Read my #rail #environmental management article in the latest edition of Rail Connect

http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1y4nn/RailCONNECTEdition3/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=

 

The Virgin Trains revolution got it right

I've got to say that I'm very disappointed that Virgin Trains lost the West Coast Main Line (WCML) franchise as a regular user.

When they took over the franchise, they inherited out of date rolling stock running on out of date infrastructure.

As someone who worked on West Coast Route Modernisation (WCRM) on PWay, OLE & civils projects, I saw at first hand the engineering challenge of carrying our "open heart surgery" as Network Rail say of such work on Victorian infrastructure.

I worked on WCRM under the days of Railtrack and sadly the Pendolino's so admirably sought by Virgin Trains to replace the Class 86, 87 and 90 electric traction on WCML never has had the opportunity to run at it's design speed on 140mph due to problems within Railtrack.

OK, the "Voyager" class 220 and 221 do not come up to the HST sets they replaced, but Virgin revolutionised service levels from one which was pretty poor to being customer focused.

They also changed the way people think about ticketing. Yes, some of the walk on fares are very expensive, but they are for airlines too. For planned journeys off peak, even first class travel is very affordable.

My main worry with the next WCML franchise holder, First, is that the great customer service levels will be cut.  I enjoy the first class lounge at London Euston and have spent many a productive hour working from there waiting for trains and then having complimentary food onboard makes business trips to London, if planned in advance, affordable and efficient.

So, on reflection, the red revolution of Virgin changed attitudes of service and punctuality from some awful standards and via a painful experience of providing services through WCRM and the Railtrack blanket speed restrictions post-Hatfield. I hope First West Coast can meet these standards and hope all Virgin staff who have delivered this service retain their jobs with the new franchise holder.

Poll says 71% of surveyors & environmental professionals say "Yes" to HS2

Thanks to all who responded to my poll for

"Are you in favour or against the new High Speed 2 rail link in the UK?".

The total result was

Yes to HS2 126 (71%)

No to HS2 52 (29%)

 

The results are interested and varied between the groups I invited to participate on Linkedin:

Linkedin group "Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors"

Yes 98 (70%), No 42 (30%)

 

Linkedin group "RICS Sustainability"

Yes 9 (90%), No 1 (10%)

 

Linkedin group "IEMA - Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment"

Yes 19 (67%), No 9 (32%)

Sustainable transport - that means forget the car

I travelled to Holland with my partner last weekend and in a commuter centre between Amsterdam Centraal Station and Schipol Airport I saw a park and ride which was about 2 Euro per day. The ironic thing was that it was only about a quarter full of cars on a weekday. 

Unlike this, the cycle storage facilities were vast, well used and in good condition.  Why is this? Well, in my opinion the modern, clean public transport is the reason with commuter trains like this:

How ironic that it's the same organisation, Nederlandse Spoorwegen, which operates these trains and some of the shocking commuter stock in the UK under the brand "Abellio" (Northern & Merseyrail are joint ventures with Serco and Greater Anglia).

The Dutch have the mindset and the infrastructure to provide and use good quality public transport, whilst the UK, having minimal cycle facilities and few segregated cycle lanes, view bikes as a dangerous and risky option.

Rail replacement service bus blunders

Before I start, this is not a rant or moan, but yesterday I had a shocking journey from Formby to Liverpool supposedly on a train.

Now, having spent many a weekend on such works in the past, railway maintenance and renewals need doing and blockade working during holiday periods is the best option.
To set the scene, a railway bridge at Sandhills north of Liverpool was being renewed and there was a bus replacement service on. Now, considering the train to Bootle Oriel Road where the train terminated was not that full, I didn't see a problem.

However, a total lack of co-ordination, organisation and communication by the Train Operating Company (TOC) led to a chaotic experience which increased a 30 minute journey to a 1 hour one.

Can it be so hard to:

• Communicate verbally with passengers
• Have a sign saying where to queue
• Have decent information about where replacement buses pick up from

Rather than having:

• Rude and abusive staff who clearly did not like being outside the relative warmth of a railway station
• A total lack of information on which bus was for where

The big joke in this that the TOC charged full fare where some had to stand on the steps to the top deck of the bus and the bus itself was an experience.

This small example shows the totally uncoordinated nature of public transport in the UK as even a rail replacement bus service had little to no apparent planning. No wonder so many people travel by car and avoid public transport. As someone who supports our railway it's also hard to state a case at times like this.

Railway safety - a bitter reminder

Having just read about a couple in Scotland who sadly lost their lives crossing a railway line, it's a sobering reminder to how dangerour the railway is for the public.

Having worked on or near the line for a few years when I was younger, you learn how little warning you have when trains are approaching, even from a position of safety.

Speaking years ago to a German friend, I noted that there are no fences on German high speed railway lines. When I said people may go on the line, the German view was "who would be so stupid".

The different view in the UK of a robust railway fencing policy and T&V policy with Network Rail and BTP, it's still sad that accidents happen.

Please remind people about how dangerous the railway is and some useful links from Network Rail are:

Level crossings http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/2292.aspx

Trespass & vandalism http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/1037.aspx