Mike Storey

What on earth has any of this got to do with Northern Powerhouse Rail please?

I can see arguments on every side of this, and can disagree with much of all of them. That debate is for elsewhere. Could we try to steer this back to Northern Powerhouse rail, or something close to it please?

Given the extended timescales (2041!!!) and the increased scope (full electrification and the uncertainty over the new or refurbished tunnelling), added to the un-costed redevelopment of Leeds station, I can see this run and run. It may even start approaching the original cost and timescale of Northern Powerhouse rail. At what point do you think this government will start cutting bits out? I can certainly see a statement coming that there will be no money for the completion of HS2 East.

On the aspect of using non-railway people in middle to senior management roles - this is nothing new at all (as hmrs Paul has described), and was an occasional attempt inside BR to re-vamp various activities. A very few worked, but most did not. Railtrack and the TOCs attempted the same, post privatisation, but after just a few years, almost all TOC MD's were ex-BR. Network Rail tried something similar, but even they had to admit to huge difficulties when it came to understanding what was really going on, and how to deal with it - again, almost all senior management posts, outside Finance, PR and HR, (including mine) were ultimately held by long-serving railwaymen either originally from BR, or from one of the internal management training schemes that had gradually, and reluctantly, sprung back into life. Only Strategic Planning seemed to be a reserved occupation for non-railway peeps. That worked out well...... I guess the re-invention of the wheel is based on the fanciful idea that such people, devoid of the railway culture, can come up with whizzo ideas about efficiencies and marketing. In reality, the railway family come up with those ideas anyway, which are often pinched and presented as something "new" (cf Shapps passim), and are then tasked with making them actually work. It is to be hoped that GBR will provide a better connection between wheel and rail. Just sayin'.

At last, some further news on the IRP. The Transport Committee have finally released a report suggesting that, perhaps, the decisions ultimately made for the plan were somewhat devoid of evidence, particularly as to alternatives, and also that plans for HS2 to Leeds, Leeds station development and the potential for an underground link and station in Manchester, all be pursued, amongst other things.... https://www.railwaygazette.com/uk/transport-committee-calls-on-government-to-revisit-integrated-rail-plan-decisions/62204.article?ID=z9xqh~9zfhtj~ttxt~W4ik~Ky0gk&utm_campaign=RG-RBUK-FILLER -280722-JM&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=RG-RBUK-FILLER -280722-JM

Just spotted this (which is claimed to be "old news" for both candidates), but I wonder if they really mean it? https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jul/28/liz-truss-promises-to-build-northern-powerhouse-rail-scaled-back-last-year

I wonder if she means it? https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jul/28/liz-truss-promises-to-build-northern-powerhouse-rail-scaled-back-last-year

Perhaps he is going to put a model railway through it?

Excellent article in Today's Railways Europe this month - six or so pages of photos in and around Toulouse, showing current freight and passenger workings. One or two of these must be ones you have photographed, or phoned, or i-padded, or whatever.

Perhaps the two issues are entirely coincidental? TfN had next to no responsibilities for operational or commercial management, so it is unlikely their existence reduced the influence of PTE's. More likely, is the transfer of franchises to management contracts. Whilst the DfT deny this has in any way reduced the influence of PTE's on the TOC's, in reality, all commercial decisions have to be ratified, or ordered, by Westminster (IIRC), which in turn affects operational decisions, because they now control all the purse-strings.

Looks like rain for the Qualies - 80% probability for most of the day. But the race itself is likely to be dry.

Essentially, this IPA review is completely naff. It has simply translated the EWR's own annual report, of Stages 2 and 3 being "red" as evidence of the whole scheme being in terminal trouble. That is simply political cannon fodder, to suit the wishes of their sponsor. What has actually happened, and which is pretty common on major projects, is that the continuing risk assessments for those phases, which feed into the Red/Yellow/Green high level risk assessment, show significant problems ahead if the phases are to be completed to time, scope and budget. Stage 3 we can fully understand because of the continuing problems with resistance to the preferred southern route, but for Stage 2, I am not sure where the major risks are? It is not usually of any consequence at this stage of development to see such risk assessments. It is far more worrying if they do not move down a notch when completing detailed design and development, but that is the point of the consultation exercise and the resulting submission to government for the next stage of funding. But we can see how these assessments are actually being used, and not in a good way. (Incidentally, EWR has re-interpreted the original 4 Phases into 3 Connection Stages - see this: https://eastwestrail.co.uk/the-project/connection-stages

Whatever the opinion of their recommendations (and there are aspects to be applauded as well as criticised), it is an absolute fact that TfN DID reach consensus across all members over that plan. That was described as a phenomenal achievement by several commentators at the time. Thus, I do not understand your comment. Merseyrail and the RMT have reached agreement (announced on 9 July), which merely perpetuate the existing costs, not "far more" - originally, the staff were to be re-utilised anyway, but not in the form of a guaranteed second person on the train (which is what the public wanted as much as the union). The "delays" are nothing to do with the industrial dispute, but due to continuing technical problems with the 777 fleet, identified in testing, and with delays to the platform and signalling upgrades, planned to have been finished by now, due to Covid. It appears, from various sources, that introduction into public service is unlikely until the end of this year. Again, I do not fully understand your comment.

But, on another point, isn't Northern Powerhouse dead as a concept? There were a number of opportunities for the electorate to vote for Regional Government, certainly under Cameron, but they rejected it. A few Mayors were created, often in the face of opposition. I note Liverpool has just decided to get rid of theirs, despite a referendum. Apparently the successes of Greater Manchester and the West Midlands do not apply there. Transport for the North was meant to be the opportunity for all northern areas to get together and formulate a single policy, but the DfT, and, presumably, the Cabinet and Treasury, simply ignored it in the end. Perhaps that is why so many of the electorate voted instead for the concept of Levelling Up, where a few civil servants and MP's in Westminster decides what few millions you get, if any, rather than some local representatives. I just don't understand the voters, but perhaps I am completely thick.

Simon Walton, the author, was the Chair of the Campaign for Borders Rail, and lives in or near to, Edinburgh. His primary job is PR. He is also the leading light in Railfreight.com, which may explain his angle on Trans-Pennine. I surmise that "racially" is a typo, on the voice-sensitive dic-sub systems that journos use these days, and should read "radically". Obvs, no-one thought to check it. Unless he meant it did not involve the Scots??

Just pinching an article from phil-b259 (hope that's ok?) which was posted on the Northern Powerhouse thread, and is a summary of articles that appeared in Modern Railways in July 2021, by Roger Ford. I know it is a little old, but still worth reading. Scroll to Page 2 for the "Williams-Shapps Plan" : https://ezezine.com/ezine/pdf/759-2021.06.17.03.03.archive.pdf To find out more, you have to subscribe to the mag!

Knew Don Love, but not Bob, and then only by reputation! Didn't he go into Internal Control?

Interesting! One for the fact that the "AMO" in those days was open 24 hours (by my days in Ops, 1981 onwards, it was most definitely not!), and the other for the fact that you are saying Snargate made two separate calls to Victoria for each train, including the Night Ferry. As they often, by my time at Vic, didn't even ring until at least one train had arrived, with the details for several (summer reliefs especially), I guess things must have changed an awful lot by then!

Some interesting comments here, especially the advocation of "improvements" to certain trunk roads. Hasn't anyone remembered the lessons learned from road improvement history, especially the conclusions of the effectiveness of the 20 year old POPE scheme process, most recently by the CPRE report of 2017? Broadly, economic benefits were being vastly exaggerated and environmental dis-benefits greatly under-estimated, by almost every scheme studied. Not least, the general conclusions of the Salford and other bodies that such schemes effectively moved the traffic jams further along, and little else. I know it is currently unfashionable to refer to oil prices or indeed, global warming (neatly altered to climate change by a right wing American think tank in the 1990's/2000's). Most people are incredibly selfish and have no regard for anything except their immediate personal needs, hence the objections to the expansion of public transport, wherever it may be, outside the poorer conurbations. What we do not have is a government really committed to the COP targets, and prepared to do anything that will give them a few more seats at the next GE. What we need is an independent body that identifies and enacts the measures needed to achieve those aims, and the needs of UK plc. This was called the National Infrastructure Commission, whose recommendations the government can choose to ignore. So, why set it up in the first place? We appear to be in a dark place as regards improved public transport provision, despite all the rhetoric from the usual suspects. If this means the E-W route gets curtailed, we may as well say goodbye to anything else.

Locally, they are forecasting 33/34 degs. for Sat/Sun. But temps have been all over the place lately, so who knows?

Oi!! Although gently soporific, what on earth!!?? Back to the UK's efforts, with the occasional international examples of High Speed, not urban transit. I thank you.

Simon - brilliant layout, thank you for sharing it with us. Just a quickie - the signal in the second photo, with the calling on and route describer, how do you control it please? (I have something similar for my eventual Queenborough layout, and can only think of using a rotary switch, but combining that with the possibility of three routes for the main or the calling on signal is driving me nuts....).

Very good and worth watching. Thank you. But what on earth is that massive car park on the left, right near the end??

Er, yes it does! Mild steel, and other steels usually (or previously) used for structural works, continuously degrade when rusting, unless regularly protected by painting or similar. Corten Steel (or its more recent variants) used as the preferred "weathering steel" for many bridges and other structures, does not, due to additives, mainly phosphorus, which means its tarnishing surface never affects the layers below. However, Corten Steel is between 55% and 70% more expensive per tonne than Mild steel, and perhaps 40% more expensive than stainless. But then you have to add the costs of prepping, painting, and later, multiple re-painting other steels. Hence Corten steel's whole life costs are perceived as relatively lower.

Time of the month? Hat. coat etc ........