Innovation? Freighties lead the way!

Good news for fans of keeping the lights on! 

British designed.

British built! 

This from Drax...

DRAX UNVEILS UK’S FIRST BIOMASS RAIL FREIGHT WAGON

Drax has unveiled the UK’s first purpose-built biomass rail freight wagon at the National Railway Museum in York.

Developed by designers at Lloyd’s Register Rail and manufactured by WH Davis, it is the largest ever produced and pushes the boundaries of rail engineering.

The wagon will transport sustainable biomass from the Ports of Tyne, Hull and Immingham to Drax Power Station, near Selby for use in generating low carbon, cost effective, and reliable renewable electricity.

At 18.9m long with top doors stretching 18.2m and bottom doors of 3.7m, the supersize wagon has a capacity of 116 cubic metres allowing a biomass load weighing 71.6 tonnes. Its volume is almost 30 per cent bigger than any freight wagon currently used in the UK

Good effort! 

Staying at NRM for a couple of weeks if you're passing by...

Railway Garden Competition - Waterloo

Higgins keeps his word - Shocker!

Much amusement in the industry over today's coverage of David Higgins decision 'to resign'!

Take this, from the usually well informed David Millward in Her Majesty's Daily Telegraph.... 

The decision to resign, which was broken by Sky News, came within days of a fresh row erupting over the bonus package offered to Sir David and four other senior executives at the helm of the company responsible for the country’s train and track infrastructure.

However according to Network Rail, Sir David, 58, has chosen to leave his post to allow his successor to steer through a five year investment package worth more than £35 billion.

“David always made it clear that he didn’t plan to stay on until 2019,” a Network Rail source said. 

Errrr... quite so.

So if Higgins had always made clear that he didn't plan to stay on for CP5 (which he did, even within earshot of the lowly Fact Compiler) then what is the story?

Of course there is a much more interesting tale lurking beneath these lazy headlines: Will the next CEO of Network Rail be an engineer?

Meanwhile, back in the silly season, our next Monarch but two (DV) will be His Majesty King George.

Sire, please could you fix it for Eye to have sloppy journalists' heads lopped off. Ta.

Our Ma Sheriff's become proactive!

Steps back in amazement!

There is some good news to be found amongst the chaos of Civil Servant rolling stock procurement.

Our Ma Sheriff's (nee the Hammond Organs) otherwise known as the DfT press office have become proactive!

Eye has almost been besieged with information on why the Class 0800 (nee Incredibly Expensive Procurement) is a Good Thing!

Hmmm... the jury is out!

But a welcome development none the less.

Meanwhile, seems a shame that no-one in Marsham Street has spotted that numbers in the 0800 series are traditionally... free!

Shoveller disintermediates the Deep Alliance!

This from @SW_Trains...



See!

Narrowcast and talking direct to the customer isn't so difficult.

Although perhaps something on track condition, on the hottest day of the year, wouldn't have gone amiss...

UPDATE: This from Southern Belle...

Yeah, worth mentioning track condition just to be smug!

Bearing in mind the problems on the Western, South Eastern and Great Eastern tonight.

Railway Garden Competition - Waterloo East

Situation has developed not necessarily to iDave's advantge!

Oh the irony!

Just days BEFORE Her Majesty's Britannic Government expended more taxpayer cash on additional Ninky Nonk trains, Japan stuck the Imperial boot into British politics:

"The UK, as a champion of free trade, is a reliable partner for Japan. More than 1,300 Japanese companies have invested in the UK, as part of the Single Market of the EU, and have created 130,000 jobs, more than anywhere else in Europe. This fact demonstrates that the advantage of the UK as a gateway to the European market has attracted Japanese investment. The Government of Japan expects the UK to maintain this favourable role."

Hmmm...

So. "The Government of Japan expects the UK to maintain this favourable role."

Is Britain perhaps now known as 'Little Manchuria' in the Chancelleries of Asia?

No matter.

Eye suspects this is a very clever move by Tokyo.

Allowing Hitachi to prepare a swift evacuation from Newton Aycliffe, as Europe stubbornly fails to order Japanese trains (whether the UK is in, or out, of the EU)...

UPDATE: This from Hagrid's Brother... 

I wonder if ‘someone’ might speculate as to the effect of say a 25%-lower non-compliant future ECML bid using a sensible fleet. 

Apart from predictable embarrassment and the ire of Ms Hodge, of course. 

One for m’learned chums no doubt.

Wilkinson contract at DfT extended

This from the DfT...

Peter Wilkinson to carry on as Franchising Director

The Department for Transport has extended the contract of Interim Franchising Director Peter Wilkinson to January 2015 to ensure the continued successful roll out of the Government’s rail franchising programme.

Peter, who has been with the Department since January, was key in launching the DfT’s comprehensive new franchising schedule in March.  The contract extension will provide continuity of leadership for the franchising programme through to delivery of the initial franchise competitions and direct awards. 

In a less than perfect world, the least bad result!