Broken & Late Ltd: Britain's Railways

[Guy Profumo]

On a painfully slow train from Peterborough to Norwich. It left 21 minutes late and despite losing more time on the journey, it is projected to come in less than 15 minutes late. The joys of extended finish times eh? Always before the delay repay cut off too.

It's East Midlands Railways by the way. Despite all the name changes over the years, it feels like the same rolling stock when I was at university in the 90s.

Was that the one that dodged Sheffield after leaving Stockport?


Leaving people at Sheffield and lying to them it had been cancelled due to a trespass incident

It hadn't been cancelled, it was diverted away from a scheduled and timetabled stop

[Capybara]

Was that the one that dodged Sheffield after leaving Stockport?


Leaving people at Sheffield and lying to them it had been cancelled due to a trespass incident

It hadn't been cancelled, it was diverted away from a scheduled and timetabled stop

Via the Dore South curve, presumably? And I'll bet no one on board realised they were getting a rare stretch of track.

[Guy Profumo]

And the Dore Tunnel

One of the shortest tunnels in the UK sandwiched between two of the longest. (Bradway and Totley)

[Arturo]

Was that the one that dodged Sheffield after leaving Stockport?


Leaving people at Sheffield and lying to them it had been cancelled due to a trespass incident

It hadn't been cancelled, it was diverted away from a scheduled and timetabled stop

Not sure Guy. It was either starting from Liverpool, Manchester or Nottingham. That's pretty shitty whatever train did that.

It takes 90 minutes to go from Peterborough to Norwich. Last night it took 115 mins but was officially 16 minutes late according to the timetable. Pedantic? Yeah, but it's irritating.

[Big Boobs and FIRE!]

I would like to predict the future by saying Chris Loder is fucking useless.

I have never seen s someone fail at every level of their career, by being so fundamentally inept.

This is a post for years future.

[ursus arctos]

Graylingesque?

[Big Boobs and FIRE!]

No, much more dangerous than that.

An ultra rightwing Brexiteer and Boris fan boy who is a shoe in for a safe seat.

His background is the rail industry but apart from Yeovil Junction ticket office, he has been monumentally inept and has relied on networking.

obviously his star will arise in the future, but with no merit whatsoever

[ursus arctos]

Yikes

[Ginger Yellow]

The Tory manifesto:

A key part of our plan to level up the
UK’s cities and regions is to connect
them. Leeds is the largest city in
Western Europe without a light rail or
metro system. And European cities
are often more productive than our
own in large part because they have
better infrastructure.

Not in the Tory manifesto: any funding for light rail or metro in Leeds.

[Snake Plissken]

Has the £500m to reverse Beeching disappeared as well?

[Nefertiti2]

In the Tory Manifesto

banning the right to strike for rail workers

[URL]https://twitter.com/francesogrady/status/1198243602335444998?s=21[/URL]

[Ginger Yellow]

Has the £500m to reverse Beeching disappeared as well?

No:
£ million Footnotes 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24
Transport: reversing Beeching fund 1 500 0 0 0

[Southport Zeb]

I saw a nude Pendolino at Preston on Saturday - the Virgin livery had been removed to leave a plain white surface, which will presumably be changed agin when the new franchise decides what it's going to be called.

[Ginger Yellow]

I saw a nude Pendolino at Preston on Saturday - the Virgin livery had been removed to leave a plain white surface, which will presumably be changed agin when the new franchise decides what it's going to be called.

Oh, interesting. I saw what I assume was the same thing at Euston on Sunday.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

I saw a nude Pendolino at Preston on Saturday - the Virgin livery had been removed to leave a plain white surface, which will presumably be changed agin when the new franchise decides what it's going to be called.

Social media "wags" have already named them First Genitalia, so that could save them a few quid in marketing consultancy fees.

[Big Boobs and FIRE!]

Likely just to have an Italian name like 'Avanti' with no First branding. There is a reason for that which may become apparent in the next few months.

In other news, for the first time ever, all the existing Exec Directors are staying on from the incumbent Virgin franchise, none are transferring from the new owning group. Hmmm.

[Big Boobs and FIRE!]

In the Tory Manifesto

banning the right to strike for rail workers

[URL]https://twitter.com/francesogrady/status/1198243602335444998?s=21[/URL]

The press love to show a picture of a train at a red signal to illustrate strike action.

This picture is of an electric unit at Alton. The line onward is the Mid Hants steam railway, which isn't part of the national network and isn't electrified, so it would be a concern if there was anything other than a red light here.

I'm sure I'm not alone in spotting this.

[Paul S]

Brilliant, I love that, well spotted BB&F. Now then, should we tell her or not?

As for the comment about franchises - there are a number of "zombie" franchises where the current operator has given up any interest in running it and they will be taken back.....after the election. West Coast is one, Caledonian Sleeper is another and so are c2c. Interesting times.

[Lang Spoon]

Serco are ditching the sleeper already?

[Moonlight Shadow]

Been claiming Delay Repay from Northern for two instances (it could have been so many more...). Surprisingly quick decision and there should be two returns and one single across the whole network being sent to me.

Never claim money, the free tickets are far better value!

[Big Boobs and FIRE!]

Likely just to have an Italian name like 'Avanti' with no First branding. There is a reason for that which may become apparent in the next few months.

In other news, for the first time ever, all the existing Exec Directors are staying on from the incumbent Virgin franchise, none are transferring from the new owning group. Hmmm.

https://www.theguardian.com/business...th-avanti-logo

[Southport Zeb]

If the name means forward, why is the logo pointing backwards?

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

If the name means forward, why is the logo pointing backwards?

Hey don't argue with the logic of 100 creatives sitting in an old pickle factory.

'Avanti' brings to mind that 1972 film by Billy Wilder, which Channel Four showed in its early days and flogged to death with trailers (probably in the absence of any advertising) which made it look a lot better than it turned out to be.

There could be more unfamiliar livery on show at Carlisle if the proposal from Grand Union Trains goes ahead, for a service between Stirling and London, using discarded LNER stock, and stopping at those major transport hubs Larbert, Greenfaulds, Whifflet and Lockerbie as well as the more obscure Carlisle, Preston and Crewe (and also Nuneaton and Milton Keynes). I'm assuming this is an open-access cash grab of the sort BB&F occasionally describes on here, so that they get a slice of the sales of open tickets between Preston/Crewe and Euston?

[Moonlight Shadow]

I like it, it goes 'Avanti popolo, alla riscossa, bandiera rossa....etc' in my head now.

The Italian Communist party hymn.

[ursus arctos]

So not just me, then