Good to see that the promise of an Olympics open to all doesn't extend to the good burghers of Nottingham.
This from the Nottingham Evening Post...
Rail chiefs claim they haven't yet decided when the station will close, but Coun Richard Jackson says Network Rail told him the work would be during the London Olympics.
So its 'Zil Lanes' for athletes and 'Zil Lines' for NR engineers.
This from Transport Briefing...
Conference supported shadow transport secretary Norman Baker's calls for 30 year rail franchises with five year rolling reviews that would force train operating companies to invest profits in reopening lines and stations.
With both Adonis and the Tories now in favour of longer franchises can we see an end to Dr Death's 'reign of timidity'?
With a bowler tip to Turbostar...
Ouch!
This from Ben Jones of Model Rail magazine (which he assures Eye is piling on readers)...
Passing through Serbia on my way to Istanbul last week, I was extremely impressed by the countries efforts to win a Gold Medal in the European railway garden competition.
Belgrade’s main station is a particularly fine example of urban greenery, putting Network Rail’s efforts into perspective and setting them a challenging target for next year.
But, for sheer invention, the pile of scrap dumped alongside the new platforms at Athens Larissa station takes some beating. No prizes for spotting the ‘wild card’ item among the usual detritus.
Inspired by such sterling work from our European cousins, expect a raft of articles on how to grass over your Hornby track in Model Rail soon!
This from a Mr MB...
I humbly offer an entry for the 'Pointless Signs' competition, spotted recently at Warrington Bank Quay.
One wonders if this is a statement of Virgin's policy regarding the employment of trans-gender staff...
UPDATE: This from Lazarus...
Not only a pointless sign but also a pointless comma which renders the message grammatically meaningless.
No need for a comma at all, or, if Virgin really want commas, put another one after "facilities".
UPDATE: This from Sir William Pollitt...
So few words, so many errors... the second comma from the sub-clause is absent (it should be after 'facilities') also the random and unnecessary capital letters ('male' and 'female' are NOT proper nouns) and the inaccurate running together of two words 'may and 'be' which, of course, should be separate.
Of course, a normal person would also have said 'person' rather than 'operative' and 'toilets' rather than 'facilities' - but as whoever commissioned this sign is clearly (deleted for reasons of taste. ED), we are not surprised.
Is there a new RE competition here, for the most illiterate railway sign? This horror takes some beating.
Internal Announcement
Andrew Scott to be Acting Director of NMSI
I have today on behalf of the Board of Trustees announced the appointment of Andrew Scott as Acting Director following the dismissal of Molly Jackson.
Ms Jackson was dismissed following questions that were raised about whether she had followed the NMSI’s Code of Conduct on potential conflicts of interest in her business dealings.
(Continues in excruciating detail for several paragraphs. Ed)
The recruitment of a new Director NRM is already underway and Andrew is reviewing what arrangements will be put in place in the meantime.
Any queries from the press should be referred to the press office in the normal way.
Lord Waldegrave
Who said Museum life was dull?
Much excitement tonight amongst the railway chatterati!
From next Monday there will be a new Managing Editor of Railnews!
And its a Mr Harris!
But which one?
Could it be Tom - the off message MP?
Or Nigel - star of Rail, TV and the National Rail Awards?
Or maybe Sim - late of Rail Manager on-line fame?
Here's a clue...
Perhaps more a case of changing, rather than keeping, track....
Eye welcomes the new South Central franchise which began operation yesterday
The franchise was awarded to current operator Govia (a Go-Ahead and Keolis joint venture) and will see the continuation of the Southern brand.
But what's this?
The winning bid was based on 4% revenue growth over the first two years of the franchises life.
Alas.
What looked a 'toppy' bid may now turn into a Herculean challenge.
This from the BBC...
London Underground (LU) has been hit by a fall of 190,000 journeys a day, with the recession and job losses blamed... August journey figures were 6.4% lower than the same month last year, Transport for London (TfL) said.
With loadings down on LU no doubt similar pain is being felt by NSE TOCs as well.
Watch out for eye-watering increases in unregulated ticket prices and car park charges as Govia struggles to balance the books.
This from Roger Ford's latest Informed Sources ePreview:
Talk about hubris, my warm glow at having networked the home soon vanished when nemesis followed and a few days later my computer not only wouldn’t connect to the internet over broadband, the back up dial-up stopped working too.
The Fact Compiler fears that this may have been premeditated rather than misfortunate.
Perhaps Captain Deltic should contact the Association of Old Crows to protect himself from future attacks?
Telegrammed by Leo Pink
Term of ill omen?
In his letter summing up the results of the the two workshops held with Public Members earlier this month new Network Rail Chairman Rick Haythornthwaite refers to a facilitator present at the events as "a thought leader in institutional investment governance".
Just what NR needs - state of the art management jargon.
Exciting news from the LibDems!
This from the Evening Standard...
Crossrail not a key priority for us, warns Vince Cable.
Zzzzz...
UPDATE: This from Steve Strong...
At least Vince had a go at the "scandal" of the still empty Waterloo International Terminal.
The other parties are positively supine about it.
Hot on the tail of the Pilgrimage of Grice, the Noble Lord has taken to exploring the motorway network.
Details of the Marple's Memorial Meander here.
It will be interesting to see whether, after fighting his way around the UK road network for a week, Lord Adonis has an appetite to divert more funds into roads to relieve congestion, or whether he argues even more strongly that the railways should be developed, to get people out of their cars.
Can he hold his nerve, or will he bottle it?
UPDATE: This from Tom over at Boriswatch...
It's interesting that Lord Adonis meets up with the Chairman of the RAC Foundation straight off the bat, who are the spiritual successor to the rabid interventionist road lobby of the 1960s to 1980s.
On the other hand it's highly amusing that said gentleman had to take to the train to avoid the M25 jams...
UPDATE: Captain Deltic in calculating mood asks...
Shouldn't we know what car Lord Adonis is driving?
And what miles per gallon it is achieving?
And what average speed he is assuming to get to these various meetings on time?
This from Sim Harris...
Is anyone paying attention?
According to The Department...
Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis said, "The new East London Line will be of great benefit to rail passengers in London with more frequent trains to more destinations."
Well, fair enough.
Except, err... it will be the 'East London Railway'.
The ELL designation has been dropped.
Who failed to brief the Noble Lord or did he merely fail to listen?
This from the Hastings Observer...
A teenager has been charged with endangering safety on the railway after a woman's hair was set alight on a train.
!?!
Tom Harris MP has the sordid details....
Meanwhile.
A respectful message to Ms Louise Ellman MP and the Labour whips:
Come the next Parliament please could you consider Tom for membership of the Transport Select Committee?
Tom - we'll make a Robert Adley out of you yet!
Seen on a wagon in the up yard at Cheyenne...
Indeed!
Telegrammed by Charles Yerkes
So the Thames has vanished from TfL's new Tube map.
Yadder yadder.
The rot set in when they failed to restrict 081 to South of the river.
You want to see a Tube map?
Try the inclusive Dyslexic's guide to the Underground.
This just in from Dyspozytor...
I greatly applaud your initiative to encourage the development of green corridors along England's railways.
The propagation of your idea by means of a 'Railway Garden Competition' is stunning in its simplicity.
The fronds of buddleia that I see adorning the previously dull brick built bridges and viaducts whenever I visit the UK shows the extent to which the management of Network Rail are giving your 'bottom up' initiative their wholehearted support.
However, it is only fair to point out that Network Rail's efforts are still at the nursery garden stage compared to the achievements of my colleagues on Poland's railways.
I enclose a picture I took earlier today of a Prussian goods van at Kalisz station.
I trust that you will be able to use this picture to encourage Network Rail's gardeners to even greater efforts.
Alas foreign railways are not currently able to enter the Railway Garden Competition. Although Eye understand that this is to be addressed as part of the EU's Fourth European Railway Package...
This just in from Driver Potter...
Perchance GNER is not dead, it does but slumber.
Potter, having attended his brothers wedding in Newcastle this last weekend, travelled to Kings Cross on the 15:50 Up service (1A53?) on Sunday.
I was astonished. If you believe the wibbling anoraks masses, NXEC have all but abandoned customer service. Potter begs to differ. The staff were nothing short of exemplary; prompt, courteous and all questions answered quickly with a smile.
I once mourned the loss of GNER - the blue and red, "Route of the Flying Scotsman", named locomotives and staff with pride. Now I see that perhaps I was wrong to worry.
All NXEC have done is change the livery and the uniforms; the pride remains unchanged. And even not knowing what the future brings has not dented the professionalism on the East Coast.
FC, would you be good enough to post this on your rather fine site? We hear enough wibble about poor customer service. Fine efforts should not go unsung; especially from staff who face an uncertain few months ahead.
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