Easy to disperse?

Cripes! There's been much chatter within the industry about how London's 'frightfully horrid' bendy-buses will find new homes elsewhere in the UK (though not necessarily). The already withdrawn articulated Mercedes-Benz Citaros have been either retained by the operator to whom they were new/last used, or sent to a dealer for onward sale. The remainder due to be withdrawn over the coming years are expected to go either way, too.

I always smile when I see Lombard's advert in the trade press, offering these unique vehicles for sale. Specifically, the manner in which the numbers are shown to be dwindling is what makes me grin. Initially, the dealership had 31 examples for sale and over the past months this has reduced - visibly - to 28, 25 and now 23. The type on offer here is one of the first to hit the streets of the Capital - 02-reg.

The first bendy-bus routes to lose its Citaros was the Red Arrow services 507 & 521. Ironically, they were replaced with rigid Citaros. It is these (depicted above) that Lombard has for sale

Lombard describes the vehicles as being suitable for park-and-ride services and airport transfer vehicles or any form of fast, high volume passenger services. Can't argue with any of that. As we can quickly deduce, with the numbers of redundant Citaros leaving London at the minute - and over the coming years - there simply are insufficient numbers of park-and-ride schemes or airport transfer services to utilise them. Many artics used at airports are of the same vintage and have done significantly less mileage - why make the backwards step and purchase one that's been flogged to death in London?

Surely detailing the number of vehicles of a type remaining is what you'd do when there are precious few left? Lombard has unwittingly reinforced the view that the Citaros are pretty useless outside London by effectively showing it's sold 8 within a couple of months. That's not even a quarter of its stock.

What's not got mentioned much though is the former double-decker coaches deployed for a half-decade stint on Stagecoach's flagship Oxford Tube service - the Neoplan Skyliners. From memory, all (if not all then as near as dammit) examples returned to the company from whom they were leased from new, and now Dawson Rentals has the unenviable task of finding new homes for them all.

Stagecoach realised early on that these vehicles were ill-suited to the rest of its bus and coach empire in the UK and presumably this was the catalyst for their rental over an outright purchase in 2004. A shrewd move judging by the percentage returned. The vehicle type also took a slump when one toppled over while working National Express duties, though this was later proven to be the fault of the driver.

Dawson Rentals has started to advertise for rental the Neoplan Skyliners, though unlike Lombard hasn't let slip how many have yet to be found a new home. Their ad makes specific reference to the fact that they're 'direct from Oxford/London service' (sic) and the one featured is painted all-over white. One would presume they've undergone extensive technical refurbishment prior to being advertised for lease. They became unreliable in their twilight years at Stagecoach in Oxfordshire - their swansong being non-existent air conditioning, something regular passengers will vouch for, and many came to rest at the summit of the long drag on the M40 to the east of Lewknor, London-bound.

Neoplan Skyliners worked the Oxford Tube for 5 years and were a big improvement from the MAN/Jonckheeres they replaced in 2004. However, latterly they were 'let go' both internally and externally. Air conditioning was poor and promotional vinyls weren't replaced when window glass was, as is evident on the coach to the left

In Dawson Rental's favour, however, is that there are significantly fewer of these than articulated ex London Citaros. Not that Lombard will sell on all of London's fleet. Both the Neoplan Skyliner and Mercedes-Benz Citaro are two very different, high-capacity vehicles and as such ironically offer two very similar onward sale/rental issues.

New-look Oxford Tube

Midland Metro extension announced

The West Midlands' light rail network will be expanded as part of a £127.1 million scheme to extend the tram lines south, beyond Snow Hill to participate in on-street operation in Birmingham. The DfT agreed to supply £81 million towards the overall cost, which will also go some way to improving the Midland Metro tram depot, too.

The Midland Metro was opened almost 11 years ago and links Birmingham Snow Hill with Wolverhampton, ostensibly operating along the former Great Western Railway (GWR) track bed, which was lifted in the early-70s. Currently, on-street running only takes place within Wolverhampton centre, with the remainder of the 12.5 mile route operating over the former GWR route.

Invitations to tender are expected to be sent out in the autumn, with construction beginning in 2012, and completion expected three years later. The route will take trams south of Snow Hill, over an already-completed £9 million viaduct to Upper Bull Street, Corporation Street, Stephenson Street and terminating outside New Street Station - itself the focus of a massive facelift.

The legal powers required to undertake the works have been obtained by the West Midlands PTE, Centro, hence the speed at which tenders can be invited and work begin. It is understood that a change in operator is not going to happen, with Travel Midland Metro remaining at-the-helm (owned by National Express).

The Snow Hill terminus, a month after the network opened in 1999. Trams will head south from here, ultimately terminating at Birmingham New Street and forming an integral part of the facelift taking place there

LEYTR Comment: It would seem that yet another tram extension has been granted, albeit to less of a fanfare than others of late (Manchester, Nottingham). We've travelled on the Midland Metro on a couple of occasions and have been more than satisfied with the service and particularly the tram ambiance - we rated it the most comfortable of all light rail systems on which we've travelled. The extension to New Street Station will be most welcome for those in Wolverhampton and indeed along its route length, who've had to made the 15-minute trek across the city centre by foot to reach the city's main rail terminal.

It also brings passengers nearer National Express' new Digbeth coach station, cutting the walking time from a good 20 minutes to around 10. Not everyone sees the tram's extension as positive though. Passenger groups feel that the displaced bus services will force certain travellers to walk further for their service home and that the upheaval during the works will cause untold hassle. The intended frequency of trams south of Snow Hill has also yet to be revealed by Centro. Though such hyperbole should not be overlooked in the long-term, at this early stage surely the pros far outweigh the cons.

Driving a Class 378

One of our contributing writers is a trainee train driver and recently had his first go behind the controls of a Class 378 electric multiple unit (EMU) operated by London Overground. He has kindly written us an exclusive account of his first experience.

Dear Editors, I write with details of my first-ever ECS (empty coaching stock) manoeuvre and offer photos of the controls within the cab of my Class 378 'Capitalstar' EMU. Below are photos of the main controls and I have attached suitable (but lengthy) captions with each. The text that follows makes direct reference to the photographed controls.

TBC/DDS - Simply put this is what make the train go.

The DDS stands for Driver's Directional Switch. It has Off, Forward, Neutral and Reverse positions. Reverse is obviously only used for uncoupling or the 'pull away' test after coupling. The TBC is the Traction/Brake Controller. There are 4 brake steps, with the 4th being the emergency setting. To go from brake step 3 to emergency requires a firm push of the handle - this prevents the emergency position from being accidentally selected. When not in use the TBC is in brake step 3 in the rear cab. There are 4 power notches. In order to go from the brake step to a power notch the lever must be pushed slightly over to the left from the coasting position. The TBC is not spring loaded and is not a 'dead mans handle'.

Main Panel

The Main Panel includes the speedometer, brake gauge and Automatic Warning System (AWS) reset button and the Driver's Reminder Appliance (DRA). This particular device has helped prevent many Signals Passed At Danger (SPADs) since it was introduced.

AC/DC Power Supply Control

The AC/DC power supply control is positioned above the quarter light window, to the left of the driver. It is here that the lighting is set as appropriate and the ability to switch between power supply.

Right side of cab

This has 2 additional screens which can function as monitors for internal and external CCTV (needed for Driver Only Operation - DOO). The three screens are interchangeable. Three types of radio also feature here. National Radio Network (NRN) is the oldest and is being phased out, Cab Secure Radio (CSR) is the one most commonly used and is needed on any lines with DOO operation and GSM-R is about to become live but not in use yet. The handset has three modes: speaking to the signaller, cab-to-cab (C-C) for speaking to the guard in the back cab and PC which means PassCom - for speaking to someone who has activated the emergency alarm apparatus on board.

TCMS - the main computer screen

This is the main computer screen which controls the main functions of the train including Passenger Information Services (PIS) - it is where you log in and where faults are recorded and logged. Any fault rectification advice will come up here including if a passenger alarm has been activated (Passcom) and the ability to turn off heating, lock out doors etc. It is the brains of the train.

Cab floor

On the floor is the combined Drivers Safety Device/Vigilance pedal (DSD). The driver must keep the pedal depressed at all times while the DDS is in the Forward position. If the pedal is released a warning alarm will sound and an emergency brake application will result after 7 seconds. The DSD will sound an alarm every 60 seconds (sometimes sooner) if no driving controls are moved.

The driver must physically release the pedal and depress it down to acknowledge the alarm or an emergency brake application will result. The yellow button next to the DSD is the Passcom override. When an emergency alarm is activated, pressing the button overrides the brakes so the train can continue to a point of safety.

The Drive

Prior to my first drive, I had extensive time in the Class 378 simulator and practiced low-speed moves (shunting) around the yard.

Taking over the cab has become second nature now. The driver's key is inserted. This activates the cab. The DDS is turned to the neutral position. The AWS and TPWS self-test alarm sounds and I cancel it with the AWS cancel (yellow) button. The TCMS then activates and I log myself in, and go to the PIS screen and select "Sorry not in service", which is displayed on the inside and outside of the train. The CSR radio is then set up with the correct area code and the signal number we are standing at. The train running number is then displayed. Ours is prefixed with a '5' as we are empty coaching stock. '1' is express passenger train and '2' is normal passenger train. The LEYTR Blog covered this in detail here.


We are crossing from the Up line to the Down line and the signal is showing yellow. I am told to proceed. The doors are already shut and the blue door interlock light is illuminated meaning all the doors are closed. I select forward on the DDS and cancel the DRA by pulling it. Its red light goes out. Then I pull the TBC back and increase power to notch 2. The brakes release and away we go. I'm told to accelerate to 20mph and do a running brake test. This must be done before stopping at the next station or before a falling gradient or any reduction in speed such as a speed restriction. I push the TBC forward engaging brake steps 1, 2 and finally 3 in succession, noting the brakes apply and I am then instructed to re-accelerate to 20mph as we cross over the points onto the Down line.

The last signal was yellow so we proceed at caution and I gently bring the train to a stand at Queens Park station, adjacent to a Bakerloo Line train. Thankfully it is terminating but the signal only clears to yellow. Professional driving policy on a yellow signal is to only use half power and 30mph maximum (less depending on the conditions) as we expect to find a subsequent signal at danger. We had been crawling at 20mph up to this point and at Willesden Junction I get my first green signal and am told i can open up to the line speed of 45mph.

We accelerate with more vigour and I am soon pushing forward the controller to the coasting position to prevent that speed being exceeded. I am told to stop at the next station and choose my own braking point. The brakes on a modern Class 378 are very good compared with the older Class 313s and I select step 2 around 200 yards from the beginning of the platform, entering at 25mph, maintaining braking down to 10mph. I'm told where the stopping point is and further adjust the braking to bring the train to a gentle stop beside the 'stop car' board. Just before stopping I release the brake, then apply step 1 for a smooth stop, then brake step 3, DDS to Neutral (and DRA if needed).


Normally then we would open the doors but obviously are not required to do so on this occasion. I'm told to proceed. I check the signal which is green and that the blue interlock light is lit. DDS to Forward, power notch 2 and quickly to 4 and the train pulls away swiftly.

Along the way I am asked to stop at some stations although not many as we are running 5 minutes late but the main thing I did was apply the emergency brake at 45mph at the end of a platform. The front of the train came to a stand around 25 yards beyond the end of the short 3-car platform.

I finished off my driving session with a run into Euston station - an extremely busy terminus with multiple parallel lines. Care has to be taken to keep the speed down to 15mph on entering a dead-end platform and under 10mph half way along where the TPWS overspeed loops are to prevent an emergency brake application. I am a bit daunted by the fact I am still doing 3mph when I'm told to bring the train to a halt just 6 feet from the buffer stops.

It was a fascinating experience and one that I'm steadily growing more and more confident with. Driving trains has always been a long-term ambition and I am very much enjoying the in-depth and sometimes daunting training procedure. I hope the LEYTR Blog readers will find my first account interesting.

Still the longest

The lengthiest scheduled coach service here in Britain is National Express' Service 336, linking Penzance with Edinburgh in a route that covers around 678 miles and with a typical duration of 18.5 hours. Or at least that was the case until last Monday, when the annual NX service revisions took place.

Service 366 - Keele Services

The good news is that Service 336 continues to hold pole position as the longest scheduled coach service, though at a reduced 585 miles. The reduction of 93 miles is the result of the route being curtailed at Plymouth, with the section through Cornwall to/from Penzance being withdrawn. Journey times now hover around the 15-hour mark - chicken feed!

Service 336 - Glasgow, Buchanan Bus Station

Last year, the LEYTR Editorial and a number of Associates undertook our very own John o' Groats to Land's End jaunt that utilised this historic express service south from Edinburgh. Back then, a different operator ran the service, too - First Devon & Cornwall's Cambourne depot, who lost the contract last autumn to Bruce's Coaches of Salsburgh, Scotland.

Service 336 at its new southerly terminus, Plymouth

Pre-Monday, Service 336 was operated as follows:

Day 1: 1300 Penzance - Edinburgh (0730, Day 2)
Day 2: 2130 Edinburgh - Penzance (1600, Day 3)

The coach, upon arriving in Penzance on Day 3 at 1600 did nothing until 21 hours later, when on Day 4 it would head back north at 1300. Add to this the period of inactivity in Edinburgh (Day 2) between 0730-2130, the route was reasonably inefficient. However, in order to conform to EC Drivers' Hours Regulations, First were obliged to afford its crews this period of time off in Scotland's capital city.

Service 336 - Strensham Services

With the 336 now commencing at Plymouth, NX have been able to make a strategic alteration that sees no further resource required: the frequency has been doubled. A new Service 532 now operates, ostensibly to the same route as the 336, though during daylight hours. The diagram is now as follows:

Day 1: 0930 532 Edinburgh-Plymouth (2300)
Day 2: 0515 532 Plymouth-Edinburgh (1930)
Day 2: 2130 336 Edinburgh-Plymouth (1240)
Day 3: 1640 336 Plymouth-Edinburgh (0730, Day 1)

Effectively two runs can now be operated in a three-day period, with no turnaround time in excess of 2 hours.

Service 336 - Truro. No longer will this route call here

A contact within National Express told LEYTR that the new daytime Service 532 re-introduced a number of connection possibilities that were lost some years ago. Additionally, when the 336 passed to Bruce's Coaches last autumn, they had to operate the service with its 21-hour turnround time in Penzance, despite being based many hundreds of miles north. Bruce's Coaches also now operate tri-axle Scania/Levante coaches on the route and they're not best suited to places such as St. Ives!

Service 336 - Penzance, the route's erstwhile southerly terminus

Connections to/from Cornwall remain following tweaks to Service 500 (London-Penzance) and having checked the online journey planner, anyone wishing to undertake the erstwhile Edinburgh-Penzance journey can do so by departing Edinburgh aboard the 336 at 2130, though now won't arrive in Penzance until 1730 the following day - an increase in duration of 1.5 hours, though barely noticeable when the overall end-to-end journey time is 20 hours.

Service 588 - Inverness. This is the second-longest scheduled coach service in the UK and is also operated by Bruce's Coaches for NX. Note the Saltire Cross vinyl at the rear of the coach

For those wondering which route is the second-longest, the award stays with National Express - Service 588 (London-Inverness), coming in at 580 miles. LEYTR travelled on this journey as part of our Top 'n' Tail jaunt last year, too. We also 'bashed' the longest bus service in the country (in terms of duration) - Service X53 (Exeter-Poole), operated by First.

Exeter bus station forms the scene for this photo, of First Hampshire's Jurassic Coast Service X53, the longest bus route in the country in terms of duration. The end-to-end fare? £6.

LEYTR's Top 'n' Tail

Tubewhacking

What do the following three London Underground station names have in common?

Bank
Oakwood
Wapping

They're the only Tube stations not to contain any of the letters in LEYTR.

You've probably heard a pub quiz question along this line for St. John's Wood station, which contains no letters of the word 'mackerel'.

What makes Chigwell so unique? It's the only Tube station name not to contain any letters in the word 'transport'; Borough and Bow Church are the only stations to contain no letters from the word 'Leyland'; and Archway solely contains no letters from the name 'Ken Livingstone'. Aldgate and Temple stations are 'Boris Johnson'-less.

Have we spent hours devouring Tube station names? No. We've used a cracking, yet devastatingly simple, online lexicon - the Tubewhack. Fans of Dave Gorman will have surely heard of his Googlewhack Adventure, where he attempted to find two unrelated and random words that, when typed into Google's search box, provided one solitary web page. This is called a Googlewhack.

You have to be careful, though, since immediately as you blog about the Googlewhack you've identified, it no longer can be classed as such as your blog then becomes the second result associated with the two words.

Tubewhacking is based very heavily on the Googlewhack principle, though when one is identified, it is fundamentally safe. On the Tubewhacking website, just type the most random single word in the box and see how many Tube station names are shown. This identifies those without those letters in their name(s). With just one station remaining, you've got yourself a Tubewhack.

National's Tubewhack is Shepherd's Bush; Adonis' is Temple; Omnibuses' is Archway; Stagecoach's is Kilburn; Competition's is Vauxhall; Pendolino's is Archway and Trolleybus' is Wapping.

You can get more adventurous, applying weird and wonderful criteria: Ruislip, for example, is the only station not to contain any of the first 8 (abcdefgh) letters of the alphabet; Balham is the only Tube station not to contain any letters from the word Underground - it's also the only station to not contain any of the last 13 (nopqrstuvwxyz) letters of the alphabet; and Upney is the only station not to contain any letters from one of your Editor's name....

Tubewhacking

HS2 Report

We've poured through the report into Britain's first internal High Speed Railway, which was commissioned last year at the behest of Transport Secretary Lord Andrew Adonis, who received HS2 Ltd's report at the end of last year.

Having spent the first two months of the year pouring over its finer detail, the Labour government now recommends the most of the report and plans to start work building the new high-speed railway from 2017 that will see trains capable of running at speeds of 250mph, with a headline London-Birmingham journey time of just 49 minutes.

The route has been identified as a Y-shaped network shown above, with Scotland connected to the eventual high-speed network utilising existing lines

There are two train types recommended - 'Classic Compatible' and 'Captive'. The former are trains capable of operating over both new-build high-speed railway and existing lines; the latter are trains to travel exclusively over new high-speed line, though 'in principle' would be able to traverse the metals of the existing railway lines.

HS2 Ltd's report makes no reference to exact train types, only their likely cost. It's widely assumed a train based strongly on France's TGV is expected to be plumped on

We report the main detail in bullet form:

• Work to commence in 2017, following hot-on-the-heels of Crossrail's completion
  
• Trains to travel at speeds up to 250mph
• Phase 1 between London (Euston) and Birmingham (Curzon Street)
  
• Initially14 trains per hour
• Train sets generally operating doubled-up
• Each train set to seat 550 passengers, 200m in length
  
• Seating capacity of 1,100 per complete train
• West London interchange planned under Old Oak Common (to connect here with Heathrow Express to Heathrow Airport and Crossrail)
  
• Heathrow interchange planned
• Birmingham Interchange planned for M42/M6, Airport & NEC
  
• Phase 2 will see likely extension of high-speed line to Manchester and Leeds
• Trains to pass onto existing lines for travel north of Manchester to Glasgow & Edinburgh and north of Leeds to Newcastle.
  
• 'Captive' train set to cost £25 million each, 16 required
  
• 'Classic Compatible' train set to cost £37.5 million each, 45 required
  
• £2.8 billion is initial fleet cost total
• 'Classic Compatible' sets won't tilt and will thus be slower than Virgin's Pendolinos
• High-speed lines to only be used by High Speed Trains
• London-Glasgow in 3:30 using high-speed line to Manchester and then existing WCML to Glasgow
• Full consultation planned on entire route length defined as Phase 1
• New depot planned at Washwood Heath, near Birmingham
• Main element the DfT changed from HS2 Ltd's report was high-speed line directly linking Leeds-Manchester
• Heathrow Express' journey time between Old Oak Common-Heathrow guaranteed at 10 mins
• Adonis describes HS2 as a 'once-in-a-lifetime chance to overcome the severe limitations of Britain's Victorian north-south railway'
• WCML passengers to reduce from 105,000 to 20,000 per day by 2033, benefiting cities such as Milton Keynes, Northampton etc

Euston would be rebuilt as shown by the outline in red

Timeline

March 2010 – Government published proposals for high speed rail
Summer 2010 – further engagement work and consultation preparation
Autumn 2010 – formal public consultation
2011 – Government decides whether to proceed and proposed route for London to Birmingham
2011-2013 – further detailed design and assessment of the route
2013 – further public consultation
2014 – Hybrid Bill laid in House of Commons
2019 – construction could start
2026 – line between London and Birmingham could open


Further reading:
High Speed 2 Report (Captive Document, pdf file, 152 pages)
High Speed 2 Official Website
Lord Adonis' Ministerial Statement to the House of Lords, announcing the report into High Speed 2

Clockwork Orange consolidation

Glasgow's unique subterranean circular railway is to see its off-peak service frequency reduced in order to bring down costs and to curb the system's £3.4 million overspend. This would see trains operating during the evenings and on Sundays run at an interval of 12 minutes, rather than the current 8.

Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) operate the 113-year old network, which one of your editors sampled last autumn, and has come under attack by members of trade union Unite for what it describes as "economics of the madhouse". While they were pouring scorn over the decision to reduce the number of trains per hour from 7 to 5, SPT has, on a broader canvas, been seen in a very unflattering light following some of its top directors' dubious expenses claims, totalling over £100k in a three-year period. The Top Man at SPT, the chairman and his deputy all resigned over the allegations.


Unlike bus ridership, the Glasgow Subway - referred to as the Clockwork Orange on account of its circular operation and colour scheme - has suffered in the current economic downturn considerably, losing in excess of one million passengers over the past two years. While the bus industry has had casualties of its own, ridership hasn't dropped uncontrollably, primarily due to two-car families having to downsize and the free concessionary travel passes. Those in possession of a Scottish National Concessionary bus pass are charged a flat fee of 40p per journey. The Subway's reach barely extends beyond the city limits, with equivalent journeys above ground being undertaken for free by surface transport.

Commuting, while taking place on the Subway, is not as prolific on the network since it doesn't extend into Glasgow's suburbs, so its off-peak bread-and-butter comprises leisure travellers and those who simply want to get from one side of Scotland's largest city to the other as quickly as possible.

Unite claim SPT is reneging on an agreement brokered five years ago that would see reductions to frequencies and its members' hours only with prior union discussion. They also claim that rather than reduce frequencies, a recession is an excellent opportunity to try and expand the service offered and to attract new patronage through the system's low-cost fares. Reducing daytime evening and Sunday frequencies could have the opposite effect of alienating patronage further.


Glasgow MSP Sandra White believes the manner in which SPT has chosen to simply cut the service frequency when the potential for car usage is at its highest raises deeper questions, the biggest being the Executive's overall ability to operate the Subway. She would like SPT's accountants to be less blinkered when analysing the body's figures.

At least the operating hours of the Subway will remain constant - this being the only positive to be drawn from SPT's press statement. They claim that, following a customer patronage survey, they're simply adapting the Subway's frequency to mirror the peaks and troughs of ridership, which will then maximise the efficiency and ensure its long-term survival. I think we all know when the busiest and quietest periods of a subway's operation are, and in many respects train frequencies therein already mirror this.

To buy or not to buy

"You will have new buses and coaches when we say; we'll design them on your behalf, tell you how much they will cost; order you to operate them on the routes we want and to the frequencies we tell you. Oh, and you can only recoup the cost of these vehicles by increasing fares by a maximum of 1% above the Retail Price Index, calculated six months prior to the fares being allowed to increase."

This is effectively what the railway industry has to deal with. The Department for Transport, (DfT) in partnership with the Office of Rail Regulation, has the sole responsibility for the procurement of new rolling stock, which covers a multitude of vehicles - carriages, diesel multiple units, intercity express locos etc, etc. The DfT effectively also has the final say on how existing resources are managed and distributed. What would the likes of the 'big five' say if the bus industry was run in this manner?

Concentrating on a Train Operating Company's (TOCs) ability to purchase new trains to meet a specific demand it has highlighted, it becomes immediately noticeable that the DfT is likely to turn down its request for a handful of reasons. Often, TOC franchises are too short - and another default through poor accountancy is the last thing the government wants; the new trains can be far too specific to one route that makes moving them around in the years to come very awkward; and there's a small amount of 'government knows best'.

First Great Western (FGW), for example, had, long before the Intercity Express Programme had been mooted, identified a plan to renew its large fleet of ageing High Speed Trains (HSTs - 'Intercity 125s'), but the then Strategic Rail Authority ensured this rare attempt at entrepreneurial flair soon met with the buffers, overriding FGW by announcing plans for the refurbishment of the Mk3 carriages and the new, more efficient MTU engines (replacing the very loud Valenta ones).

The DfT knows best when it attempts to design the interiors of new rolling stock, cramming in as many seats as possible, since this is what Passenger Focus claims passengers want. But the resultant scenario is incredibly poor legroom or inadequate luggage provision, which untimately makes the journey more uncomfortable for everyone.

One argument is that TOCs should now be able to specify the rolling stock needed - new if necessary - for its operation. This is something East Midlands Trains boss Tim Shoveller has been crying out for. While he doesn't request brand-spanking new units, his Liverpool-Norwich route suffers recorded 100% overcrowding at times and just a handful more Class 158s is all that is needed to make life that little more barable for his passengers, but following a half a dozen requests last year, nothing.

Those precious few longer franchises seem to be those that can buck the trend - look at Virgin Trains, whose West Coast franchise completely replaced every train in its fleet with new Pendolinos. The end of loco-hauled CrossCountry services also took place under their watch, with Voyagers and (not so) Super Voyagers - that were going to tilt - entering service. Arriva benefit from the latter now.

With the Intercity Express Programme (IEP )stalled for the time being, it has been suggested that perhaps the scheme's complete withdrawal is the best course of action. The new hybrid trains would have the potential of being too prescriptive for the routes on which they were to be allocated - Great Western and East Coast main lines. With the planned electrification of the GWML over the coming years, the only main section of route these new hybrid IEP trains would be required to operate on would be north of Edinburgh, and how few people of the entire East Coast Main Line flow travel to Dundee or Inverness on the single-number of journeys each day?

RAIL's editor Nigel Harris suggests that allowing TOCs to purchase their own trains is a road down which "madness lies", by delaying the standardisation the industry needs to bring down costs and, as we've already mentioned, would make some trains useless for other routes. Perhaps in these recessed times, with budgets being squeezed or withdrawn altogether, the £13.9 billion price tag attached to the IEP could be reduced to just £3 billion with yet another mid-life refurbishment of the existing HST stock. The Mallard upgrade commenced by erstwhile GNER that saw all its Mk3 (HST) and Mk4 (Class 91) coaches overhauled, was done exceptionally well - the seating, even in Standard Class, is plush and substantial. Compare it to that inside one of First Transpennine Express' minimalist Class 185 'Desiros', where even seat numbering appears to be a secret, give me an HST any day. Or Class 91.

Perhaps the fundamental flaw in the DfT being able to control so much about the railway industry is that it has absolutely no operational interaction with the TOCs' passengers whatsoever. This frustrates train operators as they can't surely know what's best for their passengers any less than the non-passenger facing DfT, yet have trains forced on them they do not want nor need; have insufficient rolling stock to meet demand; and are even told at what times their booking offices should open.

Depending on your political slant, you may believe this is actually a very good way to run the nation's railway. The bus industry showed during its infancy how a privatised and deregulated operation could spark wars that ultimately no one won (certainly not the passengers) and that transport giants know exactly what they're entering into when they respond to invitations to tender. The LEYTR member who contacted us on this subject recently, hence sparking today's entry, said: "I think TOCs are like British Farmers - they moan and groan all the time, but you never see a poor one!"

Irony

Following the news on Wednesday that Arriva has been approached by the German state-owned railway company Deutsche Bahn with a view to a possible takeover, we've been musing on the likely consequences should the purchase take place.

Derby has its own council-owned bus company, Derby City Transport, which ultimately become Arriva Derby, though with the Germans now interested in Arriva, could the city once again have a nationalised bus network? (Not that residents would have any say in how it was run!)

Clearly, the 'biggy' is that the German state would control thousands of buses here in the UK, not to mention Arriva's sprawling European bus and coach businesses. Arriva Trains Wales and CrossCountry rail franchises would become state-owned, albeit German.

DB's wholly-owned logistic company, Schenker, purchased English Welsh & Scottish Railway (who were actually owned by the Canadians) in 2007 and began rebranding as DB Schenker from the start of last year. The German state has been providing 'freight solutions' here for over 3 years

With this in mind, our thoughts turned to the ongoing inquiry into the bus industry, recently referred to the Competition Commission. The allegation is that the industry is anti-competitive and prevents 'new blood' from entering the scene. Yet despite this, Solent Blue Line and Velvet as well as Oxford City Bus and Stagecoach Oxfordshire have joined forces, with the local authority in the case of the former, to make commonsense decisions on service frequencies and the number of alterations made to timetables.

Two Hampshire operators are working together to offer the best deal for passengers, but will the Competition Commission see it like this?

This is being applauded by government on a national level and yet appears to fly-in-the-face of competition. Who remembers bus deregulation in the 1980s, when operators providing joint services were told they had to stop else face the wrath of the authorities. It seems that this mantra is still firmly in the Competition Commission's gaze and yet bizarrely the exact opposite is being encouraged as the 'commonsense solution' by national government in Oxford and Hampshire.

Seen approaching Goslar (near Hannover) is a Deutsche Bahn 218 series - a diesel hydraulic loco, hauling a 'Regional Bahn' all-stopper train service in 2005

Is there enough competition or isn't there? And what the devil will the Competition Commission make of the effective nationalisation of one of the country's largest transport operators, should Deutsche Bahn's advance on Arriva (a pincer movement?) bare fruit?

Now Arriva face take-over

Literally days after Arriva's plans to purchase Keolis hit a brick wall, it is now Arriva who are at the end of a potential take-over, following news that the German state-owned railway company, Deutsche Bahn (DB), has approached the Sunderland-based transport company with a view to launching a takeover bid.

DB's bid is understood to be around £7 per share, that values Arriva's transport empire at around £1.2 billion. DB has significant expertise in operating high-speed railways and when coupled with Arriva's bus business both here and throughout Europe and its pair of Train Operating Companies (CrossCountry and Arriva Trains Wales), a good all-rounder could form, possibly a force to be reckoned with.

However, the timing has shocked many within Germany since the government there plans to controversially privatise its state-run railway company and those on the stock exchange are a little concerned as to how this will all play out. It does mean, though, that Arriva's attempts to advance on France may not yet be over, with DB's chances of moving in being a lot greater than Arriva's alone.

When Arriva declared it had been approached, Singapore-based ComfortDelGro and private-equity firm Kohlberk Kravis Roberts & Co were also in the frame. Arriva's press release states that there is no guarantee that a bid of any kind is forthcoming.

An Apology

"An absolute outrage!" wrote The LEYTR Stig the other day. He was referring to the section of relatively new pedestrian tunnel beneath the streets of King's Cross that appeared devoid of adverts and billboards. He added: "The stretch in question was opened a couple of months ago as part of TfL's redevelopment of the whole King's Cross St. Pancras Underground station. It coincided with the opening of the new ticket hall there and links this with the Piccadilly Line".

Upon making a site visit last week, our Stig reported: "The pedestrian tunnel continues to be devoid of adverts for the time being. I think it looks rather calming and untroubled". He added: "Expect matters to change soon though!"

And to prove his point, he sent us this photo taken 4 days ago:


We think what helps the tunnel look 'untroubled' is the additional width and lack of passengers! Who'd have thought that somewhere as prominent as this could have been left advertless for so long, especially in London - unless the large grey boards are art?

23-24 Leinster Gardens

While visiting London recently, m'colleague and I took a trip to this seemingly innocuous address in leafy Bayswater. For it is at 23-24 Leinster Gardens that something fascinating is in evidence - though not immediately visible.

Number 24 Leinster Gardens - looks like an ordinary 6-storey house.... until you head round the back!

Bayswater nestles in the middle of some of London's most affluent neighbourhoods and during the 1860s, the prospect of visible evidence that the Metropolitan Railway had dissected the area in order to lay tracks for the ever-expanding Underground network, would simply not do. To demonstrate that even during the Victorian era, builders took residents' concerns into account, as much as possible was done to hide evidence of the Underground from numerous areas of the city.

At 23-24 Leinster Gardens a fake façade was erected in the space left between two properties in a row of Victorian six-storey terraces, and unless the casual visitor know what he or she is looking for, it is more than plausible to wander past, completely unaware. For the secret is revealed when a visit to the street behind is made and the façade's credentials are revealed.

To enable the steam trains of the day to 'vent off', occasional underground sections had gaps to enable the trains' smoke, steam and soot to reach the surface and to conserve air quality. The track can be seen at the bottom of the shot.

For anyone wanting to visit this fascinating structure, it's a 10 minute walk from Marble Arch. Simply head west along Bayswater Road, passing Lancaster Gate before turning right along Leinster Gardens. The houses are situated on the left. The original addresses needed to be demolished in order for essential ventilation, allowing the steam locomotives to 'vent off' at regular intervals along the route. 'Venting off' was required to ensure the underground elements of the network remained relatively free from smoke and soot.

Residents felt a gaping hole in the opulent surroundings would be so detrimental that the façade was constructed. The gap is clearly visible in this shot from high above, dead centre.

Today, the District & Circle Lines operates here and are prevented from being visible thanks to the 5-ft thick fake façade.

Go Ahead gain, Arriva walk away

Two UK bus-related news stories made the trade press last week. First was the shock announcement on Tuesday that the potential for a deal between Arriva and SNCF's Keolis transport company was off the cards, followed by Go Ahead's purchase of Norfolk-based Konnectbus on Wednesday.

It would seem that the French transport sector really is impenetrable for a UK bus/coach company. Go Ahead dabbled unwisely a few years ago, to its cost, and no one's attempted to have a go since - not until Arriva announced last month that it was in the very early stages of negotiation with the French state railway umbrella company, SNCF. Arriva is by and far the most suited of all the 'big five' here in the UK to forge operations in France. Not only would the Keolis business here fit within its already strong European portfolio, plugging a France-shaped void in its countries of operation, it would also take Arriva's operation into Canada.

Keolis operate coach services in the Lorraine area of France.

If Arriva can't do it, what hope does that give to Messrs Souter and Lockhead?

Keolis had a minority stake in the world's oldest municipal bus company - Eastbourne Buses - but sold this when the council there allowed Stagecoach to purchase the company in 2008. Keolis only have railway interests here in the UK now - in a joint venture with First, operating the Transpennine Express franchise, and with Go Ahead in the GoVia business, who operate the Southern, Southeaster and London Midland TOCs.

Keeping with Go Ahead, the company's purchase of independent Konnectbus of Dereham, Norfolk, on Wednesday came from left-field. Over the Christmas break, neighbouring Ipswich was in discussions with Go Ahead for a very sizable stake in its council-run business, though we await further details of this deal. Like the Ipswich deal, Konnectbus would appear to have dealt exclusively with Go Ahead, much to the annoyance, no doubt, of the major operator in East Anglia - FirstBus.

Ipswich Buses is still council-owned and run and even if the potential deal with Go Ahead is agreed, the local council will still own 51% of the company's shares. However, the 49% stake Go Ahead will have may make the Konnectbus business a little easier to run.

Konnectbus was actually founded by two employees of the antecedent company to First in the area, Eastern Counties. Busmen Steve Challis and Julian Paterson formed the company 11 years ago and clearly new their market well. They operate spotlessly clean, well-presented vehicles and their company is regularly featured as a finalist in national transport awards. In many ways, the brand image, unique to the area, is something you'd immediately associate with Go Ahead - we'd go so far as to say the company could well be mistaken as part of Ludeman's fold already.


Presently, though, Konnectbus is about as lone a speck on Go Ahead's map of the UK as Gibraltar is of UK territory on a map of the world. The operation would have to be stand-alone in every sense of the word. There would be no efficiencies to be had here in its present state. Perhaps the nearest bus operation Go Ahead possess is in London. The Konnectbus company is also relatively small, too, with between 35-40 vehicles operational. Again, efficiencies here will be difficult to achieve. But then again, if the company's in as good a shape as we're lead to believe, would they need to make these efficiencies? Go Ahead's shareholders would surely have an opinion at this point!

Ipswich Buses photo: Bryan's Bus Photos

Tube never lies

Mothering Sunday today, so we thought we'd produce a 'less heavy' entry than those of late. This is courtesy of Annie Mole's Going Underground blog, which we regularly visit for our weekly dose of all-things underground:


There's 'trouble at mill' in that there shiny London at the moment, over the amount of money the only remaining private company under the PPP scheme claims it needs from TfL in order to complete its contracted work. Initially, Tube Lines claimed it required £6.8 billion, while the arbiter claims £4.46 billion over the next 7 years is a more realistic figure. TfL would very much prefer not to pay anything at all, and Boris - someone whose conservative ideals should be in favour of a PPP scheme - has accused Tube Lines of 'daylight robbery'.

The Piccadilly, Jubilee and Northern lines are all under Tube Lines' control for upgrade. Both the Jubilee and Northern lines are massively delayed and over-budget and unless Tube Lines receives £400 million it won't even start work on renewing the Piccadilly Line. The cash will have to come from fares increases.

It being Mothering Sunday, I'll give the last word to my mum (whom I've just briefed about the whole debacle): "TfL should be allowed to buy back everything under Tube Lines' control and do it in-house like it probably should have been from the start". No, she's not related to 'Red Ken!'

Gibraltar (part 2)

We continue our recent trip to Gibraltar with Part 2. Read Part 1 here.



During our time in Gibraltar we made use of a number of bus services and took full advantage of the very low fares - a single fare on either operator's services is 60p; a day ticket on City Buses is £1.50 (4 routes) and on Euro Hopper it's £1.20 (1 route). Throughout our time in Gibraltar, we only ever saw City Buses operate their Darts, which were introduced on 10 April 2004. The entire fleet of 18 Dennis Darts was introduced then, providing 100% low-floor operation throughout the Province in one fell swoop. They replaced much smaller, Transit-style buses and were a much-needed improvement.

City Buses uses Wayfarer ticket machines. One of our day tickets is seen here - a great buy at just £1.50.

Until October 2001, Gibraltar's vehicle registration plates all began with a G followed by up to five digits. Now, they continue to start with G, though followed with a number from the range 1000-9999, followed by a letter. 'A' is allocated to the first batch from 1000-9999, 'B' for the second, and so on. During our time there we spotted registrations such as G 8622 C, but never any ending in D, so the Province hasn't exceeded issuing 27,000 registrations just yet! The City Buses' registrations all ended in 'A', so form part of the first 8,999 to be registered when the system was introduced. Although the Darts don't carry a visible fleet number, they appear to be referred to as the four-digit number in their registrations.

The nationalised bus network in Gibraltar. We made use of all routes, except Service 2.

There is no railway in Gibraltar and those without a car either arrive by coach, plane or ship/boat. The harbours are numerous, though most cruiseliners bringing day-trippers dock at the main ferry terminal, nestled just south of the runway. An alternative location for the even larger vessels bringing tourists is the Gibraltar Cruise Terminal to the far west. Those affluent enough to own their own boats and yachts make use of two docks - the Queensway Quay Marina and the Marina Bay. One thing Gibraltar has proportionately less of is beach. Four main beach areas exist, though all are limited: Eastern Beach starts where the easternmost edge of the runway ends; a little further down is Catalan Bay and then Sandy Bay. Major building work is taking place in these areas, with new hotels and holiday apartments being added. They offer excellent views of the Mediterranean and Costa del Sol, though have the 1,400-ft rock in their back gardens. This side (east) does feel a little more cut-off from Gibraltar than elsewhere.

It is impossible to circum-navigate the rock by road. City Buses' Service 3 operates to the most southerly point - Europe Point, from where Morocco and Tangier can be seen across the Strait of Gibraltar. There are a couple of very tight turns along the route south, most notably when turning left from Main Street into Govenor's Lane. Any bus larger than this would simply not be able to undertake such a tight turn. City Buses' Service 4 links the eastern side of the Province with the far west, which is where the greatest concentration of English can be found. It is also where Gibratar's only supermarket - Morrisons - is located. The route passes the coach terminus, home to Calypso Travel, where their fleet of ex-German double-deckers is housed - along with some open-top examples, though inoperable in March.

One of a number of ex-German double deckers operated by Calypso Travel under the Euro Hopper name. Only one route is operated by this company, linking the airport with the coach park for 60p single, 90p return or £1.20 unlimited. Their service would be the route of choice for hardened bus enthusiasts as they still employ a Leyland Olympian.

City Buses operate a couple of Toyota Hiace people-carriers on Service 2, which links Moorish Castle with the city centre.

Two ageing double-deckers can be seen here. They didn't move all weekend, nor did the coach in the background.

A trip to Gibraltar is nothing without meeting the Barbary Apes at the rock's summit. There are in fact two summits to the rock - the most northerly houses military equipment and is accordingly off-limits; however the southern peak is where tourism flourishes. A cable car links terra firma with the top. We made use of this 1960s installation within hours of arriving, as we knew rain was forecast the following day. The fare was £8 return, though £10 if you wanted access to the nature reserve at the summit. We were both willing to forgo nature for a £2 saving - and in any case, no sooner had we stepped out of the cable car, we were greeted by the apes. The implication on the ground is that the apes are only visible in the nature reserve. This is not the case.

There are two cable cars running at any one time, travelling almost to the 1,400-ft summit. We felt the £8 return fare was reasonable. Taxi drivers offer a more personal service for £20.

The Barbary Apes have popularised Gibraltar because they are unique to Iberia. They are not the only troops in the world though. Detailed descriptions of the main apes are to be found in frames on some of the visitor centre's exterior walls, where we learned the Barbary Macaque is native to Morocco. The views from the top of the rock are excellent. We could see for miles despite there being an annoying haze. The rock's military summit would regularly be engulfed in low cloud, though only for a minute or two before clearing to reveal the Spanish horizon in the distance. Neither of us really knew what to expect at the top of the rock and can happily report that anyone uneasy at the prospect of being in close proximity with the apes should rest assured: they're very dosile and just don't seem interested.

The Barbary Macaque are not afraid of hights - below is Gibraltar and in the distance, some 1,400 feet below, is Spain.

We returned to Blighty on Sunday afternoon. We conveniently walked to the airport, though had visited there earlier in the day to witness a Monarch Airlines plane take-off from this truly fascinating and unique locality. Our easyJet plane departed at 1510 and the departure gate closed at 1440. Due to a delay earlier in our plane's schedule for the day, we were delayed by 1:05. There wasn't much to do once airside. Luckily Gibraltar's staple TV stations mirror those here in the UK, with the addition of some Spanish ones at the end of the list, so a repeat of Only Fools & Horses on UK TV Gold was in order.

A completely unassuming airport is to be found at Gibraltar. A new terminal building is currently being constructed next door. Plans are also well-advanced for a road underneath the runway, too.

I absolutely love watchin human behaviour when at airports. Normal, respectible, well-mannered people can turn into selfish, desperate lunatics. The concentration of people sitting down was heaviest near the departure gate. No sooner had the first people caught sight of our plane landing, everyone stood up to form a queue. By chance, we were both sat in this area anyway, so joined the queue and eventually those with Speey Boarding et al were called forward. They were afforded a bus to themselves, which is fair enough. The next 60 or so were then loaded onto the next bus. Clearly, the driver knew how many he could fit on, but those already inside wouldn't move down. There was stalemate. A broad Cockney accent could then be heard exclaiming "Cor, I fink we're full up, mate". It fell on deaf ears. A lot of intense staring took place and those in the aisles finally realised that it was they who were holding everything up and begrudgingly moved down.

There are two airport shuttle buses at Gibraltar. Seen here is the scrum for the second one.

From here we were taken to the plane and I could see men in suits ready to pounce as soon as the doors were opened. I even told m'colleague to look at how a couple of people reacted once they were allowed off. The most undignified spectacle of ageing, flabby men with suitcases bolting off the bus and running as fast as their legs would carry them was what we witnessed. It was so funny. There was also a point when regular fliers realised that it might actually be quicker to run to the back of the plane and climb aboard there.

The scrum for the plane calmed while on board one of the shuttle buses. It soon resumed when the doors opened.

Once enconsed within easyJet's Airbus A320, we awaited further passengers before we finally began taxiing for take-off. The terminal is to the east of the road and with an easterly wind blowing today, we had to taxi across the road to the furthest point west before turning 180 degrees and then the captain gave it the beans. Similar to the Monach Airways plane, the point at which we took off was as we passed the road. Once airborne, we were informed that the Senior First Officer was at the controls.

Flights from London to Gibraltar take about 2:45. You lose an hour flying out, but gain an hour returning home. Although temeratures in Gibraltar hadn't exceeded 14C all weekend, they were a far cry from the 1C we experienced in London. Another experience we endured was that of an American lady projectile vomitting at 36,000ft. Apparently, the desire to be sick came on so suddenly that she had no time to reach for the sick bag. The smell was quite something. However, amidst the ensuing hoo-hah, the dedication, patience and skill of the stewardess in dealing with it all was exemplary. She took her time with the ill lady, to ensure she wasn't suffering from any other unwanted effects and then helped her bag up all her soiled items. She then spent 40 minutes with antiseptic gel cleaning everything.

After the American lady was taken ill, this was the only view I had so was able to watch the stewardess work tirelessly for 40 minutes, making matter right. An excellent job was done.

From memory she was called Kerri (or 'kerri' as easyJet insist their name badges should look) and worked tirelessly througout. Unlike our southbound trip, we had only 3 members of crew - one less. Aviation law dictates that there must be 1 member of crew per 50 passengers. Our Airbus A320 had 156 seats, so 4 crew are needed; however, easyJet had 'taken out' six seats, lowering the aircraft's capacity to 150 passengers and thus only 3 crew were legally required. Before the vomit incident, service was fairly slow, though for the 40 minutes during which time our dedicated stewardess was on her knees scrubbing away, only 2 members of crew were serving the 140+ passengers. Neither m'colleague nor I purchased anything, so weren't affected directly.

M'colleague made a shrewd (cheap) purchase before we travelled - and look at the expansion of said item once we were airborne. I told him to open the bag gingerly as a bang or pop could give the impression of a terrorist attack!

I did think our landing at Gatwick was going to be decidedly bumpy, though in the event, it was very smooth. I made use of the biometric passport control when passing through customs. My passport was placed on a reader, which opened a gate into a holding area; I was then required to look at a camera, which compared the eyes on the passport photo to my own and I was then released. On this occasion, m'colleague's more traditional passport control experience was faster than mine, though when there's a queue and those with a biometric passport know the drill, it will be a massive boon. Within a decade, biometric passports will be the norm.

We returned to St. Pancras using a First Capital Connect Thameslink service - this time a Class 319, which looked a lot more modern inside than its exterior appearance would suggest - and then made use of the Euston Flyer public house on Euston Road before out 2130 East Coast train to Peterborough left. One comparison that needs making is the cost of beer in Gibraltar compared to the UK: since there is no VAT in the Province, two pints ALWAYS totals less than £5; the Euston Arms charged me £9 for two pints and two packets of crisps - that's 100 pennies more than a year's LEYTR subscription!!


We both said we'd return to Gibraltar again, though at a different time of year. Neither of us wanted to go when it was even cooler, nor did we want to go in the height of summer when temperatures can reach 35C+. One thing we did both agree on is that it is a truly unique locality - from geography lessons at school, I remember Gibraltar being a pink speck on the world map, a reminder of the former British Empire. It continues to be a pink speck on the world map, though now a much more vibrant - almost flourescent - pink. (GL)

Both parts of our Gibraltar trip have been posted as one on the new-look The LEYTR Jaunts blog. Click here to view.