Wrightbus axe 235 jobs

Nearly a quarter of the UK's largest independent bus manufacturer, Wrightbus, is to be made redundant, according to a statement released on Tuesday.

The Northern Irleland-based body-builder, whose parent company, Wright Group, was founded in 1946 and is still family run, said that around 235 of its 1,000-strong workforce are to be made redundant, primarily as a result of a recent order cancellation by one of the 'big five' UK bus operators.


We understand that First has dropped an order for 200 vehicles, no doubt citing the recession as a reason, and this has had a nasty knock-on effect. Wrightbus' base is in Ballymena, a small town in County Antrim with an estimated population of only 30,000; it will certainly be a big blow to the local economy, never mind the bus industry.

With no official notification from First as I type this, we can't say for certain that the order cancellation is as a direct result of the recession, though can infer quite strongly that the R-word will be used in any official statement that's issued - even if the order cancellation was by a group other than First.

Does this bode well for the bus industry's chances of weathering the recession reasonably un-scathed? An order for 200 when Stagecoach has successively ordered four-times this number of vehicles annually for the past few years, is not what I'd call a significant cancellation in the scheme of things - yes, it's significant to residents of Ballymena - but had the cancellation been for 70% of First's announced 2009 new vehicle order, then perhaps we ought to start worrying.

As far as I know, Wrightbus is the first of the UK bus manufacturers to make members of its workforce redundant due to an order cancellation now that we're in a recession. If a trend is to start, which sees bus operators ordering fewer new buses, this could push back the 2017 deadline for a 100% low-floor, accessible bus fleet, operating regular stage-carriage services in the UK. It does seem fundamentally wrong that only 17 years after the last Volvo Olympians came off the production lines en mass, they will not be permitted to operate bus services in the UK!


If the 'big five' significantly reduce their new vehicle orders over the next 7 years or so, it could be just what the governments needs - proof that its onslaught of this ridiculous legislation is ill-conceived and un-attainable.

Meanwhile, Wrightbus has instigated a 90-day consultation process with the Unite union, who are confident that the final number of redundancies will be lower than that currently quoted. Wrightbus is currently in consultation with Transport for London, drawing-up plans for the next-generation Routemaster, something that should hopefully create jobs so long as they're successful in winning an order. (GWB)

Corby's new London train

At 0637 on Tuesday, the first direct train service for over 40 years to leave Corby bound for central London left the town's brand new rail station.

Corby's first rail station was built in 1879 and initially named Weldon & Corby, ostensibly to serve these then small villages. Services grew as a result of the town's steelworks, with the line being mainly used to bring in ironstone, coke and limestone from the nation's quarries. At the same time the mass migration of Scottish steelworkers to Corby was aided by the railway.

However, falling fowl of Dr. Beeching, the station closed in 1967 - although a brief revival took place during the 80s thanks to fundraising by local campaigners, although the service provided did not offer any direct long-distance journeys. By 1990 the funding was used-up and not replaced and so the station closed again.

Corby's new station is built on adjacent land to the old one and is the result of a campaign started in 1998, bearing fruit in June 2007 when the go-ahead was given for its construction. It is maintained by East Midlands Trains, who is the operator of the station's current solitary service.

Around 80 people boarded the Class 222 'Voyager' service on Tuesday at 0637 bound for London St. Pancras International, though many of whom alighted at the following stop, Kettering, no doubt their intention being to have been a part of the maiden voyage(r).

East Midlands Trains' managing director Tim Shoveller said that only one further Voyager train is needed to enable the company to provide an hourly service on the line. The trains are being cascaded from First Hull Trains, who are in turn receiving Class 180 'Adelantes'.

The new Corby station is another impressive milestone in the history of railways in the British Isles. There's something moving to be part of a new rail line or rail link. It's something that we both felt strongly about in December, when we were privileged to travel aboard another historic East Midlands Trains service, offering a direct link between Lincoln and London King's Cross. (GL)

Kissing Zone

Virgin Trains made headline news last week when they unexpectedly received world-wide attention after they re-introduced a No Kissing Zone at Warrington Bank Quay station.

The media attention failed to acknowledge that Virgin introduced a Kissing Zone ten years ago at the station and that the No Kissing Zone's introduction is the 'ying' to the Kissing Zone's 'yang'.

The decade-old Kissing Zone was initially introduced at the request of the local Chamber of Commerce who, upon returning from a trip to America, though it would be a nice quirk to add to the station and something that would compliment the unique Virgin brand.

With Warrington Bank Quay station's £1 million refurb now complete, the Kissing Zone has been re-introduced, located in the short stay car park, and the No Kissing Zone is located at drop-off point. The reasoning behind why Virgin don't want people kissing at the drop-off point is that it tends to hold-up traffic during the morning commuter rush.

Both Virgin Trains and the local Chamber of Commerce are attempting to re-create the romance of railways of old, with a long, lingering kiss before bidding farewell to a loved one. This is something that those behind the re-construction of St. Pancras International had in mind when they erected Paul Day's 30-feet tall bronze Meeting Place Statue, although it's located in the place where meeting a loved one, fresh from Europe, simply wouldn't happen!

Paul Day was to sculpt the £1 million pound piece of the couple kissing, but this was dropped as London & Continental Railways thought the pose was too risque - adopting their own No Kissing Zone.

A nice touch though nonetheless. (GL)

A Scilly situation!

The Isles of Scilly council has successfully been awarded a government grant of £51,000 to fund free local bus travel for the over-60s. Understandably, residents thereon have greeted the news very well indeed.

Unfortunately, the five islands that comprise Scilly do not entertain any bus services whatsoever. They do have a population, 66% of which are over 60 years of age and are entitled to the same free local bus travel as their mainland Britain counterparts.

What has happened? The legitimate and sound Whitehall grant was allocated fair and square thanks to the 'arcane formula' the Department for Transport (DfT) use to determine how much extra subsidy each local authority receives to cover the cost of funding the free concessionary bus pass scheme throughout England. While some authorities find they have insufficient funding for the scheme that was forced on them by the then Chancellor Brown as an afterthought in his 2005 Budget, there are some - Scilly being an example - who receive more than they require to reimburse bus operators - 100% more than they need in Scilly's case.


The LibDems undertook a survey covering all local authorities in England and found that, on average, most were underfunded to the tune of £600,000. We reported last month how Peterborough City Council is in the red to the tune of a cool million. While Scilly's £51k is a drop in the ocean to many authorities, its allocated purpose simply does not exist there.

The Isles of Scilly qualifies for the annual grant because 640 of its 2,100 inhabitants are aged over 60 and that it receives thousands of visitors each year (tourism accounts for 85% of the islands' income) and of these tourists, those from England are able to use their concessionary bus passes on the non-existent island services.

The Times requested details of how much bus pass grant the island has received to-date. The island council's press officer (who doubles-up as tourism officer) said that she was "too busy" and said that the paper's reporter should file a Freedom of Information Act request, which the council would respond to within 21 days.


A spokesman at the DfT confirmed that Scilly received the most recent grant of £51k, adding “We don't have a bespoke formula for each authority. That's why there is no special arrangement for Scilly. There is discretion in how the money is used.”

We understand that Scilly is considering putting the grant towards a free taxi service for the over-60s and is currently putting the money towards affording its residents free boat rides between the islands. (GL). Isles of Scilly map (c) BBC

A curt response

With the possibility of National Express handing back its East Coast franchise in the worse-case scenario, as calculated by City analyst JP Morgan, Sir Richard Branson has stepped forward with an indication that his Virgin Group would like the opportunity to have a stab at running trains there.


Said the Bearded One: "There are clearly franchises facing financial difficulty and we are absolutely committed to bidding for new opportunities. Virgin Trains made a sensible and realistic bid for the East Coast [franchise] in 2007 but we were not chosen. We believe we have ideas and experience that would make the East Coast as successful as our West Coast business now is."

A National Express East Coast (NXEC) spokeswoman retorted: "Given that Virgin West Coast is now rooted to the bottom of the long-distance train timekeeping league, we shiver at the very thought of Richard Branson bringing his own unique version of 'success' to the East Coast. We run Britain's premier long-distance railway and we intend to keep it that way."

While the nation's media has chosen to emphasise the nadir outcome for NXEC, I think that we ought to reproduce the potential zenith outcome, as too printed in JP Morgan's analysis:

The NXEC franchise "might be a high risk, but potentially high reward stock", should the slowed growth be priced into NXEC's current figures. "[NXEC] might be able to renegotiate the ICEP [Intercity Express Project] rail contract from a position of strength", so far from that company being one of the first to leave, they could actually come through the recession better-placed than other train operating companies.

Only RAIL has reported this potential outcome, which is staggering when you consider the number of reports that have been printed to the absolute contrary. Believe what you will, but simply be aware that both outcomes have been identified and forecast by JP Morgan.

Meanwhile, in an unprecidented move Brian Souter, Stagecoach's Chief Executive, is to take personal control of their South West Trains franchise. JP Morgan didn't see that one coming! (GL)

To wait or not to wait...

It's the age-old problem: You're running late for work, a meeting, a train in town and with this time fast approaching, you stand at your local bus stop, mind racing, wondering if it might actually be quicker to start walking, either to your destination or to the next stop, at which more buses call.

We've all been so annoyed by the lateness of buses on occasions that often it's been possible to have saved some money and walked there instead. Then there are the times you've decided to do this only for the flaming thing to pass you mid-stop!!!

Who'd have thought it, then, that we would turn to the US to assist us in our mental calculation of what to do? Students there have devised a Bus-wait Formula that aims to definitively calculate whether you should start walking or stay put.

Why shouldn't the US be at the forefront of this type of thing? After all, they have buses, too - and far more of them than we do. Bus enthusiasm for public transport - specifically buses - is very latent 'across the pond' and it's something I was really shocked to see people had spent time on.

Perhaps not as surprising is the conclusion given: "Laziness almost always works!"

How did they arrive at that? Well, in an article that appeared in the New York Times recently, the students explained that according to the Bus-wait Formula, it's nearly always better to wait at your stop, where you can avail yourself of a book or to chat to fellow passengers. Catching the same bus further down the route will not save anything, it'll only have aggrieved you further as your journey will have been further dragged-out.

"The exception is if you have less than a mile to walk, and your bus is likely to take more than 30 minutes to arrive, in which case, you’re better to walk." But then wouldn't we all do that anyway? (CW)

Tram extension premature

These seemingly innocuous paint marks on a road in Beeston, Nottingham, have caused much local outcry in the pages of the press there. For it is these multi-coloured daubings that show the local authority is undertaking preliminary works in measuring-up for Nottingham Express Transit (NET) Phase 2 tram extension.

NET Phase 2 will link Beeston and Clifton with Nottingham city centre and the existing tram network, stretching as far north as Hucknall.

Rather than be delighted at the prospect of a clean and efficient mode of transport in their areas, local residents have accused NET's planners and the local authority in general of "riding roughshod" over the wishes.

In particular, those who will have the tram pass their front door feel most aggrieved, not least because NET Phase 2 hasn't actually been given the go-ahead.

Said Carol Wallis of Lower Road, Beeston, "They are riding roughshod and I think it is cruel to take the tram through a quiet residential area." Having lived in the area for 38 years she continued, "People will accuse me of being a NIMBY, but if they were going to have a tram passing just feet from their front window they'd feel the same way."

A lot depends on exactly how close the tram passes her front window, but if the rest of the tram network there is anything to go by, trams will pass at a greater distance to that of cars down the same street. I feel that, if faced with a new 10 minute bus service, operating from 0600-2300 on a daily basis, the prospect of a tram over a bus if far, far more beneficial for residents simply because a tram is virtually silent as it passes - unlike a bus, even with a Euro 5-rated engine!


Although a public inquiry (PI) took place last year, there has been no further consultation. But then, if the decision of the PI had been satisfactory to all concerned, would there be any need for yet more red tape? Residents in Beeston seem to think so - I hope they attended the PI and made their views known; so often this is not the case!

Steve Barber, a Beeston Borough Councillor, said the preliminary works were designed to save time and money and that it is estimated that 11,800 new jobs will have been created by 2021 as a direct result of NET Phase 2.

He commented, "If the scheme goes ahead, the contractors will know exactly where the underground services are and be able to take up less time. The tram will be a conduit for investment, with many more business developments and jobs along the tram route."

A spokeswoman for the planners behind NET Phase 2 confirmed that the markings were to do with Phase 2 and said "Work has been carried out at certain points along the proposed NET Phase 2 route to identify where key utilities are. This was a non-intrusive survey to give a better understanding of what is where."

We understand the Department for Transport is currently considering whether or not to give the go-ahead to NET Phase 2 and that their firm decision is likely in the spring. (GWB)

The lawyers run the railways

Transport author and journalist Christian Wolmar is never afraid to air his views. His two-page spread in each edition of RAIL is always an entertaining read, that's for sure, whether you agree with his opinion each week or not. An extract he kindly reproduced in his latest feature had me shaking my head.

There's a small bit of background needed.

Virgin Trains has greatly reduced the number of trains calling at Milton Keynes with the introduction of its new timetable, wishing to focus on services covering longer distances. Govia's Southern train operating company had a franchise commitment to operate new services between Milton Keynes-Kensington Olympia-Clapham Junction, but Virgin were opposed to this as, despite its reduced services here, they were concerned that this could have a detrimental effect on its profits, as currently competition is not permitted on the West Coast Main Line.

Virgin wanted the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) to side with it and not allow Southern to operate these new services.

Why? Well Virgin has an agreed monopoly between Kensington Olympia-Milton Keynes, except for services "which calls at or passes through" Clapham Junction, provided that they do not terminate at a central London terminal. Southern's proposed services seemed to fit this criteria: its proposed services would terminate at Clapham Junction, i.e. not a central London terminal, but Virgin argued that "calls at" and "terminates at" were not the same. In the end the ORR ('s lawyers) had to publish the following that dismissed Virgin's claim in favour of Southern's.


"West Coast Trains [Virgin Trains] has emphasised the distinct use of 'calls at or passes through' in one sub-clause and 'starts or terminates' in the other as evidence that they are to be attributed distinct meanings. We do not suggest that the verbs are interchangeable, but simply that 'calls at' has a broader meaning than 'starts or terminates' as it can occur at any stage on the journey. The context does not suggest that the two sets of verbs are intended to be mutually exclusive, merely that the narrower reference to the start or termination point was deployed in the second clause specifically to encompass those routes with start/end points beyond their named stations."

As old Wolmar puts it "Essentially, it means that the ORR accepted Southern's interpretation that trains terminating at a station also called there, which is rather gratifying for passengers who get there"! (CW)

Spotted deep underground...

(Photo: Adrian Fitch)

Accident

We plan to give full details in the next LEYTR. Until then, below is the accident damage sustained by Stagecoach in Lincolnshire ADL Trident 2/Enviro400, 19121 (FX07 CLV) on Monday at Honington near Grantham. Below that is a photo of the vehicle in happier times.

Great Train Robbery back in the news

There can't be many people who've not heard of the infamous Ronnie Biggs. On 8 August 1963 he was a member of a gang who held-up a Travelling Post Office (TPO) mail train in Buckinghamshire, while en route to Watford from Glasgow. This theft was the largest of its kind back then, and has been known ever since as the Great Train Robbery.

Recent news reports claim that Ronnie Biggs could be released to spend the rest of his life at home with his family, amid rumours that he is very ill indeed and could have weeks to live.

ITV News, who broke the story on Tuesday, was most concerned with the morality of releasing a convicted criminal, despite being told by a judge that he would serve a life term behind bars. Surprisingly, from the cross-section interviewed by the news programme, those living in the Bucks village of Ledburn - the location of Bridgego Bridge where the robbery was committed - hail the man a legend.

Bridgego Bridge, Bucks. The location where the money was offloaded into Land Rovers

No one was killed in the robbery, though the driver of the train, Jack Mills, suffered head injuries and suffered flash-backs for the rest of his life, dying 7 years later of leukaemia. The £2.6million that was stolen was being sent to the Royal Mint for its destruction. No individual was financially affected by the robbery - in fact, a small cost had been saved in the destruction of the money. One local resident described Biggs & Co. as "Robbing from the rich to keep for themselves".

But, on the other hand, Biggs subsequently escaped from jail in August 1965 - 15 months into his sentence - and fled to Paris where he underwent plastic surgery and then moved to Australia. He fled to Rio de Janeiro and, frustratingly for British detectives, was permitted to reside there as Brazil would only extradite him as an exchange for one of their citizens in Great Britain. Biggs returned voluntarily to the UK in May 2001 after suffering numerous strokes and couldn't afford mounting medical bills. He was arrested and imprisoned immediately.

He has been receiving free medical care while remanded in prison, recently moving to HMP Norwich, and it is from here that the possibility of his early release is being discussed. Being unable to walk, speak, eat, drink or write, it is suggested that he poses no risk to society in general and that his cell could occupy 'proper' criminals.

40126, the actual loco involved

It is the latter that the family of Jack Mills, the TPO driver, is very unhappy about. We're used to life meaning up to a maximum of 25 years' imprisonment - as little as 13 years with good behaviour and length of time spent locked-up pending trial, but should an individual who's served as a little as 9 years of his life sentence behind bars, directly as a result of absconding with a significant proportion of the money he stole, be afforded such a luxury?

Great Train Robbery facts:

• The loco involved was to become a British Railways' (BR) Class 40 - 40126 - though numbered D326 at the time of the robbery.
  
  
• The TPO was stopped by a red light at Sears Crossing, which had been tampered with.
  
  
• Dave Parr, the train's fireman, went to seek assistance but was thrown from the train upon return.
  
  
• The train was uncoupled from its load except for the high-value carriage.
  
  
• Despite having befriended railway staff during the preceding months, one of the gang was unable to drive it so the train's driver, Jack Mills, was forced to drive the train and its now solitary carriage 800m down the track to Bridgego Bridge, where the gang's Land Rovers were waiting to unload the money.
  
  
• The bulk of the stolen money has never been recovered.
  
  
• Two members of the 15-strong gang have never been brought to justice.
  
  
• The thirteen identified gang members were caught and sentenced to life on 16 April 1964.
  
  
• The £2.6million that was stolen equates to about £45million in today's money.
  
  
• Biggs escaped with two other gang members - Charlie Wilson and the 'brains' of the operation, Bruce Reynolds. Both were later caught.
  
  
• BR's Class 40 locos, synonymous for hauling the Royal Train at the time, were all withdrawn from service - with the exception of 40122 - on 27 January 1985.
  
  
• 40122 was finally withdrawn three years later.

Known as the Magnificent Seven, details of all Class 40s currently in preservation can be seen by clicking here. (GL)

England's longest bus routes

I travelled between Oxford and Peterborough today in order to sample two of what are regarded as England's longest regular stopping bus services, in both the time taken for an end-to-end journey as well as total mileage travelled.

You may be aware that one of the longest bus services in the UK operates in the metropolis of the West Midlands, being National Express West Midlands' circular Service 11.

While that may be true for an urban service, it ranks a mere 15th in a recent online discovery I stumbled across. A simple html page displays a table in which England's longest 23 regular stopping bus services are listed and I'm assuming you can't wait any longer to hear what's at the top:

The award goes to First Dorset's Service X53 Poole-Exeter.


The table has gone for 'longest' to mean 'duration', rather than mileage. The route with the highest mileage appears to be a summer-only Stagecoach journey between Manchester-Keswick, operating as Service X8.

The longest 'regular' service, with a 30-minute frequency, is the recently-upgraded Stagecoach in Bedford Service X5 Cambridge-Oxford, with an end-to-end distance of 120 miles, closely followed by First's Excel Service X1 Peterborough-Lowestoft, covering 115 miles betwixt both termini.



Stagecoach operate 11 of the 23 services and are therefore technically the operator who run the longest regular stopping bus services in the UK. In a poor second place with 5 entries is Arriva; in third place is Transdev's Yorkshire Coastliner with 3; fourth is First with two; and joint fifth are Trent Barton and National Express West Midlands (NXWM) with one service each.


The table isn't dated, although the correct name given to NXWM would indicate it is fairly up-to-date. The foot of the table details National Express' coach network's registered sections of route, the lengths of which have to accept England's Free Concessionary Scheme (we were the first to upload this last year) as well as looking at these registered sections of route and listing them in terms of length of time.


And in case you've not sussed the services I sampled today, they were Stagecoach's Service X5 Oxford-Milton Keynes and Service X4 Milton Keynes-Peterborough. At some point this year, in the interests of balance you understand, National Express' coach Service 336 Penzance-Edinburgh needs to be sampled. (GL)

Design your own!

We mentioned earlier in the blog the controversy about some buses travelling around with atheist slogans. Thanks to the Bus Slogan Generator you can now design your own, as in the illustration below:

To make your own, visit the website by clicking here. (PW)

Fire at Gainsborough Lea Road

A major fire has gutted the signal box at Gainsborough Lea Road. Two fire engines attended the scene just after 1800hs yesterday and it took nearly an hour to extinguish the flames.

The signal box was built in c1877. No decision has yet been made as to its future.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Further information on the history of the building can be found by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of the Gainsborough Standard. You can see more pictures of the fire and its aftermath on their website by clicking here. (PW)

Interconnect Route Branding 2

Another example of the recent route branding for InterConnect services. The photo above shows Stagecoach in Lincolnshire 16911 (FX54 AOA) at Skegness bus station in wintry conditions this afternoon before working the 1600hs service 7 to Boston. Please click on the photo for a larger version. (PW)

Green Light for Super Express

A £7.5 billion contract has today been awarded by the Government to Agility Trains to construct a fleet of new trains to replace the now ageing HST fleet on the East Coast and Great Western main lines.

Agility Trains, a consortium of Hitachi, Barclays Private Equity and John Laing Projects and Developments, will be responsible for both the building and maintaining of the new trains, the first of which are expected to enter service in 2013 on the East Coast Main Line.

Whilst the location for the construction of the trains has yet to be decided, it is hoped that over 12,500 jobs will be created as a result of the contract. Agility Trains said it was committed to spending 70% of the contract value in the UK and it was in active discussions with 20 UK suppliers, which will have a knock-on effect of safeguarding jobs in the UK.

The new fleet of Hitachi Super Express Trains will provide more seats and are three times more reliable than existing fleets, said the consortium.

A BBC news video about the new trains may be viewed by clicking here, (PW)

Humber Bridge proposed toll increase

The Humber Bridge Board has proposed an increase in tolls. Those crossing the bridge in cars who currently pay £2.70, would pay £2.90 and other vehicles would also face an increase. Buses are exempt from the charge.

This, it is claimed, is required to pay back the £350 million debt incurred from the construction of the bridge. The proposed increases are subject to a Public Enquiry to be held on 3 March.

The Stagecoach in Lincolnshire Service 350 (Scunthorpe-Hull) has seen a rise in patronage with more people opting to use the bus rather than the car due to the toll charges and cost of parking. As a result, the service will be doubled to operate half-hourly in the near future.

A feature filmed aboard Service 350 and the proposed increases by the local BBC Look North Hull news can be seen by clicking here.

The Humber Bridge Board has also requested a meeting with the Transport Secretary after the Public Inquiry to ask the Government to suspend or cancel interest payments on its debt for the next 12 months. Currently, more than 80 per cent of the money made from the Humber Bridge toll goes towards the massive interest on the debt. It is hoped this would convince the Government to drop the debt entirely, by showing a lower toll would encourag more people to use the bridge.

Under the proposal, the toll for cars using the bridge could be reduced to as little as £1. (PW)

London taxi fares to rise

Transport for London (TfL) has announced an increase of 3.4% in taxi fares within London, to commence from 4 April. The increase has been made to ensure Cabbies are able to maintain a profit in the face of increased operating costs.


The new rates will be as follows:

Tariff 1: £9.82 - £10.16 (Mon-Fri 0600-2000)
Tariff 2: £11.39 - £11.78 (Mon Fri 2000-2200 & Weekends 0600-2000)
Tariff 3: £13.37 - £13.83 (Nightly 2200-0600 & all day Bank Holidays)
Average all day: £10.86 - £11.22.

TfL calculates the tariffs using a "long-established, retrospective cost index based on national average earnings and taxi operating costs". TfL claim that operating costs have risen by 3.7%, while the cost of diesel has increased by 4.1%. In addition, a 40p metered addition has been prepared to be added to any fare if the cost of diesel rises to more than 147.1p/litre before the start of 2010.

The annual taxi licence fee is to rise, from 1 April 2009, from £160 to £164, while the private hire licence fee rises from £109 to £114.

The last time we mentioned London's black cabs, they were appearing to be victims of spontaneously combustion. There has been no further mention of the cause, so we assume these were simply freak accidents. (GL)

31's at Skegness

Skegness received some unusual visitors on the evening of 11 February, when a Network Rail gauging train visited the branch, remaining at the terminus between 1945 and 2025. The full train consisted of:

31602 (Locomotive)

DB975820

975081 (Structure Gauging Train Driving & Instrumentation coach. Formerly Laboratory 17 "Hermes")

DC460000 (Optical car in Structure Gauging)

9708 (Network Rail remote train operating vehicle - former Anglia DBSO vehicle)

DB977986 (Network Rail Support coach)

31454 (Locomotive)

Some photos of the train at Skegness can be seen below (please click on each for a larger version).

31602 "Driver Dave Green" producing plenty of clag whilst awaiting departure!


A general view of the train on platform 4. Note the beam visible on the platform from the Optical Gauging carriage.


31454 at the rear of the train.


(PW, with additional information from Departmentals.com)

So you thought the recent snow was bad?.......

...read on!

It's rare for the Lincolnshire coast to get snow in recent years. In fact, the last major snowfall took place in January 1987. 12 January that year saw blizzard conditions combined with strong winds, and this continued throughout the day and night. So sever was the weather that the railway line from Skegness was closed completely in the early evening due to a build up of drifting snow on the level crossings.


The 1756 train arrival on that day ended up effectively marooned in Skegness until it operated the 0956 departure to Boston on the 19th! The First Generation Class 114 (E54012) dmu involved is illustrated below in platform 3.


With all roads out of the town cut off for several days, the bus service similarly ground to a halt - the view below shows vehicles marooned in the Lincolnshire RoadCar depot in Grosvenor Road.


It was not until 17 January, after much effort by the railway staff using a snow plough and shovels, that train services resumed and things began to get back to normal. The snow plough consisted of two class 31 locomotives sandwiched between a snow plough at each end. The photo below shows it departing from platform 5.


Sprinter 150101 was the first train to arrive with the 1533 from Crewe. It is illustrated below on platform 4 with the snow plough alongside on platform 5.


To view larger versions of any of the above, please click on the respective photographs. (PW)

On the Road

Those of you with an interest in the roads themselves may be interested in two websites which provide a wealth of information.

The first gives a very detailed history of the A1 (Great North Road) from London to Edinburgh.

Please click here to visit the site.

The other, by SABRE (Society for All British Road Enthusiasts), contains a wealth of information, including a detailed description of every A-road in the UK - an ongoing project, although all those in the LEYTR area appear to have been covered.

Some fascinating facts emerge, including one about the A16, which runs between Grimsby and Stamford:

The original A16 (before it had lots of bypasses built) had 16 mile stretches between all of its towns:

Grimsby to Louth = 16 miles

Louth to Spilsby = 16 miles

Spilsby to Boston = 16 miles

Boston to Spalding = 16 miles

Spalding to Stamford = 16 miles

The A16 also utilises what is thought to be the lengthiest section of road built on dismantled railway - 12 miles - between Spalding and Boston.

To visit the site, please click here. (PW/GL)

Exit 158 - Return 156!

From 28 August last year, the Stagecoach in Lincolnshire Services 156 (Caistor-Louth) and 158 (Market Rasen-Louth) were withdrawn. Both operated one journey each way on Wednesdays only, with the intention that they would be replaced by demand-responsive Call Connect services.

It was subsequently decided to reinstate Service 158 route from 5 November, again operated by Stagecoach, and also on Fridays as well as Wednesdays. It is to be withdrawn again, albeit replaced with the TransLinc Service 3L from 16 February. This time it will operate Mondays to Fridays with two journeys each way between Market Rasen and Louth. The timetable for this can be seen here. It will now form part of the Call Connect network

The final day of operation on the Stagecoach Service 158 will be 13 February. From 18 February, they will resume operation of Service 156 (Caistor-Louth) on Wednesdays and also on Fridays. The timetable for this can be seen here.

Illustrated below is Stagecoach's Volvo B10M/Alexander 20498 (M608 WET) at Louth bus station on 30 January, before working the 158 to Market Rasen. Please click on the photo for a larger version. (PW)

Interconnect Route Branding

We mentioned previously on this blog and within the LEYTR magazine that vehicles on Interconnect routes were receiving a new livery. We are now pleased to be able to provide an actual photograph of one example.

In addition to the new colour schemes, vehicles are also being "route branded" as can be seen in the illustration below, in this case for Service 3 (Grimsby - Lincoln). 16902 (Y902 OTL) is seen below at Louth bus station on January 30th away from its normal route, working the town service 41 to St Bernard's Avenue. Please click on the photo for a larger version.

(Text & photo PW)

First-class carbon footprints

I've recently uploaded to a photo of me travelling in the first-class section of a First ScotRail Class 158 dmu in Inverness to my Facebook profile. The caption starts "There's only one way to travel by train if you can afford to do so..." It would seem that travelling first-class sees passengers leaving a larger carbon footprint.

Research conducted by the Business Research Travel Centre at Cranfield University concluded that the carbon emissions level from first-class folk could be as much as double that of those in standard-class. Their research focuses on aviation, though their findings can be directly applied to trains.


Having identified the formula, named 'Real Estate Calculation' (REC), comprised by looking at first-class passengers' average space occupied, actual load factors and food consumed, placed figures on each class of traveller on trans-Atlantic flights between North America and Europe.

First-class rail travellers have more leg room - the seating herein generally aligned to windows; receive some level of complimentary food; often have seats that are able to recline and so cannot be as near to other seats - and these seats weigh a lot more; and Cranfield Uni students even said that the weight of the food trolley could be added to the REC as it would be likely to make more journeys per flight/journey through the first-class section.

The Business Travel Research Centre's Director, Keith Mason, said "If a company is interested in trying to minimize their carbon foot, maybe that company shouldn't be flying in first class as much of the time. In this case, money and environmental costs go hand in hand.''

Carbon offsets are generally offered by airlines, so that passengers can pay for their estimated negative contribution to the world. Train operators generally do not offer anything along these lines; in the current climate of increased fares amidst a (perceived?) lack of improvements to frequencies and capacities, such a scheme would not prove popular at all!!

Trains are more environmentally friendly than planes and therefore you could deduce that any REC would be proportionately reduced, too. Should first-class rail passengers be concerned? After all, there's no such thing as an electric Boeing 737!


Can a first-class traveller aboard a First Capital Connect (FCC) train, travelling from King's Lynn to London King's Cross really be considered to have a larger carbon footprint to the same commuter in standard class? FCC do not offer a trolley service, nor do they afford their first-class passengers any gratuity. They simply offer slightly better leg-room at designated seating. Their trains are also far cleaner than any train requiring diesel to fuel its engine as its fleet is needs nothing more than electricity.

You could then take things to another level by asking how the electricity is generated to enable FCC's fleet to move, and to what extent this is affecting passengers' carbon footprints. After all, a ten-carriage train full of first-class seating will hold fewer passengers than one with only standard-class accommodation. (GL)

Level crossing misuse

Last year a total of 3,479 level crossing offences were recorded by Network Rail (NR). The term 'offence' in this context means people risking injury or death by crossing the path of an oncoming train.

The latest figures reveal a worrying trend of level crossing misuse as, compared to figures NR released for 2003, show a 20% increase in such instances.

The YouTube video below shows two staggering examples of this type of misuse. Both examples have been shown a fair number of times on TV today, but even so, the stupidity displayed by the motorist and the pedestrian is truly astounding.



It's a sobering thought that NR claim on average, more than three motorists a week are involved in near-misses and 20 collisions took place in 2008 when those who weren't lucky enough in beating the lights got more than they bargained for.

And it's not just the lunatic in a car that could sustain serious injury, the passengers on board the train could be injured as a result of a collision and potential derailment.

Pedestrians were also putting themselves at risk with more than five a week involved in near misses and 15 people losing their lives at level crossings in 2008.

During 2008 a total of over 55 days of delays to trains and passengers were caused by level crossing misuse, costing NR around £1.8m. The company has called on judges and magistrates to take a tough line on motorists charged with jumping lights and dodging barriers to act as a clear deterrent to others.

NR has welcomed proposed changes to the Coroners and Justice Bill, currently going through Parliament, to establish a new Sentencing Council for England and Wales, with a strengthened remit to promote consistency in sentencing practice.

We take for granted that our rail journey will not result in serious injury to ourselves. We simply wouldn't be aware whether or not the journey that we were taken was subject to a level crossing offence. In many ways, we're better off not being able to see what's ahead! (GWB)

Jan/Feb LEYTR

There has been a delay in the production of the forthcoming LEYTR magazine as the Royal Mail lost our completed manuscript, despite it being sent using recorded delivery. Steps have been taken to ensure the magazine's immediate production and we hope it will be delivered by this time next week. In the meantime, we've uploaded the new front cover to the top-right of the new-look blog main page.

Barbecue Day in Wales

Yesterday's TV news reported unofficial strike-action by train drivers working for Arriva Trains Wales (ATW), in a dispute over pay.


Valleys Lines services from Treherbert, Merthyr, Aberdare, Bridgend, Barry Island and Penarth had to be cancelled as a result of the 'strike'.

In actual fact, train drivers were invoking what is known as Barbecue Day within the industry. Many train operators' contracts do not force their employees, be they drivers or guards, to work Sundays. ATW is one of these train operators. Their disgruntled drivers were simply showing their unhappiness at their ongoing pay negotiations by choosing not to work on Sundays en mass.

With Sunday working being voluntary there is absolutely nothing their employer could do other than to make wholesale cancellations across its network and provide skeletal replacement bus services. Making matters worse was the estimated 30,000 rugby fans Police said attempted to come into Cardiff city centre to watch Wales’ Six Nations opener against Scotland at Murrayfield on big screens in the city's pubs and bars.


ATW's ferocity as a result of its impotence wasn't shown, with a mild-mannered press release being issued that stated the action was very much unofficial and that it was not backed in any way by the main train drivers' union Aslef. It would appear the catalyst for the dispute is the differential in pay drivers working for Arriva's other train company, CrossCountry, receive each year - £47,000, whereas ATW drivers receive £32,000.

The fallout from the dispute was felt this morning as trains were not in their correct starting positions for the Monday morning commuter services. ATW offered an apology. Could they honestly do any more?

In the LEYTR area, one of our train operators has no power to force its drivers or conductors to work Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays. Employees of East Midlands Trains (EMT) are free to refuse to work these days and in the past few years this has caused much anguish to the travelling public. We understand that any new employee to EMT now has a contract that does state mandatory Sunday working.

Regularly, over the past few summers, when EMT's predecessor National Express-owned Central Trains held the franchise for the same area, leisure travellers to the Lincolnshire Coast were seriously inconvenienced as trains were cancelled and replacement buses drafted in, while conductors and drivers were reputedly attending a big summer party at a Nottingham employee's house!


Is it right in this 24/7 society of ours for such disruption to be permitted by so few? Is there really nothing such influence-wielding transport operators such as Arriva and National Express can do?

The outcome must be prioritised to ensure that:

1. The transport network in the second largest county in England (assuming you count each Riding of Yorkshire individually) cannot be crippled - along with the entire province of Wales - at the behest of individuals with generous contracts of employment; and
2. The outcome must be such that train drivers and conductors don't feel so aggrieved at being forced to work Sundays that they choose to strike on weekdays, too - something that would cause even more inconvenience.

At the root of the problem, as ATW's drivers have made known, is money, and in the current climate of slowed growth on the railways and the government wanting its subsidy repayments, there's not a lot of the stuff about! (GL)

Tornado Warning!

When you think things can't get any worse in this volatile week, we are bringing you a tornado warning that those at the Met Office seem oblivious to.

This Tornado, however, is almost 50 years in the making and likely not to leave a trail of destruction in its wake. Its route is already pre-determined and passes through the LEYTR area.

If you've not already sussed it, the Tornado is none other than the world's newest steam engine, completed last year and about to make its second voyage along the East Coast Main Line (ECML).


Commencing its journey at Darlington and hauling The Talisman, the first new main line steam train to be built in the UK for around half a century, will pick-up additionally at York before running non-stop to London, passing through Grantham and Peterborough amongst other localities en route.

Tornado is a Peppercorn class A1 Pacific steam locomotive, numbered 60163, and such locos were once a regular sights in London termini. Its named service, The Talisman, is as many steam enthusiasts will be aware, the name given to the British Rail London-Edinburgh express service that revitalised Anglo-Scottish rail services along the ECML during post-war Britain, first operating on 17 September 1956 and being hauled by one of Tornado's original contemporaries.

With 13 carriages and an estimated 500-tonne haul, the new steam loco will have her work cut-out. Tornado has recently been turned-out in an original Peppercorn loco livery of apple green and will bear the name British Railways on her tender, as had been the case with 30 such locos when they were new.

The forthcoming, historic charter is believed to be the second passenger service Tornado has hauled, with the first being on 31 January between York and Newcastle, in the presence of the world's media and around 10,000 onlookers. Extensive testing was undertaken in the latter half of last year.

Timetable - approximate timings.

0745 Darlington (depart)
0801 Northallerton (non-stop)
0809 Thirsk (non-stop)
0820 Tollerton (non-stop)
0835 York platform 11 for waterstop
0856 York (depart)
0938 Doncaster (non-stop)
1004 Retford for waterstop
1019 Retford (depart)
1041 Newark (non-stop)
1055 Grantham (non-stop)
1131 Peterborough Yard for waterstop
1156 Peterborough Yard (depart)
1200 Peterborough (non-stop)
1221 Huntingdon (non-stop)
1229 Sandy (non-stop)
1234 Biggleswade (non-stop)
1246 Hitchin (non-stop)
1253 Stevenage (non-stop)
1305 Welwyn Garden City (non-stop)
1317 Potters Bar (non-stop)
1330 Alexandra Palace(non-stop)
1338 Finsbury Park (non-stop)
1347 London King's Cross


By prior arrangement with National Express East Coast, Tornado will stable at King's Cross for around an hour after its arrival. The Talisman's northbound return journey will be hauled by modern traction, departing KX at 1748 and dropping off in York at 2117 and terminating in Darlington at 2158.

Some BBC video footage may be viewed by clicking here.

Tornado's next planned railtour is on 18 April when it will operate The Yorkshire Pullman between London King's Cross and York, hauling the VSOE British Pullman train. (GL/PW)

Sign of the week

Another rogue Underground sign that makes so much sense and yet is so often overlooked....(GL)

Trains are too punctual

The boss of the UK's largest rail freight company has complained that passenger services are operating too punctually and that this is having a negative effect on his services.

On the face of it, this might not have been the best remark to make, especially coming from Keith Heller, chief executive of the company known until recently as English, Welsh & Scottish Railway Limited (EWS). Mr Heller's comment was structured, however. He claims that there is such a push from all concerned to ensure passenger services are not delayed that his freight trains - traditionally much slower - are being further held-up on slow lines while they're overtaken.

Moreover, the chief executive of EWS's new owner, DB Schenker, claimed that his services were being held stationary in sidings so that passenger services weren't delayed by even 1 minute. He is of the opinion that punctuality targets for these passenger trains are too ambitious and that specifically the government is at fault for pledging to see train punctuality rise to 92.6% by 2014.


Mr Heller wanted to know "What's wrong with 90 per cent? There's a price to going to 91, 92 or 93 per cent. Let's think about what the trade-offs are in driving to a higher level. In any market you are trying to get to a sweet spot. You don't want to over-service the customer. For the sake of efficiency and lower cost, we have to be prepared to take the risk of small delays. People should live with that in return for an affordable network."

His remarks are likely to infuriate rail commuters up and down the country, who will want to see punctuality far in excess of the 92.6% government figure, not beneath it.

And yet the Times claimed that senior figures within Network Rail "agree with Mr Heller but are reluctant to speak publicly because train punctuality is politically very sensitive."

Rail watchdog Passenger Focus wholly disagrees with Keith Heller's comments about wanting to see train punctuality lowered to 90%, taking the pragmatic percentage of 95, or 19 in 20 punctual arrivals.


Is 100% punctuality possible? If the East Coast Main Line (ECML) is anything to go by then no, not really. National Express East Coast (NXEC) announced last week that, for the first time since privatisation, all its 136 passenger services, operating along the ECML, arrived on time. It would be interesting to see if that date saw far greater delays to DB Schenker services than normal, in a bid (fluke?) for NXEC to operate as per its timetable for the first time in over a decade!!

To be fair to NXEC, it has only been the main ECML operator for 13 months, its predecessor GNER being the main rail service provider thereon since privatisation.

It's worth pointing out that a long-distance passenger rail service is not considered late unless it arrives in excess of 9 minutes and 59 seconds; short-distance ones have a lesser window, being a 'mere' 4 minutes and 59 seconds. (GL)

The Big Freeze

Amidst the news reports from yesterday, and to some extent today, one thing stuck out more than anything else: there were no red London buses operating in the capital.

The last time London's bus fleet was effectively grounded was during the aftermath of the 7 July 2005 suicide bombings; however, then, services resumed by the early evening. Yesterday saw no bus operation for the majority of daylight hours.


What appears to have been the main catalyst for the decision Transport for London (TfL) took, during the early hours of yesterday morning, was the way in which London was caught out on Sunday afternoon, with around 5 inches of snow falling, resulting in near gridlock in some areas within the M25.

Trains are often affected; airports are guaranteed to have significant delays; rural bus services either do not operate or run to main roads only. Bus TfL's regulated bus network in Greater London always operates - generally as a result of London's privileged locality within the British Isles - being somewhere that often escapes the extremities of what the weather has to throw at us.


In a move not widely reported yesterday, London Mayor Boris Johnson suspended the Congestion Zone and ensured refunds for those who'd already paid.

Initially, a TfL spokesman said that they'd made their decision not to operate bus services in London after meetings with emergency services and the Metropolitan Police. It had been decided that the risk posed to pedestrians and those on board a bus operating in thick snow was so great that this persuaded them to take the unprecedented move to cancel the lot. But in later editions of the Evening Standard, a different story was being told: TfL now acknowledged that all 360 miles of road they maintain was clear but the problem lay with getting buses out of their depots - the areas around which are not maintained by TfL but the local councils, who were alleged to have not been so efficient at keeping these routes clear.

We often comment that a little bit of snow grinds our country to a halt. It seems that when London receives a dose of the white stuff it's brought to its knees. There are quite possibly a million or so people living there who've probably never had to drive in snow before. It's a shame that London's plight took up over 30 minutes in yesterday's BBC Breakfast programme. Had Leeds, for example, seen its bus service suspended and its airport closed due to snow, you can be sure that this would have made the third or fourth item in the news round-up, but nothing more - it certainly wont have taken up a half-hour's valuable airtime.

Would the Routemasters have continued to operate if they were still seeing mainline service in London? I like to think that they would! (CW)