Christian Wolmar April Newsletter
Christian Wolmar
Dear subscriber
With the news focus on the Libya, Japan and even America, the railways have been largely out of the news recently, despite a few events that might, in quieter times, have caught the attention of the press. David Higgins, the new chief executive at Network Rail, for example, is clearly making rapid and radical changes, which are bound to have a long term impact. The franchise process, too, is now in full swing with bids being prepared to two utterly contrasting operations – the short franchise on Anglia and the West Coast, Virgin’s province.
As I have stressed many times before, none of the proposed changes to the franchise system get round the fundamental problem of why we have this system and whether it delivers an optimal railway. Not even the operators believe that, and they are now lobbying for change. However, we will not really know which way the wind is blowing until the McNulty report is published, which is now expected to be May 6th but these things can often change. As I point out in Rail 665, it
is clear however that the changes at
Network Rail are very much in line with McNulty’s thinking, as he and Higgins
know each other well of old.
So apart from a piece in the Mail on Sunday which will enrage HS2 supporters yet again – here – there are only the two Rail columns and my TSSA feature. In Rail I covered the way that the franchise bidding system works, after talking at length to a couple of serial bidders – here – and on the crazy decision to build electric trains that are carrying around diesel engines which will remain unused for most of the time - here . That could only happen in Britain.
The TSSA article looks at how train operators seem to deliberately make life difficult for passengers and how many seem to regard all of them as fraudsters on the make.
I have also written a pamphlet – available here – on the potential for the co-operative model in the rail industry. It suggests a number of radical ideas, in line with Big Society thinking, but it would need support from within the government to bring about.
On the wider transport front, I have blogged on a couple of issues, notably the demise of Flying Matters the aviation lobbying organisation and Transport for London’s budget.
You will find that the website has been completely revamped, with a new feel and a better lay-out. Do tell me what you think about it. Its easier to find your way round, though there are fewer words per page, which may annoy some visitors. There has been a slight dip in the number of comments, but that may be because I have not been blogging much. Note, you do not have to register to make comments.
Indeed I confess I have been tweeting more than blogging. This is partly laziness, but partly, too the wonderful immediacy of tweeting, and the fact that one can use it to refer to articles elsewhere on the web. Do follow me at @christianwolmar – its very interactive, too, with lots of quick and sometimes very funny responses. I am coming up to having 1,500 followers and hopefully this will build into an interesting interactive debate.
Do, too, please keep on clicking on the ads on the website – it does help pay for its maintenance and the revamp has set me back a few bob.
Thanks for reading,
Christian Wolmar