NatEx clutches at straws

So what exactly is happening at National Express?

A number of 'NatEx' friendly stories have been appearing in the media recently.

Three weeks ago it was rumoured that NatEx and Stagecoach might merge.

The story was strenuously denied by Stagecoach.

No matter - NatEx shares reacted positively to the 'news'.

And only this weekend the Sunday Times claimed that NatEx's troubled East Coast franchise would move to a management contract.

A story given short shrift by the DfT, who quickly reaffirmed that rail contracts won't be renegotiated.

Even so the mere rumour reinvigorated NatEx's dire share price by 11.8%

Could these Alice in Wonderland ramblings have anything to do with the National Express annual meeting this Wednesday, a £400m rights issue and threatened boardroom shake-up?

Surely shareholders won't be so easily taken in?

UPDATE: This just in from Sim Harris...

Not sure that DafT defines the termination of a franchise and its replacement by a management contract as "renegotiation".

DafT has NOT given this story short shrift -- indeed, it has consistently declined to deny it over the past couple of days. If it is not true, or at least well-founded, why not say so?

More follows, I suspect.

Lookalike XVI

Meanwhile, down in the blogsphere

Weird, but strangely believable...

ObnoxiotheClown unmasked!

Spooky, eh?

First for damaging small children?

This extraordinary poster has appeared on the Thameslink network courtesy of FuCC.

Well, at least they are honest...


Can it be long before Esther Rantzen, of Childline fame, joins the Battle of the Barriers?

UPDATE: This from the 'Commuter'...

I noticed with interest your photograph from First Capital Connect which mentions "a child caught in a closing ticket barrier could be seriously injured."

Interesting, given the guidance notes for the Railway Group Standard concerning Automatic Ticket Gates at stations clearly states "there should be no opportunity for the person to become trapped or for the gate to close on the person and so cause possible injury" and "the design of the ATGs should also enable people to pass through without injury, for example by trapped fingers or limbs, or injury to the heads of small children."

So are FCC admitting now that their barriers don't comply with the relevant safety rules?

Steam beano!

Telegrammed by Eboracum (50A)
Who knew kettles could be so much fun?

On page 7 of the latest issue of Steam Railway there is the following line:

The real prospect of a ‘Scotsman’ that can ‘suck’ as well as ‘blow’ will come as a huge relief to all enthusiasts.

I’m speechless!

"A villian forever more"

The Sunday Times is reporting that National Express is moving to a 'management contract' on its East Coast franchise

National Express has struck a deal with the government to abandon its east-coast train franchise, which should prepare it for a 400 million pound rights issue and a boardroom reshuffle.

Time for some wise words courtesy of the Daily Telegraph, 15th August 2007...

"We have had a very simple bidding philosophy,'' said Mr Bowker. ''We will not bid at levels we think are unsustainable or undeliverable - there's no point in being a hero for a day and a villain forever more afterwards."

Will NX shareholders take the same view?

O'Toole goes to First Group!

A tip of the bowler to I Work For First Great Western for this...

Tim O’Toole and Colin Hood will join the Board of FirstGroup as Independent Non-Executive Directors on 7 May 2009.

And this just after yesterdays announcement that Dean Finch is to be Chief Exec of Tube Lines!

The Fact Compiler's flabber is well and truly gasted.

Adonis on fare increases

The latest issue of Rail has secured a nice quote from My Lord Adonis.

During the Pilgrimage of Grice the rail minister used an All Line Rail Rover, which he freely promoted in the media at just about every opportunity (something the train operators have singularly failed to do).

Alas.

As the Eye revealed two weeks ago ATOC are to increase the price of an All Line Rail Rover, from the 17th May, by a whopping 15%!

Indeed, so shocked was Adonis by the scale of the price increase he told Rail:

"With friends like that what enemies need the railways fear?"

With ATOC paying over a grand a day for PR consultants perhaps someone should have seen that coming?

Corporate manslaughter

This from Longrider...

I’ll be watching this one with interest. Not least because it is likely to set a precedent and, because this new law; Corporate Manslaughter (2007) Act; worries me.

Read it.

WiFi tangled web

Whilst the rest of the media swallowed whole Virgin's latest puff piece about the introduction of on-train wifi the geek press was not so easily spun.

So full marks to ZDNet for spotting the inconvenient fact that:

Virgin Trains Wi-Fi arrives one year late

Beardie Rail late - never!

Be afraid, be very afraid

This from NCE...

Tube Lines appoints Dean Finch as chief executive

To paraphrase Mrs Malaprop: Tube Lines' loss is First's gain...

UPDATE: This from The Raver...

Fury at London Underground!

Read and weep, O Ye Philistines!

Telegrammed by our Independent Expert
The memorial to the great locomotive engineer as photographed at Edinburgh Waverley station on Wednesday.


The memory of Mallard's creator will live on long after the likes of TPE have been consigned to the corporate dustbin!

UPDATE: This just in from Captain Deltic...

Captain Deltic wonders what the Great engineer would have thought of Trans-Pennine Express' German Class 185 DMUs - or for that matter the Intercity Express Programme.

Since his reaction to the Reichsbahn's Flying Hamburger high speed diesel train was to show that loco-haulage could do better, we can only assume that the great man is following with approbation, from the great motive power depot in the sky, Ian Walmsley's campaigning for real inter-city trains with serious traction horsepower on the front end, rather than under the floor.

Swine Flu

A little something for the office...


TOC's may wish to affix in a prominent position in carriages.

Planning for the future

Telegrammed by the Master
NR's reputation for customer service will take a great leap forward from 2010 when the Leeds train planning office moves to, err... Milton Keynes.

Scotrail and TPE are reported to be non too impressed.

NR have acquired premises in this 'world class' town and are intending concentrating many more functions on the site.

But few staff seem keen to make the move to the land of concrete cows.

That's one way to reduce headcount.

UPDATE: This just in from DOS at Rugby...

The move to Milton Keynes, and planned centralisation of functions currently carried out in other locations, may well be connected to Mr Coucher residing near by.

Perhaps even he is finding a daily commute to Euston too expensive!

UPDATE: This just in from the Major...

I suspect Mr C has few problems with the cost of his MK commute.

Whether he's quite so happy at his train being late so often is another matter.

Swine flu shocker

Bum steer from Greengauge?

Telegrammed by our man at 222 Marylebone Road
According to a Press Release...

Anticipating progressive improvement in energy efficiency and reduced carbon emissions from the rail, aviation and automotive sectors, the work, which was carried out by ATOC shows that high-speed rail could offer a huge saving in carbon compared with air travel and result in 70% less carbon per passenger-km than would be produced from a totally modernised electric car fleet. Against a mixed car fleet, in transition away from petrol/diesel engines, the advantages would be even more dramatic: HSR would produce 30 times less carbon per passenger-km.

"The basic point is this:”, said Greengauge 21 Director Jim Steer, “to achieve lower carbon in the transport sector, we need to provide a better alternative to flying or driving medium/long distances in Britain. High-speed rail offers the transformation needed to make this possible”.

Are we seriously expected to believe that by the time HS2 is built electric cars will have the range and speed to compete with rail, let alone high Speed Rail on inter-city journeys?

Professional is, as professional does...

Telegrammed by our man at 222 Marylebone Road
According to the latest issue of Rail Professional the Department for Transport is...

"...seeking pitches for an unspecified number of electric multiple units as part of the Thameslink upgrade."

Er, the Invitation to Tender is quite specific about the number of full length and reduced length diagrams to be met and when, leaving the supplier to work out the availability and the number of trains needed.

RailPro adds that the closing date for submissions is 30 April.

Er, because of funding issues the bidders have now been given an extra couple of months to shake their piggy banks.

Still, the magazine is free.

RMT cuts off nose to spite face?

This just in from the RMT...

RMT ANNOUNCED today that around 1000 rail engineering members at Jarvis, will be taking industrial action on May 5 2009 in response to plans by the company to axe 450 jobs as union talks with Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon broke up with the government failing to give assurances on job cuts in the rail industry.

Let the scorched earth policy begin!

Update on the SofS meeting with the unions

This from the Evening Standard...

Sack 'Buff Hoon' say rail unions

Went well then!

More spun than spinned against.

Someone's been a naughty boy!

This from The Grauniad on the 13th April:

The government is considering a £250m stimulus package for the railways aimed at boosting revenues and passenger numbers...

Nothing in the budget as far as we could see.

Qui bono?