NEWS
Grand Central and Alliance snubbed over London services
The Office of Rail Regulation has rejected proposals for more direct trains to London from the North, using the West Coast Main Line.
Grand Central’s proposed Blackpool North, Poulton-le- Fylde and Kirkham & Wesham direct trains to Euston, meaning the 340,000 people living on the Fylde peninsula would no longer have to change at Preston, would have restored a direct London- Blackpool service for the first time since 2003.
The proposal would have seen services begin in May 2012 when the ‘moderation of competition’ clauses enjoyed by Virgin’s West Coast franchise come to an end. But it was rejected, leading Grand Central to complain about “a de facto 20 month extension to the
Jarvis to escape Potters Bar prosecution
The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has dropped criminal pro- ceedings against Jarvis over the Potters Bar crash. The firm, now in administration, will not face prosecution over the derailment in May 2002 in which seven people died, partly because of its finan- cial problems. Jarvis’s administra- tors said they would take no part in proceedings.
The ORR said families had told it they saw little value in the prosecu- tion, but solicitor Louise Christian, who represented families at the inquest, said there is “no account- ability” after such disasters.
It also said the trial would be lengthy and costly and would lead to only a “small financial penalty” if successful.
Network Rail, as successor to Railtrack, admitted health and safety failings last month, but has said that the railway is today “unrecognisable” compared to 2002 and that all of the inquiry recommendations have been car- ried out. The taxpayer will end up underwriting the fine imposed on Network Rail when it is sentenced at St Albans Crown Court.
© Alvey & Towers
current moderation of competi- tion rules on the route”, which “effectively extends the current monopoly until at least the end of 2013”.
In a statement, the company ex- pressed “deep disappointment” and surprise and said it would seek further meetings with the ORR. Also rejected were Alliance Rail Holdings’ bid for Euston to Leeds, Bradford, Blackpool and
Carlisle services, due to “mate- rial omissions” from the bids. The ORR said “the door is still open” to operators who could dem- onstrate benefits to passengers which outweigh negative effects on other operators – the so-called ‘not primarily abstractive’ test.
Alliance said it had submitted a revised application to run services on the West Coast Main Line via the Great North Western Railway.
But the ORR has confirmed it will approve flexible, ten-year track access rights for the new InterCity West Coast franchise, offering opportunities to open ac- cess operators.ORR chief execu- tive Bill Emery said: “Our West Coast Main Line track access conclusions pave the way for the new franchisee on the route to introduce improved services for passengers and to make more efficient use of capacity.
“It also leaves the way open for the introduction of limited compe- tition from new operators on the route, to complement the fran- chised services, and protects the interests of freight operators.”
To see ORR’s conclusions in full, visit
www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/ show/nav.2437
DDRF announces Higgins as keynote speaker
David Higgins is to be the key- note speaker at the 2011 Derby & Derbyshire Rail Forum annual con- ference, it has been announced.
The new chief executive of Network Rail will be just one of a host of speakers at the event at the Derby Conference Centre on November 3. David Higgins took up his new position as chief executive on February 1 2011, succeeding Iain Coucher, who stepped down at the end of October 2010. Higgins was previously chief executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority.
Network Rail’s chairman Rick Haythornthwaite said: “There are significant challenges and opportu- nities ahead for both Network Rail and the industry such as the com- prehensive spending review, the McNulty value for money review and the planning of HS2.
“Public, passengers, politicians and the industry are demanding a
better, safer railway delivered at a lower cost where success will de- pend on pervasive collaboration.
“David is well-placed to lead both Network Rail and the industry for- ward to meet these challenges.”
For more on David Higgins’ vision for Network Rail, see RTM’s inter- view with him on pages 18-19.
Further details about the DDRF Conference will appear at www.
railtechnologymagazine.com and
www.rtmjobs.com
European rail challenges up for debate at major conference
The first iaf Congress on Rail Infrastructure Works in May will be opened by Deutsche Bahn AG’s CEO, Dr Rüdiger Grube.
Other top speakers include Klaus Junker, President of the Association of German Railway Engineers (VDEI), and Hubert du Mesnil, President of Réseau Ferré de France (RFF).
The event, held by VDEI, runs from May 17-19 in Münster.
The theme of the congress is 12 | rail technology magazine Feb/Mar 11
‘Network Improvement in Europe’ and the challenges being faced, including country-specific EDP systems, various electrical power systems and safety systems as well as non-standardised national directives are becoming more and more problematic before the back- drop of advancing globalisation.
But Dr.Eng. Siegfried Krause, man- aging director of VDEI-Service GmbH, said: “Nevertheless, there has been no international forum up to now in order to discuss these challenges which extend across
companies and national bounda- ries.
“Through the iaf Congress on Rail Infrastructure Works, this gap is now supposed to be closed.”
The congress will meet every four years, with a different theme each time.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
VDEI-Service GmbH, Berlin T: 030 / 22 60 57 – 90 E:
service.gmbh@
vdei.de W:
www.iaf-kongress.com or
www.vdei.de
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