Goodbye National Excuse

[cnosni]

Geordie-exile wrote: Let the plane take the strain:http://www.sundaysun.co.uk/news/north-e ... -29932766/ Nothing surprises me,but there is one huge error in that article,that East Coast fr is FUNDED by the government,thats not so as East Coast recieves no funding,in fact its operation produces a surplus which goes into government coffers,thats after all business costs (including directors and expenses have been paid).The latest we hear is that it will remain with the government til 2013.

[tyke bhoy]

Apparently Eurostar are going to be part of one of the bidding consortiums

[raveydavey]

tyke bhoy wrote: Apparently Eurostar are going to be part of one of the bidding consortiums So we might have through services to Paris? Only 20 years after they were last promised...

[tyke bhoy]

So Eurostar lost out to the retro named "Inter City Railways"
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/more ... passengers

The Guardian is suggesting that despite Stagecoach owning 90% of the company the trains will be liveried with Virgin branding being the other 10% of the consortium.

The deal includes direct links from Huddersfield and Dewsbury to London, something I am sure TPE are also mooting via Manchester and the West Coast Line.

[liits]

Stagecoach's Chief Exec on the TV this morning spouting the clap-trap of "Enhanced customer experience".
Unless their enhanced experience includes a child-free carriage, I don't want it and I sure don't want to pay for it!. I would, though, like them to run to the advertised times.

[BLAKEY]

I'm afraid I'm heartbroken by this news, and it certainly means goodbye to dignity and quiet efficiency that we've enjoyed for the last five years. Already the "image merchants" have seemingly got their way, and the trains will be liveried in Virgin colours. So Goodbye to the classic light grey with simple purple coach line, and Hello to more garish meaningless swoops, dots and speckled patterns which must cost the earth and mean absolutely nothing to the average passenger. One of the previous liveries before the simple grey (and before National Express's white and dotty lines nonsense) was the ultra dignified GNER of rich plain dark blue with bold red line and proud gold GNER lettering. I know this is one of my hobby horses but I feel really passionate about it, having seen the bus industry, under the seemingly omnipotent marketing gurus, expensively reduced to mobile advertising hoardings which mean absolutely nothing to the average passenger seeking reliable and unpretentious service. I realise it may be said that the colour schemes are unimportant but to me they openly cry out of "flippancy and empty undeliverable promises."
Trains and buses are in most cases handsome and well designed in appearance and are rectangular in shape and proceed horizontally - what ever is the point in destroying that image ??

As far as service times are concerned I for one have been very satisfied indeed generally, and a time of very little over two hours from here to London is more than good enough. Oh, and what on EARTH is the need for "improved waiting rooms at Wakefield Westgate" ?? - Good grief the cement and paint are scarcely dry on the recent magnificent refurbishment of the whole station. So why the new franchise holders are already boasting about lopping a few minutes off I can't imagine - if indeed it is achievable with the present infrastructure. I'm afraid I despair, and I remain more committed than ever to the principle that railways should be State owned and run - all aspects, stations, track maintenance and the lot !!

[cnosni]

Well there is nothing coming down to current East Coast employees about what will happen so they are in the same position as everyone else.
Two hours to London is already achievable, removing intermediate stops creates this journey time.
All the new destinations and additional services will not come into effect until the IEP trains are introduced.
The real worrying figure is the £3bn that is supposed to be paid to the government.
East Coast was giving the government £235m a year.
.
However there were no stakeholders or shareholders to pay out and one has to wonder how £3bn will be made for the government in 8 years (8x £235m= £1.88bn)

These figures make the GNER franchise re-bid figures look attainable, which as we know were not. Neither were National Expresses.

Savings will be made when the new fleet comes in, however, the cost to be paid by Stagecoach/Virgin to Agility trains (the builders/maintainers of teh new fleet) runs into the hundreds of millions a year.

The current fleet maintenance costs, which includes the employees who are within the maintenance sphere, is less than £100m per year.

So any potential savings made from the efficiency and reliability of the new fleet will be more than wiped out.