Gordon Brown breaks Javelin embargo

Oh dear.

It looks like the PM is off message.

This from the Number 10 website:

Gordon Brown called the Javelin train’s first weekday journey, “a momentous day in the long and glorious history of British railways” during the official launch of the UK’s first domestic high-speed rail service at St Pancras International station this morning.

Putting aside the interesting quote about the 'glorious history of British railways' hasn't the dear leader committed a faux pas by referring to South Eastern's high speed train as a 'Javelin'?

This name, we are constantly reminded, cannot be used before the London 2012 Olympics (copyright ODA).

Can it be long before threatening letters are sent to Downing Street?

UPDATE: This from Lobby Fodder...

I'm amazed at Brown's bare faced cheek!

Take this quote from the same release:

“I know some people who think this is not the time to be investing in infrastructure but I believe it is essential to do so and we will be investing £20 billion in our rail infrastructure in the next few years.”

Talk about making spending commitments with someone else's budget.

I suspect the "we" he is referring to will be in opposition within six months and therefore not in a position to invest in anything.

Apart from cleaners and painting summer houses obviously...

Gordon's mini Pilgrimage of Grice

This just in from the Lobby...

The Prime Minister travelled to Lancashire today by train for a regional visit and will return to London by train, the Downing Street spokesman said.

Let's hope Network Rail and Virgin are behaving themselves.

Pendi' windows and hurled mobiles do not good bedfellows make!

Conference news - Battle of the Fringe

Telegrammed by Party Animal
A busy evening in Brighton last night.

With at least three industry soirees taking place there was fierce competition to see who could attract the best speakers.

Whilst Bombardier and Network Rail had to make do with Lord Adonis one cheeky Open Access operator secured the PM for its Northern Night do!


Let's hope arch-blogger Guido Fawkes isn't correct in describing him as Jonah Brown...

UPDATE: This from NR's Internet Rapid Rebuttal Unit...

Not just Adonis.

Network Rail also had Amir Khan who is, of course, the face of our No Messin' campaign.

Meanwhile might the term 'Jonah Brown' be better applied to soi disant 'veteran observer' and Grand Central PR monkey Brennan-Brown?

PM bounces back from depression slur

Good news for Labour Party members in Brighton!

This from Railnews...

Prime Minister 'excited' by high speed rail and a new Age of the Train

And, Andrew Marr please note, not a happy pill in sight!

UPDATE: This from Steve Strong...

Don't be so sure - with the numbers involved (£35bn) it's probably electric shock therapy.

Network Rail plays with political fire

We know that Number 10 is annoyed.

We know that tomorrow morning the Chief Executive of Network Rail is to give a presentation entitled:

"Meeting the rail capacity challenge - the case for new high speed lines."

Do we know what's in it? Possibly.

Have all the right people been invited? Maybe.

Has anyone a serious clue as to what's going on? Nobody!

Alas.

What with it being the Silly Season and all, industry hacks have been inundated with calls from the 'mejia' desperate to know what tomorrow is all about.

Yet more woe!

Nobody seems to have been briefed yet.

Although those with a wireless may benefit by tuning into 97.2 on the FM dial tomorrow morning...

No matter.

What are we to make of this?

Eye offers the following back-of-a-fag-packet offering (takes deep breath)...

NR have done lots of Route Utilisation Strategies (a good thing).

So they should know where the future capacity issues are (another good thing).

Logically they should plan (as both track supplier and Infrastructure Controller) to address these capacity issues (a very good thing) by suggesting new High Speed railways (even Adonis can't fault this).

Of course these new High Speed lines need to connect with the "classic railway" otherwise it will be a complete disaster.

Also NR has been working on this before Lord Adonis was invented and HS2 conceived (both also very good things).

So in the current economic climate it would be a great wickedness to throw all that work and knowledge away.

So Eye hopes that tomorrow will reveal a well though out RUS for future High Speed lines.

Something that David Rowlands of HS2 and Lord Adonis will be able to welcome.

And even something that our taciturn but cricket loving Prime Minister will be prepared to embrace.

Meanwhile, enter Eye's latest exciting new survey on who should give future direction on High Speed rail (eyes right!)

Gordon Brown wields the handbag!

This just in from Lord Deltic of Pan in the Counties of Brunel and Stephenson...

Announcing the decision to embark on a programme of electrification the Prime Minister said:

“To build a better Britain, we must be bold, innovative and forward-looking and invest with confidence in our country’s transport infrastructure, jobs and industry. This electrification programme is vital to building a 21st century transport system.”

Given that this coming Monday (27 July) marks the 25th anniversary of the then Transport Secretary, Nicholas Ridley, announcing the go ahead for the East Coast Main Line Electrification, shouldn't that be 'backward looking'?

And who would have thought that Gordon Brown would prove to be heir to Margaret Thatcher!

Lord Adonis - prove Gordon right

After a febrile couple of weeks Gordon Brown now assures us that his administration is listening to the people.

Denied the General Election that the country so obviously needs the Eye is prepared, just this once, to give him the benefit of the doubt.

So to My Lord Adonis, Secretary of State for Transport, falls the honour of proving that the Government is indeed listening.

According to the Yorkshire Post yesterday:

"NINETY-FOUR per cent of people taking part in a Sheffield Council poll say they are opposed to the introduction of ticket barriers at Sheffield railway station, which would prevent people using the railway bridge to access the city centre.

To date 4,000 people have voted on the Sheffield City Council website.

So Andrew - are you listening?

Gordon is a moron

Splendid news. The Prime Minister shares passenger outrage over fares increases.

This extra-ordinary statement was quoted in Saturday's Daily Telegraph:

'A spokesman for Gordon Brown said "It is clear that passengers have concerns about the value for money they receive from train companies. It is a matter for the rail companies to explain why they have made the decisions they have made".'

The Fact Compiler is speechless.

UPDATE: The Fact Compiler is grateful to a distinguished Railway Eye reader for the following:

"The tragedy of much government mishandling of the industry is that no-one - including Atoc, which is meant to be their industry association, for goodness' sake - is willing to make a fuss about it.

"First got plenty of stuff wrong on Great Western but they also took flak that should rightly have gone to the government for the reassignment of the Class 158s to areas that just happen to have lots of Labour MPs.

To quote (in expurgated fashion) Bunk, the coolest detective in cult TV series The Wire, "Sometimes it makes me sick how far we done fell."

Quite so.