Recent content by JonathanH

If that is the case, then Network Rail need to negotiate lower costs with those suppliers, but who has who "over a barrel" in this case? Is it a buyer's market or a seller's market? Any buyer will only pay what someone else says is the cost.

But what then are the costs it can drive down? Presumably less use of outside contractors, but it doesn’t have a big say in raw materials costs and the cost of machinery. Does that just leave staff costs?

Is it that simple? The DfT and Treasury arguably do say that, but the result of cutting Network Rail's (or one day GBR's) budget will be felt by users in less money being spent on maintenance and upkeep rather than budget cuts elsewhere. How do staff costs compare with those other similar Rail...

It will be seen as a tax / subsidy point as well though. The treasury will be thinking why it subsidises higher rate taxpayers to get interest without taxing it on cash investments. A fairly strong argument could be made to set the ISA limit at £0 for higher rate taxpayers, for cash, and...

It is a cross platform interchange at Haymarket going north between Avanti and Scotrail from the West Coast Main Line to Aberdeen.

Cancellation plan appears to be Cambridge to Brighton no further south than Blackfriars. Bedford to Three Bridges cancelled throughout London Victoria to Brighton Gatwick Express cancelled throughout GWR running Reading to Redhill Given how much travel is to London, terminating trains at...

Northern have Northern Duo on selected routes which provides a similar saving. TPE hasn't had the capacity and the majority of long distance operators don't do Groupsave in any case. As some have previously pointed out, the South East has to provide a level of capacity for weekday peaks that...

It seems out of date, since it doesn't fit at all with the 'one every three months' narrative.

They aren't very usefully located for trains from the West Midlands though.

I think the only hint is https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2024-12-04/HCWS281#:~:text=Following Greater Anglia, the programme will continue with the transfer of one operator's services roughly every three months. This text then suggests that the order could...

By that view, the 350s might as well be used on fast services from London to Birmingham (with some changes to pathing on the WCML). The route is already electrified, and the units available soon. What has South Wales done to deserve a change in its rolling stock for London services that the...

That is all well and good, but if the IETs were used on Cardiff to Portsmouth, how would they get to Paddington to operate the half hourly peak flow service to Swansea. Even if we wait for Swansea wiring in 2030, is there really a scenario where prime Paddington to Wales services use 350s or...

It really isn't madness that it doesn't have a loop. The train service manages a near half hourly without a loop, and only uses a two or three coach train. I appreciate that there is no room for special services, but otherwise what is the need for two trains to pass on any of the dead end...

I'm sure you could modify the Cardiff services to be 387s, but what are those units meant to do in the peak and evening, and what do the released 80x units do during the day before they are needed at peak times. The fact is that Cardiff services essentially only operate for part of the day, and...

Units involved in London to Cardiff services run to places off the wires at other times of the day unless someone is suggesting a reduction in through services to Swansea. The last service from Paddington which terminates at Cardiff leaves at 1516, after which there is a half hourly service to...