Ou est la TOPS

Dontcha just love the Frenchies!

This from Lloyds Loading List...

French rail freight operator Fret SNCF is offering staff a reward if they can find around 150 (apparently empty) rail wagons that have gone missing over the past decade.

Railwaymen are to be offered the sum of €82.10 for each wagon located.

A spokesperson for parent company SNCF Geodis told Lloyd’s Loading List.com the search for the wagons was part of an initiative to remedy a discrepancy between where the company’s IT systems showed wagons to be and their actual location.

Fourth Railway Package?

First pen and paper may be a better starting point!

PM in Paris and in unrelated news...

So today the Prime Minister is in Paris signing an agreement with the Frenchies to rescue the beleaguered UK nuclear power industry.

iDave is to be praised for ensuring that the lights will remain on and electric trains can continue running for a good few years yet.

Meanwhile, in unrelated news, Eye would like to congratulate Keolis SA and SNCF on winning the West Coast franchise.

Frenchies fail!

This from the Beeb...

Alstom loses Eurostar court case over German train deal

Chortle!

Alstom cannot tell its farce from its elbow

Telegrammed by Leo Pink...
As L'affaire Eurostar moves from Paris to London it is casting a fascinating light on national comedic stereotypes.

It began as pure Feydeau farce, with the two comedy detectives Borloo et Bussereau bursting out of the wardrobe to find Eurostar and Siemens in a clinch to cries of 'Ooh lal la, zey have bought ze forbidden trains!!'

But in Alstom's current hearing in the High Court in London we are seeing a comedy of embarrassment best typified by 'The Office'. Alstom's latest arguaments against the Siemens order are even more cringe-making than David Brent's dancing.

Of course, no strangers to national self delusion, Alstom may see themselves as heir's to Dumas' Three musketeers riding to London to rescue the Queen's diamonds.

Sadly Alstom is no D'Artangnan, more Brian Rix!

Eye looks forward to seeing the Frenchies' trousers fall down.

UPDATE: This from @DriverPotter...

Alstom for IEP - Gallic farce would add a new shine to an otherwise very British Balls-up.

UPDATE: This from the Answer = 42...

You've got it all wrong about Alstom.

They know their legal action against Eurostar is a waste of time and money but what can they do? They owe President Sarko (you remember, Carla Bruni's current husband) a favour!

You might remember a few years ago, Sarko, when Minister of Finances, bailed Alstom out when they got into a spot of bother. All very legal under EU rules, as the French Republic acted as an investor - he made a nice profit for the French taxpayer to prove it. And goodness knows the French taxpayer needs all the help he can get.

But the problem is that Alstom undeniably owes the little guy a favour. And right now, he's the one in a spot of bother. You know, strikes, riots, that sort of thing.

So his cunning plan is to use the Eurostar tender to work the French public into a righteous nationalistic snit against the Germans, British or, even better, both.

So he leans on Alstom to get stuck in against Siemens and Eurostar. Which they do but then 'forget' to tell the French media.

Here is the headline from Alstom's only press release on the subject published on the 7th October:

"Regarding Eurostar's purchase of new trains, Alstom will make no comment on today's commercial discussions announced by the company".

Alstom dies a thousand PR deaths

This from the FT...

France’s Alstom has asked London’s High Court to grant an injunction to stop Eurostar from finalising a €600m ($838m) train order with Siemens, its German rival, claiming loss of the contract would be a “significant blow” to its reputation worldwide.

Quelle réputation?

UPDATE: This from Steve Strong...

That is a little unfair.

Alstom gave us the class 458s and 180s...

Sorry, as you were.

UPDATE: This from Captain Deltic...

Perhaps the Fact Compiler should attend the Modern Railways Golden Spanners Awards at the end of this month.

There he would be able to discover that the class 458 is, in fact, the fifth most reliable modern EMU fleet in Britain, on a par with the Siemens Desiros and superior to all but one Bombardier Electrostar fleet.

However, this is all down to SWT's Wimbledon Depot and fleet owner Porterbrook.

And whilst on the subject of the Golden Spanners Awards, perhaps I could take this opportunity to point out that seats are still available for the awards ceremony at a remarkably inexpensive... (that's enough blatant plugging. Ed)

UPDATE: This from the Man by the Photocopier...

The benevolent authorities who run the Budapest Metro have refused Alstom's new rolling stock for line M2, saying that the brakes don't meet Hungarian standards. No Type Licence, no 244m euros. Woe, woe and thrice woe!

Alstom says it may appeal.

These trains are in service in four other cities, and meet the toughest standards .... (cont'd p94).

A Frenchie writes...

This from le French Taunter...

While you miserable Anglais were worrying yesterday about how you are going to find the money to keep our farmers and our old age pensioners in Gauloises and Pate de Foie Gras, it may have escaped your attention that we have taken further action to ensure that only our magnifique TGVs will ever be allowed to traverse the Tunnel Sous la Manche......

Vive la interoperabilité, as you deluded railway people say in Roast Boeuf-land.

Frenchies throw toys out of pram!

This from Yahoo.co.uk...

France has stepped up its opposition to Eurostar's decision to buy trains from Germany's Siemens AG instead of French supplier Alstom by taking the case to the European Commission, a German newspaper reported on Friday

This is going to get very interesting.

Or not.

"They shall not pass" claims Frenchies

This, surprisingly, from Generals Helmuth von Moltke (senior) and Alfred von Schlieffen...

Unser liebe Fact Compiler

Can we through Railway Eye pass on our congratulations to Herr Doktor Professor Wolmar on the timeliness of his latest book, Engines of War, on sale yesterday.

Today as the French try to prevent German trains running through the tunnel can we commend pages 71 to 88 and 133 to 159 of his meisterwerk detailing our respective rail strategies in 1870 and 1914 to your readers.

It would appear that having lost the competition to supply new trains for Eurostar, technically and commercially, the French have resorted to rule bending in an attempt to protect their archaic railway industry.

Nach St Pancras!

UPDATE: This from Our International Correspondent...

In their understandable resentment at the traditional intransigence of French Railways to be cowed by Die Bahn, the German generals overlook the historic fact that while their attempts to come this way have a poor sustainability record during the last century, plucky old Britain’s one attempt to go east past the Calais Up Starter on her own was more successful.

As part of a larger coalition of English-speaking nations on tour in 1944, the Walmington-On-Sea platoon used a pretty ramshackle collection of British and American kettles to run trains as far as the Rhine.

They then went on to Berlin using German kettles whose ownership had become a little confused following the total surrender of the Thousand Year Reich at Luneberg Heath.

Somehow, all this was done without EU Interoperability Regulations.

Perhaps the British Army Railway Squadron, soon to be disinvented by the spending review, could have one Last Hurrah nach Berlin!

UPDATE: This from Ithuriel...

Eurostar's new trains - did a cunning plan backfire?

Eurostar has run its procurement of 10 new trains in unprecedented secrecy.

The news came as a surprise to the most experienced industry watchers.

Eurostar avoided issuing an OJEU, which would have given the game away, by using the Link-up qualification system.

Why?

Could it be that the aim was to use Siemens as a stalking horse to cover up an order destined to go, naturellement, to Alstom?

After all, everyone in France knows that German trains could not match the commercial offer from the French champion.

But les sales boche cheated and put in a more attractive offer. A knock-out offer, in fact, which could not be refused.

And now Johny Crapaud is trying to rectify this unfortunate error.

One question remains.

Was Bombardier invited to bid?