Hulleys’ Closure - My Thoughts
1 year ago
Monday, 26 October 2009
Southern unveils... Captain Permatan
This exciting news from Southern...
The Marketing team have been working with a top advertising agency (sic), who are responsible for the ‘118’ and ‘Compare the Meerkat – Compare the Market’ television adverts.
Our campaign will feature a brand new Southern character ‘Captain Permatan’, a Mexican wrestler who is passionate about trains…(is this right? Ed)
Perhaps Captain Permatan's first task should be to try and rescue doomed sister franchise London Midland?
WSMR doomed?
This from Railnews...
WSMR Managing director Andy Hamilton said: ‘Considering the current revenue position of Wrexham & Shropshire and the pressure put on the business by the current economic climate, I can confirm that if the ATW 38th Supplemental Agreement is approved it is very likely that DB Regio UK will cease funding and it is likely that Wrexham & Shropshire will immediately withdraw from the market.'
Perhaps time to recall the wise words of Beardie himself, after Virgin waved the white flag and withdrew its own plans to serve stations along the WSMR route earlier this year:
In return, I think that the people of Shrewsbury should now receive firm assurances from DB and W&S that they will continue to run this service for years to come.
Perhaps just as well such assurances were never made...
UPDATE: This just in from Scotch Corner...
According to the Railnews story the person leading ATW's London service bid is one Mike Bagshaw.
Could this be the same Mike Bagshaw who was previously Commercial Director at Chiltern?
Strange but true!
2009 Railway Garden Competition - Malaysia
This just in from Paul Bigland....
I'm back in the UK now and thought you'd like these images for the international railways gardens.
They were taken in Malaysia on what is known as the 'jungle' railway. The first shot is at Gemas.
The second much further up North near Kuala Perlis, where the chaps are indulging in a bit of jungle clearance with petrol powered strimmers.
Enjoy!
Saturday, 24 October 2009
Specialists prove pope catholic - shocker!
This from the department of the bleedin' obvious and posted round various depots...
SPECIAL NOTICE
Seasonal Weather Warning
Advance reports from Network Rail weather specialists indicate that the Southern region may experience more adverse autumnal conditions during the coming few days.
To remind you, this may lead to the trees shedding their leaves and you experiencing low rail adhesion conditions.
No shit Sherlock!
Revolution's top ten tweeters
New-media savy Richard Baker makes it into Revolution's top ten tweeters
@richard_baker General Manager for Virgin Trains Liverpool, N Wales & Chester to London. Passionate about leadership, service, social media and innovation.Good effort and congratulations.
UPDATE: This from a Mr Saltaire...
How times have changed…
Imagine this; You’re the boss of a company. You walk into an office full of your employees and you find they are all sitting at their computers Twittering…
Question is, do you congratulate them – or fire them!?!??
Friday, 23 October 2009
First Directly Operated Railways
Rumours on the interweb that FCC's Customer Services Director is to join DOR.
Mutterings from other owner groups that First Class Partnerships is aptly named.
Railway not getting its message across!
Total Politics has published its list of Top 100 Public Affairs Professionals.
Sigh!
Spot the missing industry.
UPDATE: This from the Major...
That the Falkland Islands should make it into the Top 100 puts the railway's lobbying failure into perspective.
Where's a soi disant veteran observer when you need one...?
Mixed trains return to the ECML?
Telegrammed by our Independent Expert
Looks like hard-up NXEC is bringing back mixed trains.
Senior Conductor on a packed HST from Newcastle this afternoon:
Will people with bulky luggage please tell the guard who will lock it away in the brake van...
Presumably with the pigs, chickens and smokey anthracite stove?
UPDATE: This from Shiny Shoes...
Just curious why a 'senior conductor' was working a NXEC HST (or any of their trains for that matter) as such grade does not exist on NX.
Admirably and sensibly NX use the correct term guard.
The term senior conductor was part of the 'train crew' concept of the 80's that sought to bring some promotional steps to the role... (cont p94).
In any event, as far as the public were concerned the term senior conductor was all a bit silly, there being no 'junior conductor' on any train worked by a SC.
Level crossings - a request for consistency
Network Rail has been busy reminding drivers and pedestrians of the dangers of level crossing abuse.
Such as this story from the BBC...
Network Rail has released footage of pedestrians risking their lives at a level crossing in Dorset, including a mother pushing her baby in a pram.
A video shows the woman running across the track with her child moments before a train passed.
Iain Coucher, Network Rail chief executive, said: "The rules around level crossings are clear and simple.
"When the lights flash or the barriers are down, don't cross - a train is approaching."
However, this particular footpath crossing is not gated and the miniature warning lights, of either hue, are steady and do not flash.
Which means that here the 'clear and simple' rules don't actually apply.
And if they don't apply then the rules are not consistent.
Inconsistent safety messages and procedures actually import risk rather than reduce it.
Yet one more reason to undertake a thorough review of the methods by which level crossing users are alerted to on-coming rail traffic.
UPDATE: This from @swlines via Twitter
Although the crossing in question does have a siren that goes off before it goes red.
And that CCTV vid is from signal box.
Friday safety briefing
This from 'Is 1A03 out of Chester yet, Bert?'
Can you spot the significant safety failing in this video?
That's correct. The hard hat has not been secured by a chin strap.
A beautiful city...
This from the National Rail website:
| Start date | 19/10/2009 |
|---|---|
| End date | 23/10/2009 |
| Route Affected | |
| TOC Affected | Arriva Trains Wales |
| Description | The following changes will apply: Monday only
|
RMT claims mass dismissal threat
This from the RMT...
RAIL UNION RMT revealed today that Network Rail have threatened to sack their entire maintenance workforce of 13,000 and to re-employ a reduced number of workers on new terms and conditions in a bid to bulldoze through a multi-billion pound cuts package.
Gosh!
Twitter news
According to the Hansard Society...
- Percentage of Conservative MPs on Twitter: 6%
- Percentage of Labour MPs on Twitter: 13%
- Percentage of Liberal Democrat MPs on Twitter: 24%
Thursday, 22 October 2009
Eye helps NX understand where it went wrong
Telegrammed by the Velopodist
This nonsense has just reached me from National Express:
Fares from £13* – it's a mystery how we do it
*One-way fare from London to York
It's no 'mystery' - they just lose lots of money.
UPDATE: This from a Mr Saltaire...
The ad might have read London to York once upon a time…. but now it says Edinburgh to York.
Perhaps NXEC is paying attention to The Eye?
Judging by a conversation yesterday with one of their senior execs that is indeed the case...
In happier times...
A mournful email reaches The Fact Compiler from NR's Internet Rapid Rebuttal Unit...
Look at Nigel's expression when he had to award Network Rail the 'outstanding press office of the year' prize at the NRA a few years ago.
We won it in successive years but strangely enough the award was 'retired'…
Would Eye be right in thinking that all is not well between Media House and the New Black Tower?
NX Interim Management Statement
This issued today...
"Discussions continue on the hand back of the East Coast rail franchise.
"At 30 September, £34 million of the available £40 million Group loan to this franchise had been utilised.
"Ongoing losses have been charged against the contract exit provision established at the half year.
"We are working towards agreeing a formal handback date for the franchise, prior to year end."
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