Adonis freezes price of All Line Rail Rover!

This just in from @swlines via Twitter...

All Line Rover prices unchanged according to latest NFM!

Eye congratulates Lord Adonis for promoting this excellent product and ATOC for ensuring it remains great value.

Eye recommends the special offer on the 14 Day Rover here!

(And first class for 14 days is still less than one return journey between Newquay and Kyle of Lochalsh with Arriva Cross Country. Ed)

Mary Grant says sorry - Official

Are there no end to the talents of First Group's Mary Grant?

On Friday rail boss Mary enchanted the industry, and raised loads for street children, by doing a winning turn (or two) at the annual Railway Children fundraiser.

Eye understands that Mary was so taken by the roar of the crowd that she has decided to release a sung apology to furious FuCC commuters suffering a shortage of trains...




For those unable to view YouTube a hard copy of Mary's apology can be found here.

Europe's High Speed Railways stuck in the past

This from the BBC with a bowler tip to the Commuter...

Railteam, the alliance of European high-speed rail operators, has shelved plans for a Europe-wide common booking system because of increasing costs... The new system would have created a one-stop-shop for tickets for complete high-speed journeys across Europe.

So whilst nearly everybody is now convinced that High Speed Rail is the right method of travelling around Europe it would appear that the flabby state owned operators still can't be arsed to offer their customers single transaction ticketing.

Europe's railways - the transport of tomorrow (if you're living in the 1950s).

UPDATE: This from D1062...

Whilst the European ticketing dream alluded to is mere pie in the sky, there are a couple of institutions well served to guide you through the maze of European ticketing and serve as a one stop shop (albeit one that will give you lots of tickets) this side of the border.

I can recommend Deutsche Bahn UK (have your details ready and email them, they will call you back - ruthlessly efficient), and Ffestiniog Travel. Note for any rail staff, Ffestiniog Travel do not issue European FIP tickets.

UPDATE: This from the Globetrotter...

I am no apologist for Railteam, but as one who actually attended the presentation in Brussels last week (unlike the BBC), can I comment on your recent report.

The cancellation of the Broker ticketing system is really no surprise, given that it was hugely ambitious to try and develop something that could sell tickets from any station in Europe to any other, comparing and combining all the different fare options for each leg. After all, as any Doe can tell you it's bad enough negotiating the UK fares minefield alone! If Railteam are to be faulted, it is perhaps for thinking that it could all be achieved for EUR30m in the first place.

According to ticketing insiders, the biggest problem was combining 'closed' ticketing systems like SNCF and Eurostar, where inter-city trains are reservation-only, with the German camp that favours an 'open' walk-on strategy.

Because of EU competition rules, Railteam cannot set fares itself, but only act as a joint marketing facility. So as a more realistic option, the partners are negotiating bilateral agreements which will, I am told, put in place a basket of international fares between 7,000 principal destinations, to be sold via www.railteam.eu. There may also be zonal add-ons for connecting journeys to and from these hubs.

Because airlines only serve a relatively limited number of O-D pairs, we have come to expect that through tickets can be booked and paid for online with one or two clicks. Given that there are so many more rail destinations, the options are orders of magnitude greater.

Only when airlines start to sell multi-modal through tickets from Little Piddling to Jernbacksnortle via Gatwick and Frankfurt, can we realistically demand that rail operators do the same. (Even assuming that the EU will let them!).

Readers Letters - From a Mr Geo Hudson

Sir

I note with interest that the country of Finland has recently created one
single institution with responsibility for road, rail and water transport.

Were such a strange beast to be embodied in Her Majesty's domains it would no doubt have some mundane title such as "British Transport Commission".

I beg leave to observe that leaving the provision and organisation of the railway system to private enterprise has proved to be a resounding success in our country and we have no need of such foreign practices !

Yours profitably

Geo.Hudson (retired)

Workington - wise words from Wolmar

So Workington is reunited, thanks to a sprightly turn of foot from Network Rail, Northern, DRS and DafT.

Whilst congratulations are due to all involved it is time for some wise words from Wolmar:

Now if all this can be done in a few days, then why can’t new stations, extra bits of track, altered junctions and the like be done far faster and more cheaply?

Indeed.

And now the precedent has been set the usual excuses for inertia will not wash.

So Eye wonders if reconnecting Workington will become a future stick with which to beat the industry or a blue print for actually getting things done?

Bob Crow on HIGNFY tonight - sneak preview

This from the Ian Visits blog...

Bob Crow though was a surprising disappointment.

Indeed!

Ian's full review of the recording can be found here.

Bluebell request for help - update

This just in from Poser 500...

Eye readers may be interested to know that the Bluebell Railway WON the phone vote in the People's Millions Bid.

This means that it will receive funding to restore derelict 4-wheel LC&DR brake second carriage No.51 for use by mobility impaired passengers.

The refurbished vehicle should enter service by Christmas next year.

Many thanks to all those who voted and to Eye for its support.

NXEA offers season ticket incentive

This just in from Sinoda...

I wonder if Eye readers might be interested in news of an interesting promotion to be launched next week by NXEA.

This from an internal briefing:

Annual Season Ticket (AST) Holder Renewal Incentive

The AST Renewal Incentive campaign offers £20 back for every AST due for renewal between Wednesday 23rd December 2009 and Wednesday 6th January 2010, if renewed by Thursday 31st December 2009.

Customers will also receive the 2010 price if this is less than the 2009 price.

The objectives of this campaign are to:

Ensure that 2009 Annual Season Ticket (AST) holders renew in 2009

Draw forward to 2009 those AST due to renew in the first week of 2010

Capture the details of all those who renew and obtain their agreement for future marketing activity

Communication materials to support the launch include leaflets, posters, email, web site and a press release. This campaign launches Monday 7th December 2009.

Of course, providing a small incentive to persuade hundreds of your season ticket holders to renew their annual tickets early might also help the cash flow of a financially ailing parent company that's facing a huge bill from its bankers if it doesn't reduce its debt mountain before the said 31st December date.

And if you thought that perhaps your Rights Issue wouldn't go ahead after all and there was a possibility that the game might be up completely on the final day of the year, it would certainly be rather handy to have already collected all the extra cash that would otherwise have belonged to a possible new incumbent.

What a shockingly cynical view. Surely this is merely an example of the Customer Service for which NatEx is so widely renowned?

4th Friday Shocker: Nemesis meets its err... nemesis

As any fule kno the railway industry is leakier than a vacuum brake.

So it came as no surprise when Eye received the following cyptic message from "NFRIP Insider"...

Nemesis advised to go short on lunchtime champagne at tomorrow's Golden Spanners.

What can this mean?

Hopefully such austerity will allow the Railway Children to benefit later that evening?

Freightliner Ugly Sisters - What not to wear

UPDATE: This from The Water Baby...

Enough slating of the PowerHauls please!

Surely we live in a society already spoilt enough by pressure to conform to visual stereotypes of a certain body[shell] image?

I have a hunch the distinctive '70's will one day be regarded as cult classics.

So, in keeping with the Eye's recent pop penchant, allow me to paraphrase an excellent Sugababes track: 'if they're ugly, then so are we...'

Mediaballs - Beeb taking DafT line on 'early termination'

This just in from Brian Ayre (the low cost railway pundit)...

Will somebody please explain to the BBC that ending the c2c franchise on the date it was due to end, and not giving NXEA an optional three year extension, isn't "Stripping National Express of its remaining franchises".

I've had three calls from Aunty Beeb today - all using that phrase and when I tell them it isn't correct they go all glum, like someone has spoiled their party!

Still, never let the facts get in the way of a good story!

UPDATE: Captain Deltic calls to say...

Young Mr Miles did a sterling job on putting the record straight on BBC Radio 4's You and Yours.

UPDATE: I.K. Gricer has obviously kept Alistair Osborne up to speed over at the Daily Telegraph...

"Adonis backtracks on threat to take back franchises from National Express"

Indeed.

This for Lord Mandy of Unelected and Freebie

With a bowler tip to Guido

Daft dances on NatEx grave and ignores FuCC

Whilst Lord Adonis is busy tidying up lose ends at National Express, the piss-poor performance over at FuCC continues.

This from Bacon Butty...

At least NXEA can run a full timetable.

FuCC still on half-service for a second full week

Come on Adonis, time for action...

Meanwhile infuriated passengers are being invited to get their own back on the shabby operator by tweeting FCC acronyms to the I hate Thameslink blog.

Perhaps frustrated Eye readers might like to have a go.

Noble Lord cuts off nose to spite face?

Telegrammed by Ithuriel
According to Lord Adonis:

In determining the future of the C2C and NXEA franchises, my overriding concern has been to minimise disruption to passengers and staff, and cost to the taxpayer, while ensuring that train companies stand by their commitments. I judge these objectives are best served by:

• Terminating NXEA’s franchise in 2011, causing them to forego three years of profit; and

• Beginning the refranchising process immediately so that a new operator is in place in early 2011.

Since NXEA is receiving revenue support under cap and collar, which for 2008-09 was double this year's subsidy, future profitability is, at best, unclear.

Subsidy rises dramatically to £23 million in 2010-11 and £41 million in 2011-12 but this is because NXEA is managing the acquisition of 30 new four car Electrostars and the transfer of 17 Class 321s to increase capacity. The extra subsidy is to pay for extra lease rentals, depot upgrades and other associated infrastructure work.

According to the Lib Dems NXEA is a 'lame duck franchise' and should be terminated immediately.

That would do wonders for the team procuring £155 million of new trains.

On the other hand, the Old Leftie has cleared the decks for the NatEx rights issue.

Eye remains to be convinced that this is either a good thing for the squashed NXEA commuter or the tax payer.

Northern plays its part in reconnecting Workington

Network Rail played a blinder in providing flood stricken town Workington with a temporary new station to help reconnect the two halves of the divided town.

Now Northern have managed to magic up some 'spare' resources to strengthen existing and provide additional morning and evening services:

This from the News and Star...

It has doubled capacity on its normal services and the extra services begin today and continue tomorrow.

They are:

0845 Workington - Maryport
0900 Maryport –Workington
1645 Workington - Maryport
1700 Maryport - Workington
1730 Workington - Maryport
1750 Maryport - Workington

Good effort. Eye congratulates all involved - makes you proud to be a railwayman.

UPDATE: This from Bendolino via Twitter...

Wonder if Eye knew that NR allowed BT to run temp. cables over viaduct to back up dodgy links over road bridge?

Thameslink 4000 - fleet update - doomed

Alstom may be counting its blessings, now that it is out of the running for the new Thameslink fleet.

This response from Moley to a question by Stephen Hammond MP given in the House on the 24th November:

Stephen Hammond (Shadow Minister, Transport; Wimbledon, Conservative)

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 12 November 2009, Official Report, column 639W, on Thameslink: Rolling Stock, when he expects to (a) announce the preferred bidder and (b) place the final order for the Thameslink rolling stock programme.

Chris Mole (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Transport; Ipswich, Labour)

The identification of a preferred bidder prior to final award will depend on the progress of the evaluation and negotiations with the remaining bidders. As set in out in my answer of 12 November 2009, Hansard, column 639W, the Department for Transport is currently planning to award the order around autumn 2010.

So the order for these new trains will not be placed until Autumn 2010.

Which is of course after the date of the General Election (presumed to be the 6th May 2010).

And the Tories have promised an austerity budget within 50 days of taking power.

Is the Eye alone in thinking that this order is now doomed?

Of course it's a nice poison chalice to pass on to the Tories who will get the blame for cancelling the order.

NatEx counts its blessings as East Anglia franchise ends 'early'.

Much excitement from the Chatterati over the 'news' that National Express is to lose its remaining rail franchises.

This, for instance, from The Times...

National Express is to be stripped of its remaining rail franchise three years early, leaving the troubled transport company with just its bus business.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said today that it was terminating National Express’s East Anglia franchise after a decision to nationalise its East Coast main line rail service this year.

First point to make - this is not the application of Cross Default as promised by the Noble Lord during his slightly excitable interview with the Today Programme on the 1st July.

As pointed out by The Archer on Tuesday...

Sources suggest that the late change in the handback date of NXEC, from December 09 to November 09, means that NXEA will now fail the good behavior test so DfT can appoint a new franchised operator on this route in 2011 rather than 2014, so a sort of cross default half-way house.

However, as the franchise payments agreed between NXEA and SRA were very back-end loaded, what the lack of extension of the franchise could actually mean is upwards of £200m that NX won’t now have to pay to DfT so I can’t image NX would be too disappointed to lose the extension.

And to further complicate matters, there’s the small matter of 120 new EMU vehicles that are due to be delivered to the Greater Anglia franchise “between March and May 2011”.

So we have a manufacturer (Bombardier) that has developed something of a reputation for late delivery, a ROSCO - Lloyds TSB General Leasing (No. 8) Limited - that has never procured new trains before and a TOC (National Express) that is about to lose its franchise and be expelled from the railway industry.

A recipe for success this does not make.

Eye wonders if DafT has really thought this out?

UPDATE: This from our man at 222 Marylebone Road...

Send in the clowns!

The theme of this year's Railway Children Ball is Circus Acts.

Should be a walk over for DfT Rail then.

Yoghurt Rail goes multimodal?

First there was Yoghurt Rail...

Now there's Yoghurt Air!

Coming to an aerodrome near you soon.

Bluebell asks for Eye's help!

Eye understands that there is some form of competition on the Devil's Lantern tonight.

Apparently it has the potential to help the Bluebell Railway convert a coach so that the mobility impaired can enjoy the railway.

This from Poser 500...

Any chance of a plug on your blog?

Later this evening, the ITV Meridian East region (essentially Kent & Sussex) local television news programme at 6pm will include a film detailing the Bluebell's prospective project.

Four other projects have already gone two-by-two on Monday and Tuesday. The runner up over the three days with the most votes will also receive a grant.

And this from the Bluebell Railway's website...

The People's Millions - Bluebell Railway project - Please vote for us today

Our project to restore London Chatham & Dover Railway carriage No.51 as our wheel-chair accessible Victorian carriage project needs your support today.

Please ring: 0871 626 88 51 between 9am and Midnight today, Wednesday 25th November

Calls cost 10p each from land-lines; calls via other operators may cost more. Only UK originated calls are counted.

See The People's Millions web site for more details.

Vote early...

Tories can't take support of the railways for granted

This from railway peer Lord Bradshaw in yesterday's debate on the Queen's speech...

I should say to the noble Baroness, Lady Wilcox, that this is also a challenge to the Conservatives. We do not buy very easily into the idea that they were first in the field with high-speed rail. I remember working for the railway when a Conservative Government sent a member to the British Railways Board with a remit to preside over the orderly running-down of the railway, so I will take no lessons from them on that.

Indeed.