Downloadable franchise map

There appears to have been a bit of a spat between railway fares guru Barry Doe and those nice people at ATOC, the Association of Train Operating Companies.

Barry's map showing the national rail network in operator form, has been produced since 2005 and is identical in style to that produced by countless bus operators and local authorities, showing along which railway line each train operating company (TOC) runs. It has been produced en mass for the industry for the past half-decade and for which Barry receives a fee.

The fee has not been paid this time and while ATOC has said they've had a map produced for free instead, Barry fears they've taken the hump with him over the manner in which he criticised the recently-revamped ATOC-funded National Rail website.

The National Rail website was re-launched a few months ago and is all cuddly and colourful now

It was on the National Rail website that anyone could download their own copy of Barry's franchise map for free and without the need for a licence. Here, now, can be found the free version that ATOC sourced recently. While it is shown alongside that produced by Barry, both links now go to the new, Barry-less version.

If, like me, you've regularly used Barry's map over the years, you'll soon see that the new one doesn't quite cut the mustard. To quote Barry: "The new ATOC map is technically well produced but it has two downsides: it is not accurate and it is not up-to-date". I know there are a number of very, er, 'committed individuals' like myself out there, who have a thing about cartography and can easily spot errors aplenty with a supposed refreshed, renovated, reissued map. Regrettably the free ATOC version ticks this box.

Barry Doe's 15th edition of his Rail Franchise Map, currently only downloadable from his website

Therefore, at the risk of taking sides, I can continue to heartily recommend Barry's version - downloadable only from his website for the time being.

Barry Doe's TOC Franchise Map
Official National Rail TOC Map

Victorians knew best

In just over a year's time, the UK's newest stretch of double-track railway will open and be controlled using Victorian signalling rules.

The stretch of line runs between Oxford and Worcester, known as the North Cotswold Line and the reason why the 'absolute block' signalling rules have had to be applied is due to problems Network Rail (NR) have encountered when attempting to move the signalling responsibilities for the line to the new Didcot-based Thames Valley Control Centre.

The line is being upgraded from its single-track formation to double-track, between Evesham and Charlbury. Despite absolute block being applied throughout the section, the equally Victorian semaphore signals will not. 'Modern' colour light signals will be the order of the day except at Moreton-in-Marsh, which will retain its semaphores.

Two Class 37s working for DRS are seen approaching Honeybourne from Long Marsden. To the left is the North Cotswold Line that is clearly single-tracked. Over the next year this section of line will be doubled, increasing the number of paths available to all types of train service
Photo: Jonathan Giles

Although the double-track section is due to open in August 2011, NR has yet to appoint a contractor to undertake the work, which will commence with the clearing of the line in order to make sufficient room for its horizontal sprawl. The scheme, totalling £70 million, will provide better capacity along the route used by many First Great Western passenger services, as well as enable an increase in freight traffic - the line being well situated for access to/from the Long Marsden storage depot.

LEYTR Comment: The Victorian semaphore signalling system being used is more a red herring than a headline here, if we're honest. Absolute block has, ironically, enabled NR to keep its costs down (though it would have loved to be installing the latest state-of-the-art signalling system). £70 million actually buys a lot here - 21 miles of completely new double-track; the trackbed being extensively cleared and cut back; upgrading the signalling like-for-like; replacing bridges, improving stations and remodelling Honeybourne - a move designed to improve access to/from Long Marsden and to also afford the preserved Gloucester Warwickshire Railway a route to the station without needing to alter the track layout.

And all of this within a year. The track-laying contractor is expected to be awarded in the next month, with work commencing in August. Signalling equipment is scheduled to be completely overhauled and completed by October. Work in total has been equated to 20 weeks and, even better, is that most work will take place through the night, with the need for replacement bus services kept to an absolute minimum. While the benefit to passengers through improved journey times is negligible (1-3 minutes in general) it does broaden the scope for additional paths for both passenger and freight trains. Many people quite rightly believe NR needs a shake-up in order to increase its efficiency; here, however, the nationalised infraco seems to genuinely be pulling its socks up.

National Pride

The world cup football tournament will soon be upon us and already we're hearing of politically correct stances being taken by local authorities and the police that serve only to aggravate matters before a pig's bladder has even been kicked. Only yesterday did my local village shop look different to last week - Lincolnshire Police had requested the proprietor remove the St. George's Cross bunting as it could offend minority ethnics (they're discouraged from saying 'ethnic minority' now).

This spilt out into the bus industry recently. One of the few high-fliers to keep a transport blog is FirstGroup's Leon Daniels. Sure, anyone reading his online organ, hoping to get the juicy details of what really goes in within the largest transport operator in the UK, will be sorely disappointed, as Daniels keeps his blog to a relative much of a muchness.

He's been reasonably candid on a number of occasions, though, the latest being on Tuesday when he wrote about an incident that had occurred in the Potteries which involves a young lad and his mother alleging a Eastern European bus driver had thrown them off his bus for daring to wear an England t-shirt. The incident is still classified as being 'live', yet FirstGroup's UK Bus Commercial Director has chosen to detail it on his blog. Clearly, the company must be about as certain that they're in the clear as it is physically possible to be, for the incident to be released into the www.

Daniels goes through each of the allegations one at a time and manages to refute them all (no Eastern European driver was working any of the routes in the area at the time; while an incident did take place, it was resolved by passengers on the bus; no real witness has come forward etc etc etc). He goes on to quite rightly say that the company has no sympathy for passengers who clearly want to elicit compensation by providing a fictitious claim. He does seem, perhaps, more concerned about the 1,100-strong Facebook group containing 'extreme comments about what they would like to do with the driver'.

Facebook is becoming an ever-more powerful tool for bus and coach operators alike. It gets two prominent mentions by one of the most senior men in FirstGroup and while the driver involved in whatever went on must be very pleased to see his commercial director using every avenue possible to quash outlandish comments made against him, the move is pretty significant indeed. Generally, Facebook is used to positive effect, but there are occasions - as the incident in the Potteries proves - when the social networking site can provide a nasty sting in its tail.

Leaving aside the power wielded by Facebook, both incidents mentioned here are rooted in the fears the English have about race and diversity. On both occasions, absolutely nothing has been either proven or physically taken place. For as long as our own residents make allegations about race that end up being completely false, I suspect the police will continue to make seemingly bonkers decisions about the manner in which we display our national pride, which will serve only to infuriate residents more.

It's a vicious circle, from which the transport industry is not exempt, that sees our own population and institutions implicated.

Leon Daniels' blog entry

DfT takes the strain

Perhaps the only positive to draw from Monday's announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, which stated that the Department for Transport (DfT) would see its budget slashed by £683 million in the coming year, is that the national media are fairly sure that the division within the DfT that will be hardest hit by this reduction in expenditure is the coffers used to build new/improve existing roads.

While £683 million is indubitably a sizeable chunk of money alone, it does only represent 4% of the DfT's annual budget of £15.9 billion. Those within the transport industries should also be thankful that George Osborne has chosen not to make an example of the DfT, since similar percentage reductions through all other departments catering for non-essential services are to be made. Of the £683mil, the direct expenditute to local authorities is being reduced by £309mil, the schemes not yet agreed for the procurement of new rolling stock will be shelved and outside of the financial reduction, the DfT has announced it can make efficiency savings that amount to £112mil.

The railways are additionally protected thanks to Network Rail's (NR) Control Period 4 (CP4), for which funding is guaranteed, which safeguards all planned engineerung work until March 2014.

NR does need to be more efficient, though - something many within the rail industry have long been calling for - and has seen its budget outwith CP4 reduced by £100m. In turn, this will see its recently-formed Better Stations programme cancelled and cut-backs concerning "discretionary investment on programmes that do not add capacity or operational efficiency to the railway."

As local authorities see their spending squeezed, bus and coach operators who rely on home-to-school contracts and/or subsidies for operating non-commercially viable bus services will potentially see their incomes reduced, as decisions are made in town halls about how best to make savings to the money afforded to local governments. While larger bus operators who see subsidy wane for evening journeys will arguably be no worse off by withdrawing the service(s) altogether, the smaller, family-owned coach operators, whose bread-and-butter comes in the form of school and college contracts, could be hit hardest by seeing reduced subsidies for the same work undertaken.

Even Crossrail could face significant problems in the short-term at least. The clever money is now on the largest peace time railway infrastructure project not being shelved (new Transport Secretary Phillip Hammond recently confirmed its 'green light') or its route cut, but a delay in its construction being most likely. London Mayor Boris Johnson recently claimed to have 'real fears' over the £16 billion scheme being completed at any time near 2017. The DfT is in consultation with Boris over the level of subsidy reduction TfL is likely to see next year - £108mil is the likely figure.

BSOG reform, the impending legislation outlawing non-low floor vehicles by 2017/8, the lack of manufacturers who are producing buses, the financial squeeze on both operators and local authorities as a result of the free bus pass schemes (which the Tories have claimed they will retain in England), the volatile price of a barrel of oil and increased congestion on the roads, the 'big squeeze' couldn't have come at a more critical time.

For the hard-line transport pessimists out there, it could (and surely will) be argued that the reason why the national media have highlighted road construction as being the biggest loser in the DfT's budget reduction is due to car ownership being so high and passions running so strong whenever car owners feel they are being 'taken for a ride'. Exaggerate this and you a) sell more papers and, b) under-estimate the true impact on public transport.

"I bet I know where you're going!"

The title of today's entry was uttered by the South West Trains (SWT) guard as he checked mine and m'colleague's tickets as we headed south-west from London aboard the 1035 Class 444 'Desiro' train to Weymouth. And those fond of SWT's 3CIGs will also, by now, have guessed our intended destination.

Our day started at England's largest station - London Waterloo - where out ten-car SWT '444' loads passengers on Platform 11, bound for Bournemouth and Weymouth

For Saturday 22 May was the final day's service for these 1963 stalwart electric multiple units (EMUs). Designated as Class 421 mid-way through their introduction, they are probably best known by those perhaps less enthusiastic of the railways as the 'slam-door electric trains that ran into London from the south'. Built between 1964-72 at British Rail's (BR's) York factory, the trains, known as 4CIGs initially, ran exclusively on the Brighton Main Line, linking the route's southern-most terminus with London. They were also later to be seen running to/from Portsmouth.

If you're still not sure the traction type to which we refer, hopefully this will make things a little clearer. 1497 approaches Lymington Town from the Pier station on her final day's work

Their original title - 4CIG - derives from the manner in which British Rail's Southern Region named its traction types. In the case of the slam-door EMUs, 4 referred to the number of units/carriages and CIG stood for "Corridor BrIGhton Stock". This type of train, however, eventually became synonymous with commuters in the south of England. Privatisation and the influx of newer trains with electronically controlled plug doors eventually sealed their fate.

I'd assumed patronage for Saturday's last-ever day's service would be high and I wasn't disappointed, with the numbers in attendance to mark the passing of a fairly large chunk of British railway history. Here 1497 arrives from the SWT depot ready to relieve sister 1498

During 2005, a decision was taken to remove all slam-door electrics from passenger service in the UK, though SWT received a special dispensation for their 5.25-mile Lymington Branch, linking the main London Waterloo-Weymouth line at Brockenhurst with the idyllic marina town of Lymington. The branch line's existence relies heavily on the ferry service between Lymington and Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight, and to this extent, the small town boasts two train stations: Lymington Town and Lymington Pier.

Special headboards had been made and were worn at both ends by both 3CIGs

M'colleague and I first travelled on the line soon after its outreach from the 2005 Class 421 cull had taken into effect. We were mid-way through our 2005 LEYTR Railrover jaunt and travelled north from Lymington Pier to Brockenhurst thence to Pokesdown. On Saturday, almost five years on, the traction type's reign here was at an end: SWT have now withdrawn both specially-converted EMUs and have started operating Class 158 diesel multiple units (DMUs) along the branch on weekdays and '450' EMUs at weekends.

Many will undoubtedly knock SWT for their withdrawal - especially along a fully-electrified branch line when they're to be replaced by DMUs - but travelling on the trains revealed how tired and worn they are now looking. As we both arrived at Brockenhurst, off an immaculate SWT Desiro, we were lucky enough to see both units in action - 1498 'Farringford' had worked all journeys up until its arrival into Brockenhurst at 1224 and 1497 'Freshwater' would then take over for the remainder of the day.

Here we see 1498 'Farringford' after completing the morning shift. The driver was shunting her to the Up sidings where she would be stabled until the ceremonious journey back to the depot attached to 1497

While both trains - named after two vessels that sailed for many, many years between Lymington and Yarmouth - are still officially Class 421s, they're now referred to as 3CIGs on account of both units losing a carriage when they were removed from main line service and prepared for their retirement along the Lymington Branch. Both now comprise three carriages - one of which being First Class compartments - another being Standard Class seating and the central one being part-Standard Class, the guard's compartment and an area housing wheelchair users and parents with buggies.

Look familiar? The memories of this type of interior, while being consigned to yesteryear, quickly provoked many memories

Both trains have worn heritage liveries since they were saved from the scrap yard. 1497 'Freshwater' carries BR's blue and grey livery, while sister 1498 'Farringford' wears BR's all-green livery.

You might assume the timetable would reflect the relaxed operation these two 3CIGs were clearly undertaking. Actually, they increased their daily exercise considerably since being allocated here. While they don't exceed 60mph at any point along the 10.5-mile round trip, they are expected to undertake a tireless 10-min drive, 5-min turnaround for over 16 hours (0559-2224). In fact, the operation is so intensive, SWT had to overcome problems it identified with running DMUs with such fast turnarounds.

Despite the 3CIGs now having gone for good, the new '158' DMUs appear to require additional running time - 1 minute in either direction. It says much about both the diesel engine over electric motors and new over old that a vehicle less than two decades old requires extra time to cover the same distance a vehicle more than twice its age could manage.

You could, therefore, quite rightly ask SWT for the reason why it decided the withdraw the trains. They cited the necessity for another complete overhaul, both mechanically and internally and the level of cost this would levy, as the prime reason. As we mentioned, both trains weren't in the best of states and while we understand they could have continued running for another year or so, a decision was taken - be it for better or worse - and D-Day was on Saturday.

Some of the design features that have been lost with modern trains were in evidence on Saturday as we both made numerous trips along the line. Firstly, door width is something that has become a lot more generous over the years. The end Standard Class carriage has three doors - one at either end and one in the middle - all of which are incredibly narrow by today's standards and the central one features passengers sat opposite each other as you board. While this was always the case, the ambiance afforded the new generation of EMU and DMU has seen passenger seating well away from the much wider entrance doors.

We both jumped aboard Freshwater's second journey of the day, departing Brockenhurst at 1259, and I soon cottoned on to the fact that in order to take photos and video, we really needed to board as late as possible and immediately close the door behind. The sliding window could then be lowered for photography. Normally, the loadings along the branch aren't anything to write home about, but today saw a plethora of photographers and families using the line, in addition to tourists heading to/from the Isle of Wight. SWT had laid on activities at Brockenhurst station and so too at Lymington Town.

Look how new the platform is, here at Lymington Town. Major alterations were required for DMUs to operate along the branch

Within a mile after leaving Brockenhurst, the line branches off the main Waterloo-Weymouth route and becomes single-track. We head through the southern reach of the New Forest and this is the stretch that sees the trains running at their fastest. We clocked ours, using a GPS device, touching 60mph. Braking for Lymington Town and a number of curves brings up another aspect of modern-vs-old train operation: the burning smell of the air brakes. This was accompanied with the familiar grinding noise, in direct correlation between the driver pulling his lever and the brakes grinding against the wheels. Today, everything is operated electronically and you seldom find a train that allows you to stick your head out the window while in motion.

After 4.75 miles, we arrived at Lymington Town. The platform looked almost new and this was due to the work required in readiness for the DMU operation. As we exited, we saw a selection of awnings in the station car park with a live band playing in front of the Wilts & Dorset bus depot. Food was on offer (though not as cheap as that being sold in Tesco in the town) and the weather was exceptional - 27C and blue sky as far as the eye could see.

It's not often you see a live band performing with the backdrop of a bus depot, though this is exactly what was on offer at Lymington Town

We wandered into the town centre where there was a market in full flow along one of the main streets. A number of Wilts & Dorset vehicles passed us, from East Lancs-bodied Volvos to Optare Solos. Having taken brief refuge from the temperature in a cafe that served reasonably-priced milkshakes, we headed back to town and caught the 1416 train north, back to Brockenhurst. At the terminus we stayed on and sat in the familiar BR seating for the return trip. It was very hot indeed and judging by those aboard, around 80% of travellers today were here to say goodbye to the traction type.

Once again we left Brockenhurst, passing 'Farringford' that had been stabled along the Up sidings, and south to Lymington. On this occasion we stayed on to the Pier station terminus. The drivers were constantly asking photographers if there was a special number they'd like displaying on the two-roller number blind. Unless a specific request was made, either 91 or 97 was displayed. SWT had a number of staff at all three stations, ensuring everything went off smoothly. They all seemed happy to converse with the enthusiasts and one nice gent told me that both 3CIGs would be coupled together at the end of the day and sent off to the depot at Bournemouth. This would have made an excellent and very rare shot, since usually only one EMU is used on any one day.

Back at Lymington Pier, our 30 minutes was utilised by witnessing the Wight Link car ferry from Yarmouth arriving, disembarking and then heading back across the Solent.

There's a fair amount of walking required for drivers on the Lymington Branch. Every 15 minutes they are required to walk the full length of their train. Here the driver of the 1446 ex Lymington Pier awaits the right away from his guard

Trains depart Brockenhurst at xx29 xx59 past each hour, arriving Lymington Town at xx07 xx37 and Lymington Pier at xx09 xx39. They return from Lymington Pier at xx44 xx14, Lymington Town xx46 xx16 and arrive Brockenhurst at xx54 xx24. The first train is 0559 ex Brockenhurst and the last is 2214 ex Lymington Pier - that's 32 round trips per day.


We caught the 1514 from Lymington Pier the half-mile to the Town and hopped off. The weather was very hot indeed and while we knew the '444' back to London would be air conditioned, still felt the urge to stock up with supplies. We jumped on the service 30 minutes later back to Brockenhurst and then onto our punctual 5-car 'Desiro' at 1615 to Waterloo.

But what now for the two '421' 3CIGs that were retired on Saturday? One consideration was that both EMUs would pass to Knights Rail Services of Eastleigh, where they'd join a 4CIG being prepared for mainline service. However, the proprietor sold his 4CIG recently to the Brighton Belle Project for them to use as spares for their 4CIG, which they're fundraising for to enable it to once again return to the main line. It may be that Freshwater and/or Farringford could be returned to their 4-car formation and continue in service, albeit in a wholly preserved fashion.

PPP: Perverse Pricey Profligate

So. Farewell then, London's Public-Private Partnership (PPP), which was consigned to the history books as one of the biggest wastes of public money in living memory - even by London's standards. The final nail in the coffin was struck by Mayor of London Boris Johnson on 7 May, days after the general election result made it clear that Labour would not command a majority government.

The PPP was the brain child of then Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, who saw it as 'the third way' to renew the London Underground (LU) network in a manner akin to privatisation by the back door, though convoluted enough to keep his party's back-benchers on side. Rather than sell-off LU to the highest bidder - and in 1998, hot-on-the-heels of rail privatisation, many would have surely passed to bus companies - Labour's plan was to ostensibly lease LU stations, tracks and signalling equipment to private companies, who would be specialists in this area and so provide a more efficient service all round.

London Transport as was (and many would say its present-day reincarnation, Transport for London - TfL) was a cumbersome beast who devoured more public money than any transport system in the UK. LT's costs were rocketing, similar to how Network Rail's are today, and in effect they priced themselves out of the market. Secrecy and bureaucracy were two nouns New Labour were keen to banish, following years of Tory rule and the associated corruption. Clip LT's wings though in a manner that won't send your back benchers in a spin and you've got the 'third way'.

It's a little ironic though that it was a Labour government that effectively privatised LU's infrastructure with the PPP's introduction in December 2002 and it was a Conservative coalition that effectively liberated it into nationalisation 8.5 years later. London's first Mayor, Ken Livingstone, even went to court in 2001 to stop the PPP's introduction, but failed.

The first of two private companies was awarded a 30-year agreement - Tube Lines, whose two shareholders Bechtel and Amey (calling themselves Ferrovial), were given the right to renew the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines from December 2002. A total of £4.4 billion was to be spent during the first 7.5 years. In April 2003, the second and final private company was awarded a contract to renew the infrastructure along the remaining nine LU lines in a deal lasting 30 years, Metronet.

However, by July 2007, Metronet's finances were not in good shape and the company responsible for the lion's share of LU's upgrade work went into administration. This alone cost the taxpayer £410 million as TfL was forced to purchased the company. While this was ongoing, the two lines on which Metronet was working, were taken back into TfL's fold. During this period, Tube Lines continued apace with its renewal of three lines, but strife was just around the corner when it got into a dispute with TfL over the costs required for the second 7.5-year period, which was due to start from July 2010.

Tube Lines wanted £5.75 billion and TfL claimed it could do the work for £4 billion. The PPP arbiter Chris Bolt was duly called and determined a figure of £4.4 billion should be paid. TfL said that this was £4m more than was necessary and Tube Lines claimed they would be £1.35 billion short. Chris Bolt amended his figure to £4.46 billion which had no effect in calming either side down. He suggested last month that TfL should either provide the level of funding he stated or to reduce the amount of work it wanted Tube Lines to undertake in order to reduce the amount that way.

The last six months has seen both London Underground and Tube Lines fall out, as demonstrated by the missing 'n' here

On 7 May, though, with Labour firmly in opposition, Boris Johnson announced that TfL had purchased Tube Lines for £310 million and that they would procure the work themselves. Even with the purchase, they'd be many millions of pounds in the black. Said Mayor Boris: "Freed from the perverse Byzantine PPP structure, I am confident that LU and private contractors are more than capable of delivering the improvements to London's transport network that we need, on time and on budget."

The deal is expected to complete on 30 June - one day before Tube Lines' second 7.5 year period. The only immediate problem TfL will have is that they'll now be unable to blame Tube Lines for delays to the Jubilee or Northern lines!

Not about money

With news yesterday that Unite the union's planned strike against British Airways (BA) action was lawful and will potentially commence on Monday, we look at two disputes - one ongoing - in which matters have escalated to the point that both sides agree on one thing: that wages are not the issue.

British Airways -vs- Unite

As early as last autumn, BA, headed by its chief executive Willie Walsh, has clashed with its workforce. Initially, the issue was over proposed cuts to the number of crew on board each aircraft and a pay freeze. BA used the company's well-publicised financial plight to, if nothing else, draw sympathy from the public at large. A strike was planned but was deemed illegal by the High Court since many of those balloted would have left the company before the strike action could take place.

In a recent interview with the BBC News Channel, Tony Woodley, Joint Leader of Unite, said that the issue now was not regarding pay, but a sticking point concerning employee travel concessions.

At the moment in time, BA employees are entitled to:

• Following six months' service, unlimited stand-by Economy flights charged at 10% of the advertised price for the employee and his/her wife and children; or partner; or someone from the employee's list of nominated people (up to 3 permitted and can be amended every 6 months)
• Those ranked more senior may upgrade (at a financial cost) to non-stand-by tickets
• Reciprocal agreements are in place with other major airlines with like-for-like 10% stand-by Economy flights
• After 5 years' service, an allocation of free stand-by Economy flights is afforded to each employee. Those with in excess of 20 years' service are given double this amount.

Stand-by travel means that employees and their family/nominated persons can only travel on their intended flight provided booked customers do not turn up. If all are present, the BA staff member and family cannot travel. Free flight allocation after 5 years does not include taxes.

Back in March, when BA cabin crew first went on strike, Unite's members were told by BA that the risked losing their travel concession permanently. This is the current sticking point. With news that the Court of Appeal yesterday overturned the initial ruling on Wednesday that Unite's planned strike action was illegal, following claims that news of the 11 spoilt ballot papers from the 11,000 received, wasn't clearly relayed to its members, the planned 15 strike days are solely over the travel concession's reinstatement.

First South Yorkshire -vs- Unite

In the bus industry, the loggerhead between Unite and First South Yorkshire was finally resolved at the start of the week. Again, the financial side of the latest pay deal had been resolved many months ago, though the 700-employee Olive Grove depot in Sheffield had rejected their deal in full following sticking points on non-wage related items.

Their 'beef' was regarding the taking of holiday and perceived flaws in the disciplinary procedure. After many months of negotiation between First's directorship and Unite, an agreement has been reached and the deal recommended for acceptance by the Union. First South Yorkshire employees at Sheffield now have guarantees:

• A 'no strike' clause was removed from an earlier draft
• The instigation of an independent Review Panel, whose sole purpose is to scrutinise the manner in which employees have been disciplined. The Review Panel's composition will be of managers and Unite union reps from neighbouring First depots and whose decision is final
• Any disciplinary award must be 'the minimum necessary'
• Employees are now officially permitted to group together their annual holiday entitlement to take on one block
• Holiday days may be taken individually provided no outstanding lieu days left

The deal brokering since October last year, when drivers went on strike in Sheffield for four days over 7 collective grievances, has seen the Union overturn 5 of these, plus compensation has been paid to drivers who, the Union claim, were made to route learn in their own time.

Astonishing parallels exist between both disputes, the main one being that to end the strike action sees very little financial hardship for the employer. First accepted egg on its face and agreed to set-up the Review Panel and allowed flexibility on how its workforce can take its holidays, to mention but two items. BA needs to do the same regarding its staff travel concession and by Tony Woodley's own admission, the strikes will be called off.

First's pension deficit is nothing like BA's and only one small, but sizeable depot within its empire, was turning up the heat. Had it been its entire UK workforce, perhaps Sir Moir - who undoubtedly will have been briefed very closely about developments in Sheffield - wouldn't have been so understanding.

Doing the rounds

The following video has been doing the rounds recently. Initially uploaded to YouTube, the clip was swiftly removed following national attention (it featured on the national BBC news). Clearly, the original uploaded was overwhelmed by the media attention it created. Thank goodness, then, for those savvy video watchers who saved the media prior to it being removed, only to then upload it themselves.

If the chap was a cat, he now has 8 lives left.

On a serious note, it does bring home the safety and vigilance required by all who frequent train stations. Enthusiasts have been fighting back recently, forcing police force after police force to re-issue guidelines to their officers concerning the legitimate taking of photos on platforms. Regrettably, action such as the chap in the video serve only to undo all the hard work done.

"I wonder if the Editors have another YouTube clip in their archive they'd be willing to upload (again) that shows other bafoons coming a cropper?"

We're only too pleased to oblige...

Agreement

Further to last week's post regarding areas in which constituent members of the new Con-Dem coalition both agree and disagree on transport policies, the first area where agreement has been reached was recently reported: Heathrow Airport will now no longer get its third runway.

Admittedly, little negotiation was required here as both parties featured this pledge in their respective manifestos. Both claimed High Speed Rail was a better provider for internal travel, though aviation claim so few people fly internally from Heathrow that HS2 will make not one jot of difference to Heathrow's popularity.

We understand that the first major climb down for one section of the coalition is on a new aircraft tax, as proposed by the LibDems. The Conservatives are understood to be ready to accept this. It could well have formed part of the negotiations that procured the coalition.

The coalition has agreed on the following proposals that relate to transport and the environment:

1. The establishment of an emissions performance standard that will prevent coal-fired power stations being built unless they are equipped with sufficient CCS to meet the emissions performance standard.
2. The establishment of a high-speed railway network.
3. The provision of a floor price for carbon, as well as efforts to persuade the EU to move towards full auctioning of ETS permits.
4. The refusal of additional runways at Gatwick and Stansted.
5. The cancellation of Heathrow's proposed third runway.
6. The replacement of the Air Passenger Duty with a per flight duty.

Interestingly, the coalition has agreed a process that will allow LibDems to maintain their opposition to nuclear power while giving the green light to the government to bring forward the national planning statement for ratification by Parliament so that new nuclear construction becomes possible.

Fascinating times ahead.

A welcome about-turn

The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) had planned on slipping in a last-minute restriction to one if its ticket types that would have serious knock-on effects to those wanting to use it: they planned on introducing a 10am start time to the All-lines Railrover.

As anyone interested in the rail industry will know, the All-lines Railrover (ALR) is the ultimate rover ticket for use on the railways here on mainland Britain. It affords the user unmetered access to the national rail network (with the usual Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect Heyes-Heathrow restriction) and, until publicised by Lord Adonis last year, had remained at a static price for a good number of years.

The ALR receives no official advertisement, though Northern at least mention it in its publicity. ATOC says the financial reimbursement to operators for the tickets use and the manner in which it could fairly charge train operators for a leaflet's production are factors why it is the least-advertised ticket in the country. Oh, and the fact that it is often cheaper than return fares issued by individual train operators.

You'll remember the, now consigned to history, £1,002 fare from Newquay to Kyle of Lochalsh, well for £650 the traveller could purchase a same class ALR that would be valid for 7 days, not just a return journey. A Standard Class version costs less, at £430 (or £284 for children and all types of Railcard except Young Person).

£430 for a week's travel on virtually all rail services in the UK is exceptional value, and travellers to this country from mainland Europe wouldn't necessarily think the UK has the most expensive railway in the developed world. But unless they are personal friends of Barry Doe, are willing to search through a plethora of online forums in hope of finding a ticket that meets their needs other than those offered by train operators, or are avids of this blog(!), how are they to know?

So you can see how a 10am start time restriction to the ALR could have fundamentally affected its usefulness and versatility. The caveat was that the restriction would only apply to 'intercity' services - CrossCountry, East Coast, Hull Trains, Grand Central, Virgin Trains, East Midlands Trains and First Great Western. So, not many then! Small comfort for someone who wants to travel any significant distance before 10am. At least the Cornish branch lines would be unaffected (and, actually, most of the LEYTR area)!

The 10am restriction would have killed off the ALR - something ATOC will have been well aware of. The ALR is also not regulated, so can have its price altered and restrictions applied to ATOC's heart's content. Perhaps the underlying reasoning for applying the 10am start time is to stop those savvy commuters who now purchase it rather than a weekly season ticket from being able to do so? A 14-day version is also available, offering substantial savings on a Manchester-London season ticket if purchased consecutively over a fortnight. A First Class version (£990 for 2 weeks) would also mean the Manchester-London commuter would never have to visit Asda again, as he/she would be afforded Virgin Train's 'all you can eat for free' service.

To compensate, ATOC had prepared to reduce the prices of all ALR versions, but in the event this was not to be as they changed their minds and the ALR is to remain as it is and for the same price as last year.

Phew.

Cynics cited ATOC dipping its toe in the water by floating plans on effectively declassifying the ALR to an off-peak ticket and judging by the response from Tweeters and members of Internet groups, they backed down. It would be nice to think that it was 'the blogs what won it', but in truth, we'll never know.

The All-lines Railrover is available in either a 7- or 14-day version and is priced for either 1 adult or 1 child/Railcard holder. It affords the holder to free, unlimited travel on all train operating company services throughout the national rail network and on the Ffestiniog Railway. The First Class version entitles the holder to exactly the same gratuities afforded to First Class single/return/season ticket holders. The ALR does not permit travel on London Underground, PTE light rail systems, Eurostar services, Heathrow Express and Heathrow Connect between Heyes/Harlington-Heathrow. Young Person Railcards are not accepted.

7 day Standard Class - £430 adult, £284 child/Railcard
14 day Standard Class - £650 adult, 429 child/Railcard
7 day First Class - £650 adult £429 child/Railcard
14 day First Class - £990 adult, £653 child/Railcard

Essex lad done good

The BBC, and indeed all news channel providers, chose not to openly reveal which MP had been awarded the responsibility for Transport in the recent job bonanza in the same manner to which they'd reported on the 'top jobs'. Many people could be forgiven for not having heard of Philip Hammond, our newly-elected Secretary of State for Transport.


Approaching 55 years of age, this Essex-born Conservative politician is the Member of Parliament for Runnymede and Weybridge, joining the political scene as a MP following the outcome of the 1997 general election, in which he was one of precious few Tory gains, though this was widely seen as the result of boundary alterations, made on the eve of the election.

Like many MPs, Philip Hammond received criticism during the expenses scandal for claiming £8 short of the maximum allowances bestowed upon an MP. But what of Hammond's experience in the Department for Transport?

On the face of it, he's had little experience working with transport. While one of his first minesterial roles upon entering the House of Commons in 1997 was to serve on the Environment, Transport & The Regions select committee, all other shadow positions have been perhaps as far detached from transport as is possible - Health, Work & Pensions, Office of the Deputy Prime Miniser, Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

He had been part of the shadow cabinet since 2005 and was likely to be given a piece of the action upon the his party leader being sworn in as the new PM. Had Transport been given to a 'big hitter', such as Theresa May or Ken Clarke, you can be assured that the role would not have seemingly slipped under the radar. His lack of experience in transport shouldn't necessarily weigh against him - Lord Adonis had never worked in transport before, though had a passion for the railways, something that was borne out by those in the bus industry who felt frustrated that he'd always delegate matters here to his junior ministers.

Transport's relevance to the new Conservative-Liberal Coalition could be measured in relation to the cabinet appointments. David Cameron has ensured the positions linked strongest to the Conservative's core values have been filled with MPs who best reflect this - an EU-sceptic as Foreign Secretary; a hard-liner on immigration as Home Secretary. A relative nobody heading the Department for Transport, in this context, does not bode so well. An optimist would cite Hammond's position could afford the department 'blue sky thinking' from someone who's effectively been a transport agnostic for many years. A pessimist would argue that Hammond's appointment shows the new coalition feel Transport is very low on the agenda. The lower down the agenda, the quicker and deeper the cuts are likely to be.

The Private Eye enjoys an occasional column called Me and My Spoons, in which Hammond could feature, having once spent £24 of taxpayers' money purchasing eight of the type required to stir tea.

Megabus expansion

At the same time as we brought you an exclusive blog entry concerning Stagecoach's investment in some of the first-ever Plaxton Elite-bodied Volvo B9Rs for its National Express (NX) coach requirements, Brian Souter's transport giant also announced that its competing coach operation, Megabus, would expand, taking in further destinations and increasing frequencies of existing routes.

Selkirk, Hawick, Galashiels, Birmingham International Airport, Carlisle, Torquay and Paignton are the seven new additions, some of which are to be added to existing services, so the press release's allusion to all-brand new cross-country services is a little misleading. In fact, cross-country coach services are notoriously problematic, compared to their radial London counterparts, for a number of reasons.

Firstly, the these east-west routes omit London - the location with one of the biggest pull factors in the world; secondly, while London has traffic problems, a typical east-west service encounters more settlements, each with its own bottlenecks and traffic chaos; thirdly, journey times are hampered by the need to constantly change roads (if only it were possible to travel Land's End-John o' Groats on the same road); and finally, when compared to the private car or train, equivalent cross-country coach journeys - while usually cheaper - are less-well supported due to their journey times, so higher fares are charged. There are precious few Funfares available at all (let alone for £1) on NX's services that do not serve London.

So it is very interesting to see £1 single fares available on a whole host of the new journey possibilities that are to commence from 24 May. On 30 May, for example, a £1 single between Exeter and Birmingham International is possible. NX, by comparison, does not offer its bargain Funfare tickets to/from airports, choosing to leave journeys calling here offering premium fares. But with only Brum's airport added to Megabus' portfolio, those flying with easyJet et al from Luton and Stansted ought not to get excited too soon.

It is likely that the headline £1 fare being so prevalent from the new localities is deliberate and will be short-lived, as was the case when Megabusplus launched from Yorkshire to London via East Midlands Parkway and the Midland Main Line. There is folklore already enshrined in NX and Megabus operation where drivers believe there's some kind of legal obligation to offer the headline fare on all journeys. Complete fallacy. Obviously if an operator adorns its vehicles in 10-feet tall '£1' vinyls yet never offers a fare at this level, action may be taken; but how do you prove such a thing?

Stagecoach has understood the need to reduce journey times on its cross-country services though, with its Portsmouth-Leeds service re-timed to complete an end-to-end journey in under 7 hours. As soon as it uploads its new timetables from 24 May, we'll see at what cost. Shaving 2 hours from a journey and not removing a location or two (and all at which Megabus call have substantial populations or are integral for connections/park-and-rides) will see reduced potential.

There will be a number of Volvo B12Ms released from the end of July, ousted by the new NX intake, though we understand these coaches are leased, not owned, so may not seamlessly drop into play with Megabus during the autumn, as their S-reg Jonckheere counterparts did from 2006.

Similar with Greyhound, virtually all Megabus operation is not registered as a local bus service and accordingly operates without receipt of Bus Service Operators Grant. While this puts the operation at a financial disadvantage when compared to the market leader, it does afford the company the ability to be more reactive to demand on, potentially, a week-by-week basis - something NX has only recently cottoned onto and done something similar with its competing south coast services.

The relationship between Stagecoach and NX was volatile for a number of years, when the Megabus operation commenced. A reasonably senior figure within NX told LEYTR a number of years ago that, back in 2004, Stagecoach could have been relieved of all their NX contracts. Today, things seem more settled - despite the backdrop of increased Megabus activity. While there is a very large proportion of NX travellers who prefer to visit a booking office or to deal with a human being via the phone (not at £1-per minute), Megabus and Greyhound will always be at a disadvantage.

We've seen first-hand here in the LEYTR area that NX carries hundreds of thousands of passengers each year to some of the rural villages and small Wolds and Fenland towns that would never be considered by Megabus and Greyhound. This demographic tends to be older, with increased levels of disposable income and seem happy with the service offered. While this remains prevalent, the inroads made into NX's dominance on a national scale will be limited.

Megabus expansion press relase

Stagecoach go Elite

Currently being built at one of Plaxton's factories are sixteen Plaxton Elite bodies for Stagecoach. They will be allocated to vehicles working company's National Express (NX) diagrams. A number of vehicles operated by Stagecoach are over the NX benchmark of 7 years of age and a decision to replace them was delayed for over six months while NX underwent a succession of take-over offers.

YN10 FKO is performing one of its first-ever trips and is seen here in Baker Street, central London, after travelling from Manchester via Buxton and Derby. It is owned by Selwyns and we believe it is the first Plaxton Elite to operate NX services

Built on the Volvo B9R chassis, the 16 Plaxton Elites represent the first purchase for Stagecoach and will (we believe) be allocated as follows:

** Peterborough - 5, replacing 5 Volvo B12M/Plaxton Paragons
** Oxford - 5, replacing 5 Scania/Levantes, which pass to Dover
** Chesterfield - 6, replacing 6 Scania/Levantes, which pass to Dover

Those currently in build for Stagecoach will be identical to Selwyn example seen here. The rear-end features a spoiler. You'll note the foot holes beneath the emergency exit on the off-side - something the Levantes didn't have

Mansfield will lose its lone Scania/Levante to Dover who will in total receive 12 of this type, all cascaded, and along with neighbouring Ramsgate, will operate Stagecoach's entire contingent of this standard wheel-base type. Mansfield will not receive any replacement vehicles and we believe this will spell the end of its NX work.

The new NX-spec Elites first entered service with Selwyns of Runcorn, who allocated one to its lengthy 440 journey between Manchester and London via The Peak District on Friday. The most striking aspect is the locality of the destination screen - beneath the front windscreen, which is sure to catch many passengers unaware. Though unlike the Scania PB, this won't detract from passengers' views out of the front windscreen (04/54-reg) or the vehicle's aero-dynamicity following the add-on for the destination on the roof (05-reg and newer).

The teardrop effect is most evident in this shot.

The front of the Elite looks a little bulbous, or having a design rather like a teardrop but fits nicely in Plaxton's top-end portfolio, which many will admit has been lacking of coaches of this ilk for many a year! You don't immediately think of Plaxton when conjuring up top-notch coach builders and clearly this was something Plaxton wanted to address, and address it they did. A tri-axle version is available on the Volvo B12B chassis and Stagecoach is no stranger to coaches longer than 40ft, with tri-axle Levantes operating on its NX 444 service linking Gloucester with London, not to mention 15m examples in use on Megabus duties.

Perhaps the locality of the destination isn't as easy to miss as we first thought?

(All photos: Mark Woodgate)

What we don't know yet is the interior spec defined by NX. A top-end coach clearly requires top-end spec both inside and out, but realistically, when operating quasi-stage-carriage services day in, day out, some of the add-ons as standard for the operator purchasing an Elite for private hire work will simply be unnecessary for NX services. We expect them to be minimal inside, though plush enough to not let the exterior design down.

Areas of conflict

Despite some common ground existing between both the Conservative's and LibDem's manifestos, transport is one area where great chasms exist. It's also one subject least likely to feature in talks between the two party leaders.

In favour
- reduced micro-management of rail franchises
- longer-term rail franchises
- High Speed 2 is a good idea and needs to be taken forward
- greater accountability for Network Rail
- broad support for light rail schemes
- oppose Heathrow's third runway
- reduction in Crossrail - both support it but neither has said it is safe

Deputy LibDem leader Vince Cable said that Crossrail was 'not a priority' for his party; the Conservatives believe that Crossrail will be subject to a value-for-money assessment like any other scheme in the pipeline.

At loggerheads
- LibDems want an end to deregulation of the bus industry that the Conservatives brought in during the 1980s
- Conservatives are against the 2008 Local Transport Act that Labour brought in that aims to give greater power to local authorities to regulate buses via Quality Contracts. LibDems very much favour this
- LibDems pledge to introduce a nation-wide road-pricing scheme, something the Conservatives fiercely oppose

The Conservatives believe Quality Contracts will: "drive a wedge between operators and councils, and discourage investment and innovation." Of the LibDem's road-pricing scheme, the Conservatives claim it is: "unwanted, unneeded and an I.T. disaster waiting to happen".

Small crumbs of comfort could exist in David Cameron's desire to become Prime Minister. New Transit claims that during the election campaign the Tory leader said he's consider tolls for *new* roads, though not existing ones.

There could well be another general election within 12 months, so this could end up being an exercise to satisfy the stock exchange in the short-term.

What is High Speed 2?
What is Crossrail?

In bad shape

All bus companies operate a Peak Vehicle Requirement (PVR), whether they refer to it as such or not. For the uninitiated, a bus fleet's PVR is the maximum number of vehicles required at any one time during a working day and is often referred to as a percentage of their overall fleet. What's left is classed as spare capacity and is usually between the 10-20% mark, though in effect vehicles are kept in for routine service, MOT testing and other titivation.

National Express Group's (NX) new Chief Executive, Dean Finch, revealed that his company's bus businesses sees around 30% of the fleet grounded at their depots for mechanical attention; this sees 70% out and about and we know for certain that virtually all NX's bus depots have a PVR way, way above 70%! The net result is lost mileage through journeys that do not operate simply because they have insufficient vehicles.

This practice is unacceptable and if persistent enough the Traffic Commissioner, in whose area the perceived drop in service takes place, can levy hefty fines which are sure to further add to NX's financial woes. Dean Finch signalled that he is to take personal control of National Express West Midlands, Coventry and Dundee in order to turn things around, bringing the percentage of the fleets' vehicles off the road at any one time for mechanical attention down to a more healthy 15%.

For far too long, NX West Midlands (NXWM) has been seen as a cumbersome beast which, despite being the largest bus fleet in the UK, cannot respond to encroachment on its territory as you'd expect. Hence operators like Black & Red Diamond who are thriving at NXWM's expense. We mused that Stagecoach would do the fleet's image and operation nothing but good, had they merged with the beleaguered group last year. If two transport editors in Lincolnshire can see what NXWM's failings are, you can be assured a Scottish millionaire in his castle will have picked up on it too and want to have a slice of the action.

It is commendable for the chief executive to take personal control of such a large fleet of buses and we're both sure matters will improve. We both also know, however, that efficiencies in engineering are not easy to achieve without first throwing more money at the problem - more parts need to be ordered more quickly; more overtime for fitters and a higher cleaning standard. This cannot be achieved while at the same time saving bucket-loads of money - the commodity NX is struggling for right now.

An East End re-opening

Who remembers these shots from what seems like yesteryear?


They were taken on 9 June 2006, which served as the last-ever day for London Underground's East London Line, which closed to make way for the £1-billion Overground network.

At 1210 on 27 April 2010, the first train ran between Dalston Junction and New Cross Gate via Shoreditch, marking the first stage of the outer-circle of heavy rail operation that circum-navigate London.


An unofficial map has been produced that nicely show off the way in which London will be encased with Overground operation. TfL will almost certainly never use this type of cartography, preferring to opt for one which integrates Overground with the Tube network.

Click image to enlarge

We showed it to The LEYTR Stig who said: The cartography is a good likeness of that used by TfL, based on work by Harry Beck. The concentric circles' main limitation is that they do not show, nor could they ever clearly show, the connections available at each of the stations along their never-ending length. A good try and one for my personal archive if nothing else.