Barbielino - Petrol-head unlashes the attack dogs!

This from the Birmingham Post...

Virgin, which runs West Coast Main Line services from London to Birmingham and Manchester, is refusing to use the trains or carriages....

A spokesman for the department said: “We would like any train company to come forward and use it.

“We would like Virgin to use it, but Virgin has said they wouldn’t want to do so unless they get a franchise extension.”

Blam! Splat! Kerpow!

UPDATE: This from the Mad Hatter...

The new train is in Virgin colours but without Virgin logos.

Will Beardie Rail cry ‘breach of intellectual copyright’ if anyone else tries to use it?

UPDATE: This from SN Barnes...

So the DfT would like "any train company to come forward and use it"?

Can it be long before Yoghurt Rail comes knocking at Marsham Street's door?

UPDATE: This from a Mr Tony Miles...

Theresa Villiers in Alstom's press release (06/12/10 re. the delivery of 11-car Pendolino 390054) said:

“From April 2012 it will form part of the rolling stock for the new West Coast Main Line franchise."

The Birmingham Post article to which Eye links says:

“...as a result, the train has been delivered - but will not be used. Instead, the Department for Transport has told other rail companies they are welcome to borrow the Pendolino for the next 18 months if they want it."

Alstom explained, as the train was being delivered to Edge Hill depot for commissioning, that it will take until the end of May or early June 2011 for the set to be fully tested and commissioned.

So that makes it available for only 10 or 11 months maximum.

Factor in testing on any route other than the WCML, signaling immunization, driver training etc. etc. and that might just give a new operator six months 'quiet enjoyment' with a good headwind!

An awful lot of money would need to be spent for such a short loan, a bill no doubt that will be picked up by the taxpayer.

Welcome to the Age of Austerity!

Villiers vignettes... apology accepted

Regular readers may recollect that Eye took the Saviour of the Jammy Dodger to task on Monday 12th July for misleading the House about rolling stock orders.

Clearly someone has been reading Eye, for lo and behold Cruella had to deliver this Ministerial Correction yesterday (19th July):

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Theresa Villiers (Minister of State (Rail and Aviation), Transport; Chipping Barnet, Conservative)

I regret to inform the House that there was an inaccuracy in the answer I gave to parliamentary question 4042 on 7 July 2010, Hansard, column 265W, about what new rolling stock orders have been placed for each rail franchise since 2007.

The table was incomplete and omitted the order, placed in April 2009 by National Express East Anglia, for 120 new EMU vehicles.

The full table is reproduced below.

Franchise	Order date	Type	Vehicles
Southern	May-07	EMU	48
London Midland	Aug-07	EMU	148
London Midland	Dec-07	DMU	69
Chiltern Railway	Jan-08	DMU	8
Southern	Mar-08	EMU	44
Virgin West Coast	Sep-08	EMU	106
National Express East Anglia	Apr-09	EMU	120

Just fancy that!

UPDATE: This from Captain Deltic, the HLOS Vehicle Finder General...

There you are Theresa, doesn't that feel better?

Now what about the 8th June table you published?

Yes, the Table with the double counting I mentioned to Philip Hammond's SpAd at the time?

And has the civil servant responsible now been transferred to work on TramTrains?

Villiers vignettes....

An occasional series celebrating the relationship of the Minister of State for Transport with her Department...

This answer given by Theresa Villiers on Wednesday the 7th July, (with a bowler tip to Flat Cap and Whippet):

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what new rolling stock orders have been placed for each rail franchise since 2007. [4042]

Mrs Villiers: Rolling stock orders for franchised operators since 2007 are as shown in the following table.

Franchise	Order date	Type	Vehicles
Southern	May 2007	EMU	48
London Midland	August 2007	EMU	148
London Midland	December 2007	DMU	69
Chiltern Railway	January 2008	DMU	8
Southern	March 2008	EMU	44
Virgin West Coast	September 2008	EMU	106

And where are the Greater Anglia 379s that were ordered on 2nd April 2009?

This isn't the first time that the Minister has misled the House.

A previous statement on HLOS rolling stock given by Villiers contained double counting!

When prompted by Captain Deltic a Special Advisor (SpAd) said she would raise it with the officials concerned.

Good to see that the Coalition promise to reduce the power of SpAds over Civil Servants has already been delivered on!

UPDATE: This from the Major...

Sadiq Khan is obviously enjoying his time in opposition.

As Shadow Secretary of State he gets to ask questions of the new Government in the full knowledge that the answers given will be crafted by the same lacklustre officials who previously made him appear a laughing stock at the Despatch Box.

Evidently the Department's officials have learned nothing from Foster's excoriating review of their communications skills.

UPDATE: This from The Hatter...

According to Theresa's answer new rolling stock has been ordered for the Virgin West Coast franchise.

Sadly this also is not strictly true.

The new Pendolini were procured by Virgin Rail Projects (prop. Beardie, but an entirely seperate company to Virgin Trains) for the West Coast franchise.

These much needed, overcrowding busting, trains are due to be delivered from July 2011.

Sadly, owing to Officials on the line and the wrong type of Civil Servant, they will not actually carry any passengers on the West Coast Main Line until 1st April 2012 when the new franchisee - not necessarily Virgin Trains (prop Beardie) - is due to takeover.

Happily this tax payer funded rolling stock will sit comfortably in sidings for many months, without turning a wheel in revenue earning service, because Sir Humphrey says so.

Welcome to Fred Karno’s railway.