This from The Master...
It appears that the soi disant 'veteran' observer was in Yorkshire this weekend running a straw-race.
Rather than impersonating Baroness Thatcher perhaps he should have done a turn as Marilyn? 
Then again perhaps not.
Telegrammed by Bulldog Drummond
Interesting that two very similar stories (Alistair Osborne in Friday's Daily Telegraph and Tom Winsor in the Times today) suggest that the Government could trouser £12bn by selling off Network Rail.
This is based on the accounting wheeze that the Regulatory Asset Base is really 'worth' £36bn.
The figure is arrived at by deducting the debt of £23bn which supposedly leaves an equity of £12-13bn.
Complete fantasy of course as the RAB is not a realistic asset valuation in commercial terms and it conveniently overlooks the question as to who would want to invest in a business that has such huge debts, which can only be propped up by massive government subsidy and borrowing that, in part, goes to cover normal running costs and paying debt interest.
Network Rail is a complete dog's breakfast of a business and is only viable with huge levels of taxpayers' moolah.
The only people who can have any possible interest in selling off this business are the huge army of bankers, lawyers, consultants and general hangers on who are experiencing thin pickings at the moment.
It is certainly not in the interests of the taxpayer or those who want a properly run and cost-effective railway.
***Foster review of IEP expected 07:00 Tuesday morning***
More tomorrow...
UPDATE: This from Reuters...
A decision on whether to proceed with a programme to replace the Intercity Express trains will be taken alongside a wider review of government spending in October, the Department for Transport (DfT) said.
No shit Sherlock.
UPDATE: Foster report here...
And just a flavour to wet your appetite:
The Department for Transport’s strategic positions have appeared to some in the industry as susceptible to change and unpredictable. Questions are asked about the coherence of IEP, extended electrification, high speed rail and overall strategy.
The real issue here, I believe, is that there has been insufficient communication between the Department and the industry, including communication about IEP, and this has opened the way for significant negativity to develop. This is a key area for attention and further improvement.
This problem, particularly with IEP, appears to have been amplified by DfT’s procurement approach, which has placed heavy emphasis on commercial confidentiality and thus relied on independent advisers and consultants rather than industry expertise. This has engendered a sense of disengagement and disenchantment which I believe could and should largely have been avoided. I also ask a number of questions about arrangements for managing the costs and coherence of independent advice within the Department.
Smooth words fail to mask damning conclusions.
UPDATE: This from the Shunter...
Erm, so the review concludes by suggesting a further review?
I propose that Captain Deltic should be remitted to do it, but by Friday lunchtime, if he needs that long...
UPDATE: This from Captain Deltic...
Whilst Sir Andrew has taken a notably gentle tone, I found this variant of the motorist seeking directions in Ireland, diverting.
"I must record here that if I had a reasonably blank sheet of paper I would not manage the programme like this"
As for the suggestion made by The Shunter - please accept my apologies, but owing to pressures of work the earliest I could do this is next Wednesday.
UPDATE: This from the Torygraph...
The announcement by Mr Hammond could also jeopardise as many as 12,500 jobs which the previous Government said would have been created or safeguarded by the project.
Indeed - in Japan.
UPDATE: This from @sharpsharp, via Twitter...
From p22:
Depending on the exact mixture of newly acquired, re-engineered and cascaded rolling stock, and the technical approach to the provision of services beyond the present electrified network, it seems likely that more than half of the benefit on the East Coast route, and probably around three quarters of it on the Great Western routes, could be captured for between 40% and 60% of the cost.
Eye congratulates the Department for Transport on its masterful understanding of Value for Money procurement.
This from Cheers Joe...
I notice that the themes of your blog have met head on at Limehouse.
I do not know whether that station also has pointless announcements.
However, I am always reassured by the announcements at SouthEastern stations that warn one to take care on the platforms "due to an incident of weather".
Telegrammed by Spinning Charles Yerkes
The pink ‘un had an interview on Friday with London Underground MD Mike Brown.
Brown, recently restored to us from his sabbatical at Heathrow, throws full light on the fall out from the collapse of Tube Lines.
This from a Mr Malins...
There are as many, probably a lot more, pointless announcements as there are pointless signs.
At Bridgend there is an automated one running on the footbridge with the same message, but interestingly only in English.
Surely they could have added Welsh for good measure, and this one runs all night, even when there is no traffic.
Maybe it's for the Clubbers coming back from Swansea, who are in no condition to take it in anyway.
It appears that Network Rail's Midlands Region can read the runes!
The arrows of indecision clearly looks a safer bet than doomed NR's back of a fag packet logo...
UPDATE: This from Our International Correspondent (and others)...
The Met Rly/GCR boundary sign at Mantles Wood is very smart, and even the proportions and perspective on the "BR" double arrow are right, so unlike Banbury and other piss poor examples see Eye Passim.
But why is this sign so nice, when usually for NR any old thing will do?
Because, to judge from the typeface and colours, it isn't an NR sign. It's a TfL production.
The opposing sign which would be the responsibility of NR - "You Are Now Leaving Coucherland - Use the SPT to ask a Grown Up before passing this point" - is probably not nearly as smart, if it exists at all.
The Independent on Sunday will have caused many a ruined breakfast with its list of industry figures keen to take on Iain Coucher's job.
According to the Sindie the great Dr Mike 'Death' Mitchell "is understood to have privately expressed an interest in the role."
No doubt this joyful news will have been welcomed by the nation's interior designers, whose skills will now be in great demand to remove embedded cornflakes sprayed into soft furnishings.
Once recovered from the Heimlich Maneuver industry bigwigs will also have been comforted to read that two further First alumni - Nicola 'Not So' Shaw and Andrew 'I Closed the Skies' Haines - are also rumoured to be in the frame.
Perhaps there is a chapter on career progression in Sir Moir's Lovely Book?
Fortunately, before any further damage was done to the nation's stock of rail executives, the Sindie piece made clear that NR has hired headhunters, Egon Zehnder, with a brief to seek candidates with experience running international companies.
The resulting sighs of relief issuing from across industry breakfast tables are apparently audible in deep space.
This from D0260...
Further to Eye's piece on the Coucher Memorial Fences at Stockport, welcome to Birmingham International, or should that be HMP Elmdon?
About a month ago each and every platform end, north and south, was fenced at the top of the platform end ramp.
These photographs are the north end of Birmingham International station, taken from Platform 4, nearest the NEC.
A similar thing has happened at Coventry, but as the platforms there are narrower, the fencing is not quite so intrusive.
At Birmingham International the sides of the fencing, usually finished in triangular wood, now sports a sort of giant egg-box of shredded rubber tyres.
How much did this lot cost?
Indeed!
Eye was pleased to see that Nigel Harris over at RAIL has also taken up the cudgels against the apparent relentless march of these costly genuflections to the Elf''n'Safety Taliban (see Stop & Examine in the latest issue).
Perhaps ORR readers can advise whether this really offers a value for money solution to a percieved safety risk?
This from the Tax Payers Alliance...
With Trade Union Leaders flexing their muscles with strike threats and warnings about impending public spending cuts, the Tax Payers' Alliance presents its first Trade Union Rich List.
The list compiles the detailed remuneration of all Trade Union General Secretaries and Chief Executives whose total remuneration exceeded £100,000 in the financial year 2008-09.
According to the TPA the RMT's Bob Crow earns £105,679 a year.
Now the TPA is not the most subtle of organisations, so to illustrate their findings they provided the following endearing image...
Eye will pay Fifty Guineas to the first industry MD who attempts to tickle Bob behind the ears.
The Fact Compiler has been taken to task for stereotyping our Teutonic friends in the previous post.
Clearly in the new Europe this can not be tolerated.
To make amends Eye is happy to run this picture of the launch of ScotRail's new Class 380 EMU at Siemens, Wildenrath, yesterday.
No stereotypes there then.
Railway Gardens German Style - efficiently defoliated!
No doubt the individual responsible for the visible fronds is currently contemplating a bleak future on the Eastern Front.
This from the Gruaniad...
Peter Hendy, TfL's most senior official as London transport commissioner, has declined a bonus of £132,409 in addition to his salary of £330,198.
In an implied dig at his Network Rail peers, who said a performance-related pay scheme delivered better results for taxpayers, Hendy said TfL received public funds and had to "set an example".
Good effort.
The Office of Rail Regulation today confirmed that it would "consider any alternative uses" for the London - Lincoln paths granted to East Coast.
Previously the state owned operator had said that they would operate seven return services a day between Lincoln and London. However, modelling work suggested that this service pattern would lose approximately £9m a year.
In its place East Coast proposed running just one daily return service from London to Lincoln and four shuttle services from London to Newark.
Other operators had protested that East Coast's revised proposals did not make best use of scarce resources on the ECML.
In a letter sent today to stakeholders Brian Kogan of ORR said:
As most of you will be aware, East Coast has recently announced that it no longer plans to operate seven weekday services each way between Lincoln and London. Instead it wishes to operate just one service each way, with a further four services each way operating between Newark and London. It has indicated that it intends to submit a track access application to amend its rights.
We have received representations from other operators pointing out that this is the second significant change to the destinations served since NXEC Trains Limited (National Express East Coast) submitted its original application for track access rights in June 2008, and suggesting that East Coast’s revised proposals do not make best use of the capacity available on the East Coast Main Line (ECML), and therefore that we should evaluate alternative proposals.
In November 2009 we agreed to East Coast’s request for a change of destination from Leeds to York. The reasons were set out in a letter to the industry dated 25 November 2009. But circumstances are now somewhat different:
This from Glenda Flagg...
Hats off to Rail Professional - it knows how to get the fellas pulses a racing.
Sticking Rail Barbie on the cover, a winking and a pouting through her long blond tresses with that come hither look.
Hither or thither, Glenda doesn't care!
Rail Barbie is welcome to ride our train anytime!! (shurely run our failing franchises anytime? Ed)
Move over Mr Coucher man, there's only one candidate for the Network Rail top job and it ain't Ice Lady Vickie!!! Geddit!?!!? (You're fired. Ed)
UPDATE: This from Fiscal Rectitude...
I note from the list of quangocrat salaries published today that Elaine Holt is paid between £180k and £184.999 a year to chair Directly Operated Railways.
As DOR only runs the East Coast franchise (which has its own MD) I am struggling to see what Rail Barbie actually does to earn this not inconsiderable sum.
Which ever way you look at it the East Coast/DOR management structure seems remarkably top heavy.
Do we really have to wait for the McNulty review before making the obvious saving?
This insightful contribution from Thomas Docherty MP (Dunfermline and West Fife, Labour) in yesterday's Commons Energy Efficiency debate:
One thing that brings a wry smile to my face is hon. Members talking of the need for more railways and electric cars.
Those are admirable suggestions, and I support them, but it is never explained where we will get the energy to power those new electric trains and cars.
If we compare our consumption statistics with our supply statistics, the result is worrying. At its peak in 1998, the nuclear industry provided approximately 90,000 GWh. In 2008, the latest year for which figures are available, that had fallen to 48,000 GWh, although it has risen again slightly since then. At the same time, many of our coal-powered stations are coming to the end of their lives.
By the end of the coming decade, all our Magnox nuclear power stations will have closed, as will almost all of the advanced gas-cooled reactor nuclear power stations and many of our coal-powered stations-either because of new European regulations on carbon emissions, which both sides of the House would support, or because they have simply come to the end of their lives.
I suggest that we need to understand that, although the aim of being more efficient in our energy consumption is laudable, we face a massive energy gap that needs to be addressed.
Eye fears that the greatest threat to further electrification may not be a shortage of money, but a lack of juice.
Posts
All Comments
