Category Archives: Transport

Flying solo for a while…

02 Thursday Feb 2017

Posted by in Bangkok, Thailand, Transport, Travel

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Bangkok. 13:00.

I’m sat in my new hotel room after downsizing in both luxury and cost as my partner, Dawn, flew back to the UK early this morning. Now I’m on my own for the next few weeks as I do some exploring whilst using the time to catch up with friends In Indonesia and Malaysia.

I’m back in old haunts in Banglumphu at a backpackers hotel called the Happio. I’ve stayed here many times in the past. Then it was called Happy House. It’s cheap, cheerful, friendly and suits my needs as I only require a room for 14 or so hours as I’ve got a flight to Bali at silly o’ clock in the morning. One improvement is that the hotel wifi has been extended from the restaurant/reception to encompass all the rooms. As I’ve been travelling long enough to remember the days of ‘Poste Restante’ addresses (what? ask younger travellers) I’m still sometimes amazed how the communications revolution and the internet has revolutionised travelling – for better and worse…

Dawn and I spent the past few weeks relaxing in Thailand. For once, instead of travelling, we stayed the entire time down in the Krabi area. I’ll blog about our time there separately. As I’m now on my own I’m using the time to catch up on work at home and plan the rest of the trip as I’m going to be very much on the move (I have itchy feet to scratch), so expect regular blogging and pictures.

Although I’ll miss Bangkok (I feel very much at home here) I won’t miss the traffic. Chrissorn, an old Thai friend of ours drove us to the airport at 6am this morning. At that time of day the traffic was fine, but Chris & I got caught up in mayhem on the return trip as one of the expressways was in gridlock so the journey took more than twice as long. Bangkok is slowly extending and linking up its rail and metro network but some projects are years late, disconnected from each other and the fares are expensive – which isn’t tempting people out of their cars (as Chris explained to me – he’d only got his car a few days ago). You can read about some of the reasons why in my earlier blog about a trip on the new Purple line metro.

Bangkok is a stark contrast to London which has a mature rail network. Few would dream of commuting into the capital by car & the city isn’t scarred by the massive flyovers and elevated expressways that Bangkok has to endure. Still, I’ll be interested to see how things develop. I expect to be popping back on a regular basis to check on progress. But right now, it’s time for lunch…

Wakefield reflections…

12 Monday Dec 2016

Posted by in Brexit, Transport, Travel

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My job and my wanderlust take me all over the place, which can be both good and bad. I get to see some truly inspiring or stunning places, but then there’s the flip side of the coin and today was it..

After spending the morning taking portraits of the new (and old) staff members of ACoRP in Huddersfield I had to head to London. I was too late to catch the last of Grand Central’s morning services to the capital and the weather was too grey and grim for decent photography so I came up  with the idea of heading over to Wakefield to have a look at the revamped Kirkgate station, then have a mooch around town. I once crowned Kirkgate as the UKs worst station but the place has come on in leaps and bounds since then. Millions has been spent refurbishing it, bringing it back to life as a business centre as well as a station. It also boasts a café, which seems to be thriving. It was certainly busy when I popped in for a coffee. Whilst I was there I bumped into Andy Savage from the Railway Heritage Trust. He and his colleagues were visiting to weigh up the stations suitability as a home for a L&Y Rly war memorial that’s been stored at the East Lancs railway ever since Horwich works closed in the 1980s.

Having had my mood lifted by the company and the coffee I made the mistake of wandering into the town. Now you have to remember that Wakefield voted by 66.4% to 33.6% to leave the EU, yet, when you stroll through the place it’s pretty obvious that without the Poles and other immigrants the town centre would be devoid of a huge number of shops (and jobs). I bought 4 lovely samosas for £2 at a kebab shop run by Turkish Cypriots. Walking on up to the cathedral I passed numerous other shops which were either foreign owned or staffed by foreign nationals. So, where were the Brits? Well, I was accosted by a few who were begging, and the Wetherspoons appeared to be full of them – as did one or two of the other pubs I passed. Here’s the problem. Many of the Brits I saw were obviously economically inactive – and a fair few looked like they’d be incapable of holding down any job for very long. The contrast was stark – and uncomfortable. I wonder how many of Brits begging or spending their time getting pissed were the ones who voted to Leave the EU so they could kick out the foreigners? Will they be setting up businesses in the empty shops if the Poles and others have to leave? Perhaps some of the British pensioners who may be forced to leave Spain or Portugal settle could take on a kebab shop or two? This is the madness of Brexit. The politics of resentment (stoked by millionaires like Arron Banks) has fuelled a looming economic disaster that will impoverish the towns like Wakefield that voted for it – and it’s not going to be a pretty sight…

Wakefield is a classic example of the fact that you can spend millions of pounds on new buildings and tarting up the town centre, but then what do you do about the people? I struggle to understand what Wakefield thought they would gain by voting leave (other then the ones who genuinely wanted to kick out foreigners, obviously). Brexit hasn’t let them ‘take back control’. It hasn’t left them any better off – exactly the opposite. It won’t reopen the coal mines or the other traditional industries the area used to rely on for jobs, like glass and textiles. It won’t magically turn the economically inactive into Captains of industry. So what will it give them? I wonder if, when the Government ever come clean on what Brexit really does mean – and looks like, will the citizens of Wakefield still think it was a good idea?

Too busy writing for a living…

26 Wednesday Oct 2016

Posted by in RAIL magazine, Transport, Work

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Apologies for the lack of blogs recently but I’ve been to busy writing for a living rather than pleasure! Earlier today I finished writing the final article in my trilogy for RAIL magazine. It was good timing as part 2 of the series hit newsagents shelves today.

Every two years RAIL commission me to travel around the UKs railways for a week. I get to see the good the bad and the ugly – then write all about it. As this is the seventh year I’ve been doing the trips (I started in 2004) we made it a little different. Instead of out and back, circular trips I started in Penzance and finished in Wick. It was great as it gave me the opportunity to include lines I’d not travelled on before. Here’s a preview of today’s piece, published in RAIL No 812:

20161026_101822

 

RAIL 812 is on sale from today until the next edition (and final part of my article) appears on Wednesday 9th December

Now this has been done and the nights are drawing in I should be working from home more, I’m hoping that will leave me a bit more time for blogging. That said, I’ve still got tens of thousands of slides to scan!

The Hs2 Bill Ctte report

23 Tuesday Feb 2016

Posted by in Anti Hs2 mob, Hs2, Hs2 petitions, Railways, StopHs2, Transport

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Yesterday evening the Hs2 Hybrid Bill Committee released its final report. There were no real surprises in this solid piece of work – although some of it still seems to have come as a shock to the anti Hs2 campaign, but that’s because of the dream world they’ve insisted in living on for the past few years.

The report has rejected all the more outlandish and impossible asks, such as a fully bored tunnel under the Chilterns, terminating the line short at Old Oak Common and restricting train speeds.

The 112 page report has also made some practical and sensible recommendations on the way the phase 2 hybrid bill petitioning process should be revised. Here’s a look at some of the detail. This can only be a brief overview. I’d recommend that those interested read the full report themselves. It can be found here.

On the Chiltern tunnel (full details on page 36-37 of the report).

page 37

I can’t help wondering if the decision was also made with an eye on precedent. If the Committee agreed that an AONB was to be sacrosanct & new transport links had to be tunnelled under it life would be made very difficult for future developments in any AONB. The Ctte went on to say this;

AONB

When it came to the idea that Hs2 shouldn’t go to Euston, the Committee had this to say;

Euston

And..

Euston 2

So, Euston it is. The Committee were well aware of the potential for disruption to Camden residents lives and made several recommendations & observations in the pages following on from the above.

As for the daft idea put forward by Hs2aa that Hs2 trains should have their speed limited, the Ctte said;

Rail speed

Looking through the report it becomes clear that anti Hs2 campaigners Hs2aa had their arguments rejected time and time again. They’ve not come out of this process at all well.

After dealing with all the substantive matters of the petitions, the Committee moved on to look at the Hybrid Bill process itself. They made several recommendations to streamline the process and make it more relevant to the modern age whilst enhancing the ability of people who are genuinely affected to petition. At the same time they made several specific recommendations that will prevent organisations like the StopHs2 campaign from trying to bog  down the process. If adopted, these will have a major impact on the progress of the Hs2 Phase 2 Hybrid Bill. Locus standi was one such issue.

locus 1

The Committee made some pithy observations on the petitions themselves;

pet 2

pet 3

That said, the Ctte made it clear they were not criticising the majority of petitioners (see 403).

The whole report is a fine piece of work. Hs2 Ltd don’t escape criticism, nor do the Council of Mortgage Lenders or its members for the ridiculous zero valuations applied to some properties affected by Hs2! To my mind all the criticisms are considered and valid.

Anyone who’s ever watched the Committee in action can appreciate the difficulties of the task, so the members of the Committee should be commended for their scrupulous fairness and dedication to the task they were entrusted with. Sadly, StopHs2 campaigners are already doing the opposite. Here’s a taste of their reactions:

conwy

DD crap

Meanwhile, the main anti Hs2 groups seem to be deliberately ignoring the report. StopHs2 are too busy tweeting about a side-show at the PACAC regarding the Hs2 Residents Commissioner whilst nothing has been heard from Hs2aa for days.

Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt….

Here’s a real Hs2 fact.

01 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by in Anti Hs2 mob, Hs2, Rail Investment, StopHs2, Transport

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This week sees the final sessions of the Hs2 Hybrid Bill petitioning in the House of Commons. Despite all the anti Hs2 mobs bluff and bluster they failed to stop the project by bogging it down with petitions. In fact, the Hs2 Committee have sat for less time than the Crossrail Committee!

The Crossrail petitioning process lasted from 13th December 2005 until the 18th October 2007 – over 22 months. In contrast, the Hs2 committee will have sat from the 10th June 2014 until the 3rd February 2016 – less than 19 months.

It’s another abject failure by hs2 antis who are now trying to furiously back-pedal on their claims they ever thought they could Stophs2 with petitions. Here’s a classic example..

Sarbutts petition crap

If anyone else can supply other examples of their ridiculous claims I’ll be happy to add them.

Here’s who is appearing when in the final week.

 

 

DDRf becomes Rail Forum East Midlands

03 Tuesday Nov 2015

Posted by in Claire Perry MP, Lilian Greenwood MP, Patrick McLouglin MP, Rail Investment, RFEM, Transport

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Derby & Derbyshire Rail Forum has rebranded itself Rail Forum East Midlands. The ‘new’ organisation held a very successful Parliamentary reception in the House of Commons yesterday which was hosted by Pauline Latham MP and attended by numerous companies from across the East Midlands. These included representatives of major employers like Alstom, Bombardier & Hs2 Ltd as well as SMEs like RVEL, Delta Rail and Icomera.

Guests heard some very positive speeches from politicians too. First up was the Under Secretary of State for Transport Claire Perry. She was upbeat about future investment & expansion in the UK rail industry, leaving the feeling the Chancellor’s forthcoming spending review holds no concerns for rail.

DG233185. Claire Perry MP. Rail Forum East Midlands. London. 2.11.15.

Nottingham MP and Shadow Transport Secretary Lilian Greenwood spoke afterwards, praising the value of rail to the East Midlands economy. She gave no comfort to the anti Hs2 campaign when she mentioned Labour’s (and her) continuing support for building the line.

DG233210. Lilian Greenwood MP. Rail Forum East Midlands. London. 2.11.15.

The final speech was delivered by Transport Minister Patrick McLoughlin. He mentioned how once a Transport Minister mostly spoke about roads but now talks mostly about rail. But it wasn’t just talk. He also confirmed that Porterbrook leasing were to invest in another 20 four-car Class 387 trains from Bombardier in Derby. You can find Porterbrook’s press release on the deal here.

DG233256. Patrick McLoughlin MP. Rail Forum East Midlands. London. 2.11.15.

You can find a larger selection of pictures from the event by following this link.

The Bow Groups ‘fresh thinking’ is anything but.

12 Monday Oct 2015

Posted by in Anti Hs2 mob, Hs2, Hs2 Bow Group, Railways, Transport

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The Conservative Bow group are currently touting a ‘new’ report which claims we shouldn’t be building Hs2 but reopening old lines instead. The problem is, this report is neither new (it came out in August) or the ‘fresh thinking’ the group use as their slogan.

The report seems to have only one function which is to say “anything but Hs2”. The reports main premise is that whilst the railways clearly need new capacity, this can be provided by reopening old railway lines. How? They never say. Instead, they quote a few examples of lines that have reopened (the Borders railway being one) or lines that they suggest could (BML2). What they fail to deal with is what happens to trains from these lines when they rejoin existing routes. For example. New platforms had to be provided at Edinburgh Waverley to allow the Borders railway to use the station. Edinburgh had old platforms to allow this to happen. Most stations don’t. So, what do you do then? The Bow group have no idea.

The report also ignores the recent fall in performance & punctuality that has been linked to an increasingly crowded network. Put simply, the railways are that busy with extra trains there’s little room for the timetable to recover during times of disruption. The Bow groups ‘solution’ would be to make this worse.

Here’s the group talking about the capacity question.

bow group

How, exactly, can this be achieved “through the use of existing lines”? The Bow group don’t even attempt to justify this claim. There’s no explanation at all on how this can (supposedly) be done which makes this report worse than useless. It’s all very well making such assertions but when you can’t even justify them – what’s the point? The obvious question – how would running more trains in/out of our existing termini relieve congestion – is completely ignored. You might as well claim Heathrow doesn’t need a 3rd runway because planes can take new and different routes to get there! The best the group can do is say “the logistics of merging the flow of trains from a re-opened line into existing timetables is a large job in itself.”

So what’s their answer to this revelation? They don’t have one. That’s hardly surprising when you look at the references for this report. The group haven’t talked to anyone who understands how the railways work. Instead, they quote from the likes of the IEA and articles in the Daily Mail rather than Network Rail, timetable planners or signal engineers.

Clearly, the only point to this report is to try & cast doubt on Hs2, not to seriously address the issues of capacity & congestion on the UK’s railways. If this muddy mélange of sources and assertions without answers is “fresh thinking” then we really are in trouble.

Cambridgeshire bound.

13 Thursday Aug 2015

Posted by in Peterborough, Transport, Travel

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The ‘office’ is moving to Peterborough for the next few days as I’ll be working at a friends wedding tomorrow. I very rarely ‘do’ wedding photography – except for friends. This is one of those times. A young colleague from one of the rail magazines is getting spliced tomorrow and I’ve agreed to do ‘fly on the wall’ pictures of the big day.

Obviously, while I’m in the area I’ll be taking the opportunity to get some rail shots. Peterborough station has undergone a major rebuilding programme in the past couple of years & work continues to make the area ready for the new Thameslink trains from Siemens. There’s going to be lots to photograph…

I’ll update this blog through the day (as time permits, obviously). Right now I’m off to Leeds to catch the train South.

Update 1.

Having fortified myself with a coffee at the ACoRP office with Dawn & Hazel (aka the ‘ACoRP angels) I’m now standing on a busy Trans-Pennine service to Leeds. Not unusually, it’s running slightly late. This line has reached saturation point on capacity so any delays tend to have a ripple effect across the day. It’s one of the reasons I’m not unhappy with the ‘pause’ on electrifying the line. That pause is allowing a rethink & rescope which should mean the extra capacity that’s clearly needed can be factored into the revised scheme. All the signs are that fingers will be taken off the pause button in the autumn. Watch this space…

Right now I’m wedged into the wheelchair use space at the front of the unit, hemmed in by a three prams & half a dozen kids. I wish I had the IEAs ‘transport expert’ Richard Wellings here. Like other members of the anti Hs2 mob he’s always claiming that the railways are the reserve of the rich! Clearly the man has never been on a train outside of the London commuter belt (or, for that matter, the North London line).

UPDATE 2

I’m esconced in the Great Northern hotel opposite Peterborough station after a smooth trip down here with VTEC (Virgin Trains East Coast). Here’s food for thought: Some people always complain UK rail fares are too high. I bought my ticket online yesterday morning. There was a range of prices on offer depending on the time of day you wanted to travel. My single ticket cost me the princely sum of £19.50 in Standard Class for the 10:45 departure which arrives at 12:07. I don’t think that’s expensive at all. Clearly, a lot of other people don’t think the prices are bad either as the train was nearly full. Of course, you’ll never see the national media mention this, they’ll find the most expensive open fare & pretend it’s what everyone pays.

My visit to Peterborough has proved to be (unintentionally) very sociable. The power of social media meant that my travels had been tracked through this blog, so I ended up having a catch-up and a coffee with @mainspringmike who is based nearby. I also bumped into an old friend, Chris Leech (from Business in the Community) who was having a meeting in my hotel. It’s one of the unexpected joys of being an itinerant – you never know who you’ll bump into, or for that matter – where!

Andy Burnham shows how politicians don’t understand social media

01 Wednesday Jul 2015

Posted by in Andy Burnham MP, Michael Dugher MP, Network Rail, PR nightmares, Transport, Twitter

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A few commentators and I have observed over the years how politicians don’t understand social media. It seems that many of them think it’s a way to pontificate or score a few cheap points over your political opponents, nothing more. This is especially true of Twitter, where some of them put out all sorts of nonsense & forget that the electorate (many of whom are far better informed) have the right to reply and the unwary can end up getting their arse handed to them on a plate. When a politician decides to tweet, there’s normally no battle scarred Press Officer looking over their shoulder, ready to snatch the phone off them whilst shouting ‘Noooo…’!

The latest victim of this phenomenon is the man who fancies himself as the next Labour leader – Andy Burnham MP, who tweeted this earlier:

burnham 1

Such an uninformed cheap shot at both the Government and the rail industry wasn’t going to go unchallenged. Burnham had left an open goal & one of the first to reply was a rail industry & PR veteran, the ‘Fact Compiler’

FC burnahm

In truth, it was an incredibly stupid thing for Burnham to tweet. For a start, there wasn’t ‘total chaos’. I’ve been travelling today & used both the East coast & Midland main lines – including Cross Country services. Apart from some delays, there’s been few real problems. And, believe me, if anyone’s going to suffer from speed restrictions or ‘chaos’ – it’s Cross Country. Their franchise stretches from Cornwall to Scotland! I was at Derby & the latest train I saw indicated was 10 minutes. Nor have I seen ‘chaos’ mentioned in other TOCs Twitter feeds – or on Facebook. What this shows is neither understanding of the railways nor commonsense when it comes to public relations. Needless to say, many other Tweeters (including myself) joined in and Burnham was left looking an idiot. However, he didn’t learn & unabashed, added to his woes with this untruthful & cheap jibe..

burnham 2

Of course, his problem is the fact that trans-pennine electrification & line upgrade hasn’t been cancelled at all, it’s merely been postponed whilst a bigger & more comprehensive scheme is designed. Burnham should know this. If he doesn’t, he’s very questionable Labour leadership material. That said, I’m not too surprised. His leadership campaign manager is Shadow Transport Minister Michael Dugher – also well known for making an arse of himself on social media. (see previous blogs like this).

My concern is this. Is this really the best the Labour party have to offer as future leaders? Can you imagine the likes of Blair, Brown (or even Milliband) making such schoolboy errors? If Burnham (and Dugher) really are the future Labour leadership then I can see only one result in the 2020 election – and it ain’t a Labour win. Having your arse handed to you on a plate via Twitter is one thing, but by voters at a general election?

Manchester, leading the Northern revival (pt1)

14 Sunday Jun 2015

Posted by in Manchester, Transport, Travel

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Earlier this week I took advantage of the glorious weather & spent a couple of days shooting pictures in Manchester. What I saw on my travels made me realise what a vibrant & expanding place the city has become.

I first got to know Manchester back in the 1970s when it was a city in decline. The old industries were dying & the city centre reflected that. The place has been on the up since the late 1990s but the pace of change seems to have reached new heights. The amount of new building in the city is astonishing, not just in Manchester itself, but in Salford too.

One of the places I visited was the area around Salford central station. Redevelopment in the area has opened up new opportunities to get shots of the railway passing through the city. I’d been eyeing up construction of a multi-storey car park adjacent to the station. As it had opened I took the chance to see what views were available from the top floor & I was pleasantly surprised with the results. As I took in the views I realised just how much the city skyline has changed in the last decade. New buildings have appeared in all directions, especially towards the city centre. A few years ago the former railway goods yards around Salford central station were given over to car parks. Now those car parks are being built on as millions of pounds are invested in the area. This article from the Manchester Evening News describes what’s happening. Here’s a selection of shots taken from the roof of the car park.

The approaches to Salford Central from the East,looking towards Manchester Victoria. Northern's 319386 approaches with a service to Liverpool Lime St running on the newly electrified route via the original Liverpool & Manchester railway.

The approaches to Salford Central from the East,looking towards Manchester Victoria. Northern’s 319386 approaches with a service to Liverpool Lime St running on the newly electrified route via the original Liverpool & Manchester railway.

319371 is checked at signals adjacent to Salford Central station as it heads for Manchester Victoria. The city's changing skyline is evident in the picture.

319371 is checked at signals adjacent to Salford Central station as it heads for Manchester Victoria. The city’s changing skyline is evident in the picture.

60074 passes Salford West Junction with 6H43 the 11.10 Pendleton to Tunstead empty stone train.

60074 passes Salford West Junction with 6H43 the 11.10 Pendleton to Tunstead empty stone train.

Not all the land around has been redeveloped yet though, looking eastwards from the car park across the Ordsall viaduct there’s a large tract of derelict land where the Manchester Bolton & Bury canal basin resides. You can see it in this picture;

DG215617. 319363. Ordsall viaduct. 11.6.15

The area’s set for further change once construction of the Ordsall curve gets underway. This will be a new viaduct creating a triangular junction to allow trains from Manchester Victoria to run through to Manchester Piccadilly. You can find the details here.

The new line will cut across the dual carriageway & car parks shown in the foreground of this picture, before crossing the River Irwell on a viaduct.

DG215612

Leaving the car park I strolled along Quay Street where more reconstruction is taking place. Quay House, an old 8 story office block is being torn down as part of the Spinningfields redevelopment site

Out with the old & in with the new...

Out with the old & in with the new…

The remains of Quay House...

The remains of Quay House…

Just across the road from all the new building is the Castlefield conservation area – one of my favourite bits of the city. It’s a fascinating mix of eras that stretches right back to Roman times. There’s a rich mix of architecture & industrial archaeology. The area contains the world oldest railway station (Liverpool Rd, which is now a museum) as well as some superb bridges. Castlefield is criss-crossed by railways & canals which make a fantastic setting for pubs & restaurants which have sprung up in former warehouses & factories. Needless to say it’s also a great area for photography. Here’s a selection of shots from the area.

There's a plethora of plaques in Castlefield. This one celebrates the areas links with education & chemistry.

There’s a plethora of plaques in Castlefield. This one celebrates the areas links with education & chemistry.

This plaque celebrates less settled times when the area was a battlefield in the English civil war.

This plaque celebrates less settled times when the area was a battlefield in the English civil war.

Contrasts in Castlefield. The Rochdale canal and Manchester's tallest building, BeethamTower

Contrasts in Castlefield. The Rochdale canal and Manchester’s tallest building, BeethamTower

Grocers warehouse, the birthplace of the industrial revolution in Manchester

Grocers warehouse, the birthplace of the industrial revolution in Manchester

The changing face of freight traffic in Manchester. An intermodal train bound for Trafford Park passes the canals that kickstarted the industrial revolution

The changing face of freight traffic in Manchester. An intermodal train bound for Trafford Park passes the canals that kickstarted the industrial revolution

Leaving Castlefield behind I headed across to the old Manchester Central station to take a look at the expansion of Manchester metrolink. I’ll describe what I found in part 2.