Great Western Coffee Shop

NATIONAL EXPRESS has struck an outline deal with the government to scrap its troubled east-coast train franchise, which should pave the way for a ^400m rights issue and boardroom shake-up at the bus and rail group.

Transport officials plan to replace the east-coast deal, struck with National Express just over two years ago, with a management contract, under which the company would operate the line for a fixed fee. It may then be relet to a new operator at a later date.

The east-coast line, which links London to Edinburgh via York and Leeds, carries 17m passengers a year and employs 3,100 staff.

National Express beat fierce competition to take it over, promising to pay nearly ^2 billion in premiums back to the government over eight years. But recession has left the company struggling to make money from the route.

The government, led by rail minister Lord Adonis, has rejected requests for a renegotiation of the franchise.

Rail-industry sources said a meeting on Thursday between Ray O^Toole, National Express^s UK chief executive, and Mike Mitchell, the top rail official at the Department for Transport (DfT), resulted in an outline agreement for the franchise to be suspended and replaced with a contract under which National Express would receive a flat management fee.

Removal of the uncertainty should clear the way for a ^400m fundraising by National Express . It has just over ^1 billion in loans, with ^484m to be refinanced by February.

A ^400m rights issue is seen as the most likely option, but it is understood that some shareholders have demanded management change before agreeing to support an injection of new equity.

Insiders say Richard Bowker, National Express^s chief executive, may come under pressure from those unhappy at how the east-coast deal has played out. Bowker faces investors at the company^s annual meeting on Wednesday.

National Express would not give details of its discussions with the DfT. ^All train-operating companies have regular meetings with the DfT and as a company we never talk about in public what we discuss in private,^ it said.

The DfT said: ^As we have made clear on numerous occasions we do not renegotiate franchises.^

Wonder who will bid for the franchise when it is released  Virgin? First? or DB? now that would set the hares running

Btline, your topic title is a tad "dailymail-esque"

They aren't scrapping it, simply changing the way its run. (If there is any truth in this at all!)

Not true. A management contract is not a franchise. GNER ran it on behalf of the government under a management contract for the last few months. The franchise ended when the management contract was put in place.

Hope First get it so I get free travel on there then!

First group getting it would be a good idea, so the Hull trains, Harrogate trains (if they come) etc. can integrate.

Virgin getting would result in competition problems.

But NX have done a good job with c2c. (except the name) So should they have to hand the keys back for LTS?

Then again, finding an operator to operate LTS badly would be difficult. Even Arriva would manage...

I think it will scupper there chance of getting their hands on Southern! ;D

Perhaps now is a time for franchises to consider reducing the amount of first class seating on their trains? Surely on XC this would be a hge advantage for the seating capacity?!

I think Govia should/will retain it.

When they realised a short franchise was needed until Thameslink was finished, why didn't they just extend the Southern franchise?

If Govia do lose it, a lot of money will be wasted on re-branding, which will become obsolete within a few year.

There would be no real need to relivery 'Southern' under a new operator. They don't use 'GoVia' on the trains, and the overall colours are different to other GoVia franchises, so it would be perfectly possible to just remove the vinyled 'Southern' logo.

Similarly, CrossCountry could be refranchised without any rebranding if it suited the incoming owner. (Though probably not if it was First or Virgin...)

Paul 

why dont they just subcontract catering ... let the buffet area out to an outside company that way they make money from renting the space and have no need to staff this would also provide the service that customers want

They would have to pay any company to offer the service, as all catering is loss-making. Not surprising when you realise how many places at stations you can buy a coffee and a snack before you join the train. And at Paddington you can even pop into M&S or Sainsburys and grab some booze as well if you're so inclined at a fraction of the on train price.

Lowering drinks to 99p would reap rewards for train buffets.

If this affects the profitability, then change supplier. (e.g. from Twinnings to PG Tips) On a train, I doubt people are going to be fussy about the kind of tea bag.

I would much rather buy a "cheapo-make" tea for 99p than a "posh-organic make" tea for ^1.60.

Ditto for Coke (use a cheap brand, buy in bulk and sell for 99p), coffee etc.

I often purchase a hot chocolate which, whatever price is maybe, is quite reasonable!

exactly lets face it how much is a tea bag, and milk works out at 5p a cup if that... at a pound there making 95 pence they could sell a hundred cups between penzance and paddington each trip easy and thats 95 quid, does the toc get to keep all the profit from food sold?

GNER trialled bottles of regional ale, which was a fantastic find, and went down well, at not over inflated prices. The cheese board went regional as well...sometimes all Scottish...sometimes Yorkshire, marvellous.
Best time was when you could buy a slice of pork pie and pickle (again from a regional supplier)...their catering manager must have had a fine time, but from a passenger's point of view it made the queueing and the journey worth while...very fond memories, yet surely not that difficult to realise!!

National Express also operates rail services on the East Anglia main line and associated commuter routes. The company has said that it does not intend to default on its obligations in respect of these franchises. Notwithstanding this, the Government believes it may have grounds to terminate these franchises, and we are exploring all options in the light of the Group^s statement this morning. In the meantime, we expect National Express to meet its obligations on these franchises in full.

A company which had defaulted in the way National Express now intends would not have pre-qualifed for any previous franchises let by the Department. I note that the parent groups of previous franchise failures are no longer in the UK rail business. It is simply unacceptable to reap the benefits of contracts when times are good, only to walk away from them when times become more challenging.

Adonis statement can be found here - http://www.dft.gov.uk/press/speechesstatements/statements/franchisedrailservices

I guess the big question arises from the following quote:

A company which had defaulted in the way National Express now intends would not have pre-qualifed for any previous franchises let by the Department. I note that the parent groups of previous franchise failures are no longer in the UK rail business. It is simply unacceptable to reap the benefits of contracts when times are good, only to walk away from them when times become more challenging.

I take this as a welcome suggestion that NX will not be winning any more franchises and a threat to the likes of First that they will be similarly punished if they walk away from any of their franchises. 

Good man Adonis

Lord Adonis's statement to the House of Lords is here http://www.dft.gov.uk/press/speechesstatements/statements/eastcoastfranchise (http://www.dft.gov.uk/press/speechesstatements/statements/eastcoastfranchise)

He makes clear the process of setting up a state operating firm is in hand, with Elaine Holt, former md of First Capital Connect, the chief executive designate.

The Guardian website says the handover from NX to the Government will be by the end of this year.

Wonder whether a state run company will keep the seat reservation charge?

National Express will hand the running of the East Coast Main Line to the government at one minute to midnight on Friday 13 November.

The government said in July that it would take over the route, which runs trains between London and Edinburgh. Ministers had refused National Express's requests for its contract with the government to be renegotiated.

National Express said it did not expect passengers, services or employees to be affected by the handover. The company has been struggling with the franchise since it turned out that the amount it agreed to pay to run services on the line was too much. National Express agreed in 2007 to pay ^1.4bn over seven years to run the line.

The transport group stressed that its two other rail franchises would not be affected by the transfer of the East Coast franchise, although the government had threatened to take them back when National Express decided to hand back the East Coast franchise. National Express East Anglia runs trains from the east of England to London Liverpool Street as well as operating the Stansted Express, while c2c operates in the south of Essex, with trains going into London Fenchurch Street.

The East Coast franchise will now be operated by a government-controlled group called Directly Operated Railways. Staff currently employed on the line by National Express will transfer to the new company. It is expected to stay in government hands until 2011 when there is likely to be a fresh auction.

I've just noticed the date for the handover. Obviously nobody's superstitious at the DfT!

There is more detail about the handover on the Dft website here. (http://www.dft.gov.uk/dor/)

State taking over key rail route

One of Britain's key rail routes is to be taken into public hands later.

National Express will hand back East Coast Mainline services between London and Edinburgh and the rest of the East Coast franchise just before midnight. Falling revenue and rising costs left it unable to meet a commitment to pay ^1.4bn for the franchise until 2015.

A government company, Directly Operated Railways, will run the franchise for at least 18 months. Ministers say staff and services will be unaffected.

Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has raised fears that services on the franchise's Glasgow branch, which provide 25,000 seats a week, will be scrapped by the end of next year.

'Radical reform'

However, Labour's Lord Foulkes said he had contacted UK Transport Secretary Lord Adonis's office to be told that "no proposals for change" in the timetable had been put to him.

Ministers had refused National Express's requests to renegotiate the franchise, which it has run since 2007. It will instead be offered again at auction, probably in 2011.

Earlier this week National Express, which also operates coaches, said it plans to raise ^360m from investors in order to cut its debts of ^1.1bn.

Unions have called for the company's other franchises, covering routes between London and both East Anglia and southern Essex, to be taken away. The RMT union wants the government to use the East Coast development as a first step to renationalising the whole railway network. General secretary Bob Crow said: "The game's up for railway privatisation in the UK. The bulk of the other rail franchises are only being kept afloat by hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayer subsidy."

Shadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers has called for "radical reform" of the franchising process to encourage "better long-term strategic planning".

We've extended our range of  complimentary snacks in First Class.

If you believe a cup of coffee or tea isn't complete without a tasty little snack, you'll be pleased to know the next time you travel First Class we'll offer you a whole host of delicious treats ^ with our compliments.

We've listened to your feedback and are working with a range of gourmet snack suppliers including Caf^ Bronte, Eat Natural and Burts to bring you a wider selection of complimentary nibbles. Our on-board team will offer you a choice from biscuits, fruitcake, peanuts, yoghurt bars and hand fried potato crisps. The selection available will depend on the time of day you're travelling.

We realise this is a small step along the way to improving our First Class service, but it is just the first. We will continue to make things better and listen to what you have to say. So keep an eye on our website where you'll always find the latest news and developments.

Until it's at the VT level, it's not good enough.

CCTV cameras are to be installed in trains on the East Coast Mainline in a bid to deter anti-social behaviour.
More than 1,600 cameras will be fitted on the entire fleet of 43 trains run by the government-operated East Coast trains.
They will include in-carriage cameras as well as forward-facing cameras in drivers' cabs.
Engineering director Ian Duncan said the move demonstrated a commitment to passenger safety. He said: "On the very rare occasions when a minority of individuals cause problems on our trains, CCTV systems on board will help protect passengers and our staff against anti-social behaviour, assist authorities with convictions against offenders and hopefully act as a deterrent. The introduction of CCTV on board our trains will help to reassure our customers that the train is a safe way to travel."
Work to fit CCTV systems to East Coast's electric trains is already under way, starting with the installation of cameras in the driver's cab.
Cameras will be installed in the carriages on the electric trains in April.
Similarly, work on the diesel High Speed Trains (HSTs) has already commenced, with two full train sets complete, and the remaining sets expected to be complete by October.

More than 1,600 cameras will be fitted on the entire fleet of 43 trains run by the government-operated East Coast trains.
They will include in-carriage cameras as well as forward-facing cameras in drivers' cabs.

Be interesting to see

Wonder what would happen if ASLEF were the successful bidder and then the RMT or TSSA called for industrial action over dispute its members had with their employer

Train guards on the East Coast Mainline between London and Scotland are to be balloted over strike action next week.
The Rail Maritime and Transport Union said members would vote whether to walk out in a row over the introduction of automated ticket barriers.
The union claims a fall in commission from the collection of on-board fares has left guards "seriously out of pocket" and undermined their position.
East Coast Mainline said any action was "completely unnecessary".
"We don't believe there's a genuine appetite for it among our guards - and it's the last thing our customers want," he said.
Union general secretary Bob Crow said: "Our members have made it clear that the loss of earnings arising from automation on East Coast is totally unacceptable. They are not prepared to see the position of the guard undermined to the point where these key staff are reduced to become amongst the lowest-paid guards in the country. East Coast Mainline needs to show very clearly they appreciate the role and responsibility of their guards with an offer that fully recognises the loss of income incurred through the installation of ticket barriers."

East Coast's chairman, Elaine Holt, accepts that erasing the memory of recent events is a problem. "This is Britain's premier railway and there is a lot of pride in it among staff and passengers. What we are doing is trying to put some pride back in the railway. It is a company that has failed twice, and that inevitably has an impact on the service."

_{And not only posted here because of the rather fetching photo of the Chairman.}

Appropriately for a state-owned business, any drama surrounding the route these days is more reminiscent of the British Rail era: punctuality, problems with train doors, getting the catering up to scratch, and grappling with a new timetable. Holt says that, contrary to industry gossip, the timetable is on track for 22 May, bringing a four-hour service to Edinburgh and complimentary hot meals in first-class. "It's not just a new timetable, it's a new product."

I still remember the days of FGW when you could get free cans of orangina/coke/fanta etc. That went when certain managers were spotted putting crates of cans into the back of their cars. Now of course nothing was proven (or disproven), but they just withdrew the cans.

certain managers

I was wondering why they stopped doing free cans of coke in first class!

Bumping this thread as East Coast are further improving their 1st Class offering in May 2011.

From the guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/nov/05/elaine-holt-east-coast). Part of a much larger interview with the fragrant Elaine Holt:

Bignosemac, would you call Mark Hopwood "fragrant"? Though not, so why Ms Holt?

And you and The Guardian seem to have been taken in by her spin team.

So if you are in standard, taking a nice short hop, say London to Edinburgh, all you can get by way of hot food is a microwaved something from the buffet.

Although doesn't Grand Central offer a restaurant to Standard Class Pax??

A new company is set to run rail services in East Anglia.

Existing operator National Express East Anglia was not shortlisted for the Greater Anglia franchise, which starts next year.

The three companies on the list are the Go-Ahead Group, Stagecoach and Nederlande Spoorwagen.

National Express said it would seek clarification from the Department for Transport (DfT) over the decision.

The Greater Anglia franchise will start on 5 February 2012 and run for 17 months with an option to extend by up to one year.

The DfT said this shorter franchise would allow time for reforms arising from the current McNulty review into rail value for money to be properly considered.

'Very disappointed'

In a statement, the DfT said objectives for the franchise would include delivering a quality of service for passengers for their entire journey and working with Network Rail to maintain performance.

A National Express spokesperson said: "We are very disappointed not to have been shortlisted to bid for the Greater Anglia franchise.

"We believe we put forward a very positive and high quality submission building on the significant improvements delivered on National Express East Anglia.

"We are therefore seeking further clarification from the Department for Transport to explain this decision."

Peter Lawrence, president of campaign group Railfuture, said: "I'm surprised. I thought they [National Express] would probably get a 17-month extension.

"I think they're doing the best they can within the circumstances they have to operate in.

"It won't make much difference to passengers. It doesn't seem worthwhile changing operators for such a short period of time."

Why oh why are they planning to re-let the franchise??!?!?!?!?! Nationalisation = much cheaper railways. British Rail was not much better at providing the services, if at all, but a lot cheaper and no worse.

Cheaper for who?
Certainly not the passenger, East Coast haven't put fares down, so I don't see where you're coming from?

East Coast rail line disrupted by signal failure

Hundreds of passengers were stranded on trains on the East Coast main line because of a signal failure.

Five passenger trains and five freight trains were brought to a standstill due to the problem in the York area, Network Rail said.

Other services were disrupted or cancelled. Passengers were being advised to travel only if absolutely necessary.

The East Coast main line runs between London Kings Cross and Scotland.

A Network Rail spokesman said the problem was with its signalling software and at this stage officials had no idea how long it would take to fix.

The affected train companies included CrossCountry, East Coast, First TransPennine Express, Grand Central and Northern Rail.

East Coast introduced a revised timetable.

A number of replacement bus services were being offered around the affected area.

They included First TransPennine Express between York and Middlesbrough, Northern Rail York to Poppleton and CrossCountry between York and Darlington.

BBC Radio Five Live reporter Steph McGovern said she was stuck on a London-bound Grand Central train near Northallerton in North Yorkshire for six hours.

Passengers were eventually allowed to climb down a ladder and walk along the track to a level crossing.

She said people on the train had been provided with free food and drink.

Other trains were evacuated in the same way, she said.

Three months ago thousands of East Coast main line passengers had their journeys disrupted by a power failure at Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire.

Thousands trapped in rail signal chaos

Thousands of passengers were trapped on trains for more than five hours on Saturday by a major signalling failure on the East Coast main line.
Five passenger trains were stranded between York and Northallerton when a computer failure caused local signalling systems to shut down shortly after 1pm.
Network Rail said it did not know how many were on board each train, but that most of those affected were on board express trains operated by East Coast.
Passengers on a Grand Central train had to be evacuated using ladders and were taken on to the next station by road.
Some of the trains could not be moved out of the affected area until 6.45pm, while dozens of other services up and down the line were delayed by several hours.
The fault caused other trains to be cancelled or disrupted and bus replacement services were brought in on some journeys.
Among the passengers affected was BBC Radio Five Live reporter Steph McGovern, who was heading to London when her train got stuck near Northallerton for six hours. She told the BBC passengers were eventually allowed to climb down a ladder and walk along the track to a level crossing. They had been provided with free food and drink during the wait.
Greg Neale, a former Sunday Telegraph journalist, was stuck on a northbound train outside Doncaster for two hours. He said: ^The train crew were very good and eventually gave out free cups of tea and water. There were a lot of frustrated passengers. At York there were a lot of Scotland football fans heading south who had been put on replacement coach services from places further north so clearly they must have endured a similarly long delay.^
A Network Rail spokeswoman said: "We had our systems engineers working on it to fix the fault but we had quite severe problems this afternoon. Obviously for those people on these trains there has been significant disruption. We can only offer our sincere apologies."
Network Rail said tonight that after repairing the faulty signalling system some long distance services had been restored but there were still problems at a regional level, where services are not expected to return to normal until tomorrow.
British Transport Police stressed the delays were not caused by cable theft.

East Coast rail delays spark passenger anger

Train passengers left stranded by signalling problems on the East Coast main line have complained of being left to fend for themselves.

Many people were eventually brought to York station after being stuck on trains for hours.

Middlesbrough passenger Mike Oyston said: "It was just chaos, there was no information at all."

A spokesman for train operator East Coast said: "We sincerely apologise for the queues and inconvenience." He said the company had tried to keep passengers informed by sending members of staff to York station. "Part of the problem was that we didn't know the exact times when this situation would be resolved so the amount of information we had was limited," he said. "Clearly we had a difficult weekend."

However, passengers would be eligible for compensation payments under its '"delay repay" scheme. Most of East Coast's services were operating normally on Sunday, he added.

However, Mr Oyston said he was angry that he had to arrange for a friend to drive to York from Middlesbrough to take him home. "There were about 1,000 people waiting to get home from York station," he said. "We were not told anything. We were directed to the back car park and left to get on with it. We're not happy at all."

Grandmother Pat Feetham, of Hull, also complained of a lack of information after being stuck on a train from Scotland for almost five hours. "They ran out of food, it was very cold and we didn't know what was happening until a police officer got on the train and said there were buses to take us to York. We're not happy."

As delays continued on some services on Sunday, National Rail Enquiries said a number of train crews and trains were not in the right place to run. It advised people to check before travelling.

East Coast rail services disrupted after body found

Services on the East Coast Main Line have been badly disrupted after a person was struck by a train.

Major delays are being reported between Doncaster and London King's Cross after the incident earlier this afternoon at Grantham, Lincolnshire.

There are currently no East Coast, First Hull Trains and Grand Central services through the area but First Capital Connect are not affected.

Police confirmed a body had been found on the line near Grantham station.

A spokesman for train operator East Coast said: "We can confirm that a person was hit by an East Coast train at around 4pm this afternoon at a location just north of Grantham. The train is currently being held at the location by the British Transport Police. As a result the line is closed in both directions: the location is a two-track stretch of line with no diversionary route available."

Disruption is expected until services resume Thursday morning.

A spokesman for British Transport Police said: "Officers were called to the line close to Grantham after a report that a person had been struck by a train. Inquiries have begun to establish the identity of the body and the circumstances leading up to the death."

A passenger at Retford said they had been at a standstill for more than an hour and were being served refreshments by staff.

Other operators are accepting East Coast tickets for journeys between London and the North, including East Midlands Trains from London St Pancras and Virgin Trains via London Euston.

Man hit by a train in Grantham

Emergency services are currently at the railway bridge in Barrowby Road, Grantham, where a man died on the train tracks.

The man is believed to have been struck by a train.

The news follows a report on the Journal^s website on Friday morning of a 44-year-old Grantham man threatening to jump from the same railway bridge.

We reported how he was standing on the bridge for just over an hour before police managed to get him down and arrest him for trespassing.

He was detained under the Mental Health Act.

National Rail has confirmed there are major delays on the lines through Grantham due to this afternoon^s incident.

Rail passengers were being forced to abandon their journey home at Grantham station where buses where buses were being arranged to pick them up.

Grantham woman killed on rail tracks at Barrowby Road bridge

A woman from Grantham took her own life by throwing herself in front of a train at Barrowby Road bridge on Wednesday afternoon.

The 45-year-old woman, who has not yet been formally identified, died when she was struck by a train at around 4.15pm.

The train was the 15.00 Kings Cross to Glasgow East Coast Trains service.

The death is not being linked to an incident on Thursday evening where a 44-year-old Grantham man was threatening to jump from the same railway bridge.

A British Transport Police (BTP) spokesperson said: ^BTP officers were called to the line close to Grantham rail station, Lincolnshire, on Wednesday, March 30 after a report that a person had been struck by a train.

^BTP and Lincolnshire Police officers attended the incident, which was reported to police at 4.13pm and a body was discovered.

^Enquiries have begun to establish the identity of the person and the circumstances leading up to their death.

^A file will be prepared for the coroner.^

Rather confusingly this was called Intercity 225 opposed to Intercity 140. 

There was also a plan to introduce a further build of InterCity 225s on the West Coast route, where tilting capability would have been even more use, but this was shelved.

East Coast would like to sincerely apologise for the delays that occurred to our services during the afternoon and evening of 15 April as a result of Network Rail's signalling problems.  Infrastructure failures on the East Coast Main Line have been all too frequent of late - causing massive delays and inconvenience for our customers, and Network Rail has to improve its performance measurably.

Heavy political undertones in that comment, methinks.  ::)

I doubt British Rail would have had such arguments in public, but am not old enough to know.

East Coast train evacuated after passenger stabbed

Hundreds of people were evacuated from an East Coast train in Lincolnshire after a passenger was stabbed.

British Transport Police (BTP) and Lincolnshire Police were called to Grantham Station just after 1430 BST to reports of a stabbing.

A 37-year-old man suffered head injuries in the attack, which happened on the 1400 BST London to Aberdeen service, a BTP spokesman said.

About 400 passengers were evacuated and transferred to another train.

A 33-year-old man, from Glasgow, has been arrested on suspicion of wounding.

East Coast trains said some services had been delayed or disrupted.

Police said the victim was treated at the scene by paramedics and his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

Although East Coast does say that delays are due to signalling problems between KX and Stevenage

It seems a Mk4 train (i.e. Class 91 loco) pulled all of the wires down, over 4 tracks, north of Peterborough this morning and stopped the job.

Major delays hit East Coast Mainline

Bank Holiday travellers have been hit by major delays on the East Coast Mainline due to damaged overhead wires.

Approximately 200m of overhead equipment is damaged, affecting all four lines.

No services are running between Grantham and Peterborough, and hundreds of passengers are believed to be stranded at Grantham Station.

One passenger who boarded a train from Durham at 9.41am and arrived at Grantham at 1.05pm, said: "It is absolute chaos here, with 300 to 400 people stuck in the concourse of the station unable to get anyway. We are all being sent by taxi to Peterborough now. This must be costing an absolute fortune."

A statement on the East Coast website says: "Overhead wire problems are causing disruption between Grantham and Peterborough. Because of this, trains are currently unable to run between Grantham and Peterborough. There is no current estimate for when a normal service will resume. There is no replacement road transport available at this time. Passengers are advised to use alternative routes where possible."

A statement from operator Grand Central says: "Network Rail engineers are on site and are working to fix the problem as quickly as possible. Due to the extent of the damage, passengers are being advised not to travel to expect major disruption on the East Coast Main Line for the rest of the day, and to seek other routes for their journeys wherever possible."

Not worth a new thread but they've just featured one of the down FGW Pullman Restaurants on The ONE Show. Suspect it will be on the BBC IPlayer shortly. It's about 15 mins from the start.

East Coast train's penalty is unfair

A return train ticket gobbled up by a machine at the station led to a hefty extra charge

In March I was travelling on East Coast trains between Leeds and London King's Cross. I had paid the fare of ^88.60 by telephone the previous evening, and picked up the tickets using the machine in London. I went up to Leeds in the morning, but when I returned a few hours later I put my return ticket into the ticket machine at the station and was surprised when it wasn't returned to me despite being valid for travel. All I was left with was the collection receipt. I had to run to get my train.

I showed this to the ticket inspector and explained what had happened, but he didn't believe I'd paid and issued a penalty fare. I was told I wouldn't have to pay a fine if I could prove I'd paid. When I got home I sent a letter along with a copy of a bank statement highlighting a ^88.60 payment to National Express Newcastle plus a copy of my collection receipt.

Despite this they have refused my appeal and Revenue Protection Support Services are now demanding I must pay them ^134.50 within 14 days "in order to avoid further debt recovery action being taken that will incur an additional administration fee of ^20.00".

I purchased my tickets in good faith, I have no idea why my return ticket was retained by the machine. It didn't occur to me that this would be a problem on the train as I knew I had my collection receipt and booking reference. Could you get East Coast to see sense please? SC, Anerley Park, London

***

Yours is one of a number of complaints that we have received recently about the government-owned East Coast, which now runs the rail franchise in place of GNER.

We can't understand the problem the guard had with you. You can clearly prove that you had bought the ticket. The fact that you were travelling on the same day that you picked up the tickets confirms that you couldn't have already used the return. We asked East Coast for a response and it said:

"It is the customer's responsibility to ensure that a valid ticket for travel is in their possession when boarding a train. This condition is clearly outlined in the National Rail Conditions of Carriage, which apply to all train operators' services. A booking reference or other receipt is not valid for travel in its own right, instead of the original travel ticket." It went on to say that it would "sympathetically consider an appeal from you should we receive one". This you are now doing and we will report the outcome.

Ironically, if this had happened to someone with a fixed return ticket, who missed their train to retrieve their ticket from the machine, they'd have got a penalty fare for being on a later train than on the one on which they were booked. You just can't win.

Interesting point. Must be almost unheard of for an entry barrier to retain a ticket and for the gates to open.

If it was a barrier fault, this person would've only had a half hour wait for the next train. Better that than being chinged for a new fare onboard.

Good news is that the knitting is back up at Tarrington and East Coast will be running, with a few alterations no doubt due to rolling stock out of place (and one set minus a loco!)

Yes let's hope it stays up off to York Wednesday back Friday. will beusing Off Peaks so will have choice of trains.

Directly Operated Railways Limited (DOR), today announced that the Chairman, Elaine Holt, would be leaving the Company at the end of December, 2011. The announcement coincides with the planned completion of Elaine Holt^s contract.

DOR is the Company established by the Secretary of State for Transport in July 2009.  It fulfils the Secretary of State^s requirements to secure the continued provision of passenger railway services should an existing franchise not be able to complete its full term.  This was the case with National Express East Coast which had operated the East Coast franchise since December 2007.  Its contract was subsequently terminated by the Secretary of State on 13 November 2009.

Elaine Holt was appointed Chairman of DOR by the Secretary of State in July 2009 and has held the position since that time. Coincident with the creation of a new operator on the line, which took over the rail franchise on 13 November 2009, Elaine Holt was also appointed Chairman of East Coast Main Line Company Limited.

The DfT has sought to extend Elaine Holt^s contract, although the two parties were unable to agree terms.

Commenting on today^s announcement, Elaine Holt said:

^I shall be sorry to leave both DOR and East Coast. We^ve achieved a huge amount in the last two years and we^re just starting to see the benefits of the Company turnaround. The Company still has a number of challenges to overcome ^ but I^m absolutely convinced we made the right choices and have established a strong new foundation for our successes to be sustainable.  The franchise extension until the end of 2013 will see this task largely completed ^ with a business in much better shape than when we started.

^I couldn^t have achieved this level of progress without the very strong support from the DOR Board, Karen Boswell (East Coast^s Managing Director) and the rest of the team at East Coast.

^m genuinely regretful of the fact that I won^t now be around to ^finish the job^

Elaine Holt is credited with driving and shaping the turnaround at East Coast. The introduction of a major new timetable and the launch of a new complimentary catering offer in First Class in May 2011, have both been strategically significant and delivered positive results.

Passenger numbers have increased by 3 per cent in the last year (2010/11), and last month DOR posted an operating profit of ^183 million on turnover of more than ^645 million for the year ending 31 March 2011.

It has subsequently returned ^177 million this year in service payments to the public purse ^ and East Coast is now one of the best financial performers in the rail industry.

Following Elaine^s departure, Michael Holden will become Chairman of East Coast, and Doug Sutherland will become Non-Executive Chairman of Directly Operated Railways.  Michael and Doug will undertake these roles on an interim basis until discussions with the Department for Transport on filling the positions permanently are concluded.

Off to work on bids for National Express.

There are several rumours floating around the industry with the top two being that she has been poached to take a senior role within ATOC or that FirstGroup^s new CEO, Tim O^Toole has said ^get her back at any cost^ and she will become a senior figure within FirstGroup. Of course these rumours are just that, rumours and unconfirmed.

A senior executive at state-owned rail firm publicly trumpeted the benefits of travelling by train - while clocking up ^1,400 in plane tickets for routes covered by his own franchise.

Peter Williams, commercial director of East Coast, boasted of the advantages of rail journeys in a marketing campaign earlier this year.

But figures showed that he took seven flights between Glasgow and London, even though the route is covered by his own network.

The details emerged after a Freedom of Information request ^ which also revealed thousands of pounds spending by East Coast^s directors on hotels and restaurants.

It is embarrassing for a company whose advertising, featuring impressionist Rory Bremner, highlights the benefits of travelling by rail and enjoying the scenery.

In a press release earlier this year, East Coast claimed it was ^winning the battle^ for custom against the airlines.

Mr Williams was quoted in the release saying: ^We are delighted that so many people are seeing the advantages of the train compared with the plane ^ including city centre to centre travel, the opportunity to work using Wi-Fi throughout the journey, and great value fares.^

But it has now emerged that he claimed for seven British Airways flights between London and Glasgow over a nine-month period last year, costing ^1,422.85.

Ian Mearns, the Labour MP for Gateshead and member of the all-party parliamentary Rail in the North group, criticised the move. He said: ^The very least I would expect is that senior managers would use their own service. It^s free to them, they could go first class if they wanted to. It is important they can see the same service passengers get.

^I know that East Coast has been suffering from problems in punctuality and performance and that some of this is not their fault, when you look at cable thefts for example, but I would have much more confidence in the management to turn this around if they were not spending money like this.

^What does it say to the travelling public if train line directors are travelling with a rival rather than use their own service?^

A spokesman for East Coast said: ^The very occasional flights for Peter Williams were as a result of business needs requiring him to be in London late at the end of the week and him living in Scotland. As demonstrated by the frequency of such journeys, this is a very infrequent event.^

Expenses claims totalling ^27,845.71 were made by East Coast^s board of 12 directors over 22 months up to August this year, including ^16,045.06 on food, drink and entertainment.

Among the spending was a ^680.01 bill incurred by managing director Karen Boswell for two stays at London^s five-star Renaissance Chancery Court hotel.

Ms Boswell also spent nearly ^1,000 on three meals in the capital ^ two at the Michelin-starred L^Atelier de Joel and one at Smiths of Smithfield.

Other staff spent thousands on several visits to an Italian restaurant in York.

Directors also spent ^2,150.35 on taxis while top-ups for Oyster cards ^ used on public transport in London ^ came to just ^30.

A spokesman for the franchise said: "We consider the value of expenses incurred by the East Coast directors to be comparatively low - and that this demonstrates our commitment to protect the public purse."

Emma Boon, campaign manager at pressure group the Taxpayers' Alliance, called for the franchise to put back into private ownership. She said spending the sums in "bars and restaurants is a bad deal for taxpayers".

The East Coast main line reverted to state control in 2009 after former operator National Express backed out of a contract compelling it to pay ^1.4 billion to run the franchise.

But figures earlier this year showed that since then punctuality had declined alarmingly.

'Fat Cat' rail bosses' six-figure salaries revealed by FOI requests

Train company chiefs have been accused of ^fat cat^ behaviour after it was revealed they enjoy six figure salaries as passengers endure misery and ticket price hikes.

Even on the East Coast line, where services are being run in the public sector, as many as eight directors are on salaries of above ^100,000 a year, it has been revealed. The East Coast pay levels were obtained following a request under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act.

All the other train operating companies were sent FOI requests asking how many of their directors were on six-figure salaries. But all said they were not obliged to reply as the act did not apply to them as they were private companies. In addition, only one company, CrossCountry, was prepared to offer any pay-level details on a non-FOI request basis.

The East Coast information supplied showed that one director ^ almost certainly managing director Karen Boswell ^ was on a salary of between ^161,000 and ^180,000. Two other East Coast directors' salaries came within the ^121,000 to ^140,000 band, while five other directors were on between ^100,000 and ^120,000 a year.

Matthew Sinclair, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "It's astonishing that even now rail bosses continue to rake in such huge salaries funded by taxpayers. Given that commuters are consistently forced to endure delays and misery on the rail network, it's galling that the fat cats in charge are in line for bonuses for performance. With budgets tight the focus should be on improving infrastructure, not executive pay packets."

East Coast's parent company is Directly Operated Railways (DOR), which was set up in 2009 by the then transport secretary to manage any train company operations which return, temporarily, to the public sector. DOR took over East Coast in November 2009 when National Express pulled out of the franchise. Information obtained from DOR via the Department for Transport showed DOR chief executive Michael Holden's salary for the year ending March 2012 was ^156,100.

Information from CrossCountry covered the year 2011. It showed the highest paid director ^ almost certainly managing director Andy Cooper ^ was on ^222,000 including pension contributions. The company said it had 10 registered directors and their aggregate pay, including benefits, was ^795,000.

Pay level details are also available for rail infrastructure company Network Rail (NR), which is currently striving to meet punctuality targets on long-haul routes. In the last few days rail passengers have endured some miserable travelling conditions, with an overhead power line problem in Hertfordshire leading to severe delays on busy commuter routes.

NR's chief executive Sir David Higgins was on an annual basic salary of ^560,000 as of March 31 2012, while finance director Patrick Butcher was on ^382,000. NR's network operations chief Robin Gisby was on ^360,000, as was infrastructure director Simon Kirby. In addition to their salaries, the NR chiefs stand to be paid performance-related bonuses running into hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Transport for London's (TfL) 2011/12 annual report showed that 30 of the bosses of the cross-London ^14.8 billion Crossrail project were on salaries of more than ^100,000. These included chief executive Andrew Wolstenholme, who was on ^380,000 when he started his present job in September 2011. Crossrail is a wholly-owned subsidiary of TfL.

The TfL report also reveals that in 2011/12, a total of 223 TfL staff were on salaries of more than ^100,000. These included London Mayor Boris Johnson's current aviation adviser Daniel Moylan who is a former TfL deputy chairman, a position that gave him a salary of ^112,599 in 2011/12.

Compared with train company boss pay levels, information is much more easily obtained for the bosses of rail-operating transport companies which are stock market-quoted. These also indicate generous salary-and-bonus regimes as well as handsome rail-business profits within an industry which still receives generous subsidies from the Government.

Transport company FirstGroup runs five UK rail companies ^ First Capital Connect, Great Western, Hull Trains, TransPennine Express and ScotRail. In the year ending March 2012, FirstGroup made an operating profit of ^110.5 million on its UK rail business, with its revenue being ^2.5 billion. Chief executive Tim O'Toole's basic salary for 2012 was ^846,000, plus a ^134,000 pension allowance and ^75,000 for what was described as benefits in kind. FirstGroup's commercial director Sidney Barrie, who resigned last March, was on a salary of ^349,000, while finance director Jeff Carr, who resigned in November 2011, had been on ^280,000.

Another giant transport company, National Express, runs the London to Tilbury and Southend rail line c2c and also operated, until last February, the East Anglia franchise. For the year 2011, National Express's revenue from its UK rail operations was ^688.3 million, while operating profit was ^43.4 million. The company's chief executive Dean Finch is on an annual salary of ^550,000, and it was announced in August 2012 that he had been awarded an extra performance-based bonus involving thousands of free shares. National Express group finance director Jez Maiden is on ^420,000 a year, with chairman John Devaney, who is about to stand down, on ^225,000.

Another rail industry parent company is the Go-Ahead Group which, with French company Keolis, owns rail operator Govia which runs the London Midland, Southern, Southeastern and Gatwick Express train companies. London Midland has been plagued with staff shortage problems in recent months and just before Christmas the Government announced the company would be offering a ^7 million compensation package including free travel days for season ticket holders. In the 12 months ending June 2012, Go-Ahead's rail operation revenue was ^1.73 billion and its operating profit was ^40 million. Group chief executive David Brown was on a salary of ^510,000, with finance director Keith Down on ^326,000.

Manuel Cortes, leader of the TSSA rail union, said: "One of the reasons we have the highest rail fares in Europe is because we have created an army of Fat Controllers since John Major sold off British Rail 20 years ago. Then we had one Fat Controller on a modest salary. Now we have dozens, some of whom are paid over ^1 million a year for running regional monopolies at the expense of both the passenger and the taxpayer. These people are laughing all the way to the bank while the rest of us fund their private gravy train."

Bob Crow, general secretary of transport union the RMT, said: "It's scandalous that the only train operator disclosing top bosses' salaries is the publicly-owned East Coast, while the private train companies hide behind a veil of secrecy as they bleed passengers dry. You can bet your boots that the reason they want to lurk in the shadows and hide behind the cloak of commercial confidentiality is because they are milking it and they know there would be a public outcry. Compare that to the cleaners on Arriva Trains Wales on basic minimum wage currently balloting for action for a fair deal. That's the shocking reality of the haves and have-nots on Britain's railways."

Anthony Smith, chief executive of rail customer watchdog Passenger Focus, said: "Our research shows that what is important to passengers is being able to rely on their service to get them in on time, and that their ticket is good value for money. Our national passenger survey clearly shows less than half of passengers are satisfied with the value for money of their train tickets."

There seems to be major disruption on the ECML at St Neots today 20th with the O/H down. All 4 lines blocked.

Lets hope the GWML is more robustly wired!

RMT quoted as saying:
"There's a massive backlog of maintenance on the overhead cabling, massive shortage of staff because of 20% cuts in the maintenance capacity. We've got ageing overhead cable stock at a time when there's not enough staff to do the routine maintenance."

Any truth in this?
Perhaps short cuts and cost cutting somewhere along the line.

All new electrification will be MIR (mechanically independently registered) ....... what does this mean??? Well all the electrification west of Stockley on the GWML will not use headspan, headspan construction is where the OLE across multiple tracks is supported by wires across track between to masts.  MIR uses portals (like the WCML) or structures with cantilevers. The advantage is any detriment is constrained to a single line where as with headspan the rip down tends to damage the span wires, disadvantage MIR is more expensive to install because of the greater number of foundations.

Another disadvantage is that the whole MIR thing looks more obtrusive that headspan wiring.  I wonder whether they will still end up using headspan for short sections at sensitive locations, i.e. Maidenhead Bridge, Bath Spa, to reduce the impact on the environment?

Isn't electrification deemed to come under the railway's permitted development rights?  Modern Railways recently raised this point, that although the ECML wired a few grade 1 structures and buildings successfully, the people of Bath might not be so forgiving.

That seems quite wrong to me - they should be told that it is happening, and that whatever precedents exist for the style of equipment used on a grade 1 building or structure will be repeated - and that's all.

Paul

Looks like another French company may be attempting to enter the UK rail market....

Welsh language posts yesterday. Now French. Where next?   ;D

Elaine Holt joins RATP Dev

RATP Dev aims to pre-qualify for Crossrail operator concession
 
RATP Dev has confirmed that Elaine Holt has been appointed UK Rail Franchise Director and will lead its work to pre-qualify for London^s Crossrail operator concession.

Elaine Holt started her career at British Airways in 1987. She worked in a variety of senior commercial and operational roles at First Group for ten years, culminating as Managing Director of First Capital Connect.

In 2009 she was appointed CEO of Directly Operated Railways, and Chairman of East Coast, and most recently led National Express^s bid for the Great Western rail franchise.

RATP Dev is a subsidiary of RATP Group, established in 2002 to develop its operating and maintenance activities in France and internationally, outside the historic network operated by RATP in the greater Paris region.

Newcastle East Coast trains staff set to star in documentary

A new ten-part Sky TV documentary will explore life working for traing operator East Coast

(http://i2.chroniclelive.co.uk/incoming/article6288123.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/east-coast-6288123.jpg)
East Coast staff, from left, Claire Manning, Mark Mclean, Karen Guthrie, Darren ^Daz^ Harrison and Louise Rutherford

Rail staff based at Newcastle Central Station are set to star in a new reality programme to show what life is like on the other side of the tracks.

Five workers from Tyneside are the faces of a ten-part documentary called All Aboard: East Coast Trains which starts on Tuesday.

The crew have been followed around by cameramen for the access-all-areas programme, which will show how staff keep the busy rail route from London to Edinburgh operational.

The show will also explore the home lives of some of the staff.

Chef Mark Mclean, from North Tyneside^s Forest Hall, introduces the crew to his wife Sam and daughter Jessica as part of the show.

Station information controller Darren Harrison, from Wallsend, known as Daz to his colleagues, and train guard Claire Manning, from North Shields talk about the challenges of their work.

Sky also follow Karen Guthrie (nee Kerrison) as the Hebburn customer service assistant celebrates her hen night in Leeds and station manager Louise Rutherford, also from Hebburn, also tells viewers how she keeps everyone in line.

Darren said: ^The first couple of times I was in front of the camera I found myself shaking but Sky really put us at ease. I ended up enjoying every moment.^

Karen added: ^We just got used to the cameras being there. They followed me on my hen night. I was trying to be on my best behaviour but my friends let my secrets out. We^ve all really enjoyed it and can^t wait for the show to be out.^

East Coast customer service director Peter Williams, said: ^The new TV series will take viewers on an exciting journey with East Coast, to meet some of the remarkable people who serve our customers and keep our trains moving each day. Many people perhaps don^t realise the scale of the operation which goes on 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to make sure our trains and stations are ready for our customers. Over 19 million people travel with East Coast every year. Viewers watching this groundbreaking series will get to know some of our unsung heroes at East Coast ^ and we can look forward to heart-warming moments too. It really will be must-see viewing.^

Chris Wilson, commissioning editor for factual at Sky, said: ^It^s been a pleasure to work so closely with East Coast, and we^re delighted with the series ^ a fascinating, moving and heart-warming glimpse into the lives of the men and women who work both front of house and behind the scenes on one of Britain^s biggest transport networks.^

Those television people clearly know what will appeal to their viewers.

How weird - reviews were good & audience impressive

The three are East Coast Trains, run by First Group; Keolis/Eurostar East Coast, run by Keolis (UK) and Eurostar International; and Inter City Railways, run by Stagecoach Transport Holdings and Virgin Holdings.

The government said it hoped the bidders would demonstrate how they would capitalise on the significant public investment along the route, including ^240m in infrastructure projects over the next five years.

Rail minister Stephen Hammond said: "We have embarked on one of the biggest programmes of rail investment ever, with over ^35bn being spent to enhance and run our rail network over the next five years.

"But for our railways to continue to grow we need strong private sector partners who can invest and innovate in ways that deliver a world class service."

An invitation to tender for the franchise will be issued in February and potential operators are expected to have at least three months to develop their bids. The franchise is due to start in February 2015 and is expected to run for a maximum of 11 years.

FirstGroup delighted with East Coast shortlisting

FirstGroup is 'delighted' to be shortlisted for the InterCity East Coast franchise competition by the Department for Transport.

FirstGroup's managing director, UK Rail, Vernon Barker said: "We have extensive experience of intercity services and have a strong track record in delivering passenger growth as well as capacity and infrastructure upgrades on the long distance franchises we run - First Great Western, First ScotRail and First TransPennine Express.

"We look forward to reviewing the contract details and submitting an innovative, compelling, and value for money bid which meets the needs of taxpayers as well as customers and businesses along the East Coast route.

""We are delighted to have been shortlisted for the InterCity East Coast franchise competition."

... it would be nice to see someone other than the usual big players win a major intercity franchise

Ah, but would they have the necessary experience / credibility to do so?  :-\

Eurostar are already a major Intercity operator, mind - as I recall the run the major services on the line from London St Pancras (next door to East Coast' London terminal at King's Cross) to Brussels and Paris. Perhaps we would see international services from Scotland to France ...

Is it just me when I play devils advocate here and say the Government just either: A) Do not listen, B) Do not learn or C) Both A and B.

It seems the Government have been hellbent on getting this route back into private hands. Yet it has been making money and offers in my opinion a better service than a few privatised InterCity Operators.

Look at CrossCountry. Yes we all know I'm not a fan. But look at the First Class offering on a Peak Newcastle to London train vs a Peak Newcastle to Bristol Temple Meads train. East Coast offers complimentary cooked fresh breakfast and access to First Class Lounges (Big deal some may think).

CrossCountry a microwaved Bacon Bap. Yes FGW is no better with the Microwave Bacon Roll which although is complimentary in First Class on CrossCountry is chargeable on FGW services.

Yet FGW do have Pullman and Travelling Chefs. Yes again chargeable food but much better than XC offering on a long journey even with the additional expense.

I think the Government are setting themselves up for another fall. They should just leave it alone because in my opinion East Coast actually works well enough in Public Hands. It will be interesting to see what happens to the level of service come re-privatisation. I hope to be pleasantly surprised but I shan't hold my breath.

The phrase if it's not broken don't fix it come to mind.

Mind you. The tories seem to have an obsession with privatisation yet don't seem to learn. The recent privatisation of Royal Mail another setup for a large fall when you look into the technicalities and previous privatised services gone wrong... ::)

Regards EC it should stay in public ownership, but of course the Brussels EU rules dictate it can't be owned (directly) by a public company. And of course we all know that DB is owned by DB AG which in turn is the equiv of a ltd company which is wholly owned by the German state. Oh and also remember the Tory governments friends have got to let their chums get a payout.

The track and operator must be seperate. That's all.

Let's drive Grand Central central out of business.

Just spotted this is on Pick TV (Freeview channel 11) now, Sunday 8pm, for those who do not subscribe to Sky TV.

East Coast rail franchise increases return to taxpayer

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East Coast increased passenger numbers and its return to the taxpayer last year

The publicly-owned railway company East Coast returned almost ^220m to the taxpayer last year, according to its annual results.

Directly Operated Railways - which was set up by the government in July 2009 to run the East Coast franchise - has announced a post-tax profit of ^6.2m.

Its profit before tax and fees to the Department for Transport was ^225m, an increase of 8% on the year before.

The franchise is due to be re-privatised in March next year.

East Coast 2013-14
^720m turnover
^6.2m post-tax profit
^217m in payments to Department for Transport

Labour has said it would allow public-sector operators to challenge private firms for rail contracts, if it wins the general election in 2015.

DOR took over the East Coast franchise when National Express's contract was terminated in November 2009, because of financial difficulties.

East Coast runs railway services along the 936-mile line, which runs from London to the north of Scotland.

Turnover for 2013-14 was ^720m, with ^654m of that coming from passenger income. In total, 19.9m journeys were made, an increase of 4.5% on 2012-13.

The chairman of DOR, Doug Sutherland, said: "Our financial performance has been good throughout the year, with ^216.8m provided to the DfT in premium and dividend payments, up from ^202.8m the year before. The business plan for the remainder of the franchise will see the good work continuing, with the twin aims of ensuring a successful transfer of the business back to the private sector in good condition, and maximising the value of the franchise achieved by the government and the taxpayer."

The acting general secretary of the RMT union, Mick Cash, said the franchise shouldn't return to the private sector next year. "Despite the continued stunning financial and operational success of the publicly-owned East Coast service, this right-wing Government are hell bent on smashing it up and taking another gamble on a private operator," he said.

A spokesman for the Rail Delivery Group, which represents Network Rail and the rail operators, said private firms also returned large sums to the taxpayer. "It remains the case that East Coast is just one of a number of operators making payments to government," he said. "Latest figures for 2013-14 show the biggest payment was made by private operator South West Trains, which paid over ^300m."

More than ^2.4 million has been spent on external advisers for legal and financial expertise in the East Coast mainline railway franchise competition.

Transport minister Baroness Kramer told peers ^1,196,957.24 had been spent to the end of last month on legal advice.

A further ^1,250,538 went on financial advice over the same period, she said in a Lords written reply.

^As the Intercity East Coast franchise competition was the first competition to be run in full since the launch of the franchising programme in March 2013 some of these costs include advice on developing new policies and processes that will be of benefit in future franchise competitions,^ Lady Kramer added.