ECML franchise to be broucht back under Public Ownership

[Trains4U]

as per the article...

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-44142258

 

The East Coast franchise is to be brought under public control (again)

[Trains4U]

From the wording of the live updates, this looks like it is an almost immediate change

[wamwig]

Quelle surprise!

Edited May 16, 2018 by wamwig

[4630]

Here's a link to Stagecoach's announcement to the Stock Exchange;

 

http://otp.investis.com/clients/uk/stagecoach/rns/regulatory-story.aspx?cid=273&newsid=1016140

[Bomag]

To lose one operator is unfortunate, two is slightly careless but three is a reflection of to much treasury influence.

Edited May 16, 2018 by Bomag

[Ian Hargrave]

From the wording of the live updates, this looks like it is an almost immediate change

24th June according to BBC World At One.

[Edwardian]

The return of the title "LNER"!

[Trains4U]

24th June according to BBC World At One.

 

That doesn't leave long to unstitch the Virgin embroidery from all those first class seats.

[Phatbob]

The return of the title "LNER"!

"Late, but Never Early Railway", I sincerely hope not.

 

On a serious note, LNER has been dead for too long as a brand.  GNER is the brand that people remember fondly these days, complete with "The route of the Flying Scotsman" strapline.

[87023Velocity]

For the first run under LNER ownership, maybe they could utilise a Charter set with Union of South Africa or that other steam loco which has 'Flying' I think in the name somewhere.

 

Cheers

 

Simon

[rodent279]

The return of the title "LNER"!

 

More wallowing in the past.

[Robin2]

Let's hope it remains permanently in State ownership this time. It worked well that way previously and it will provide an excellent yardstick from which to measure the performance of the other franchisees. And the other franchisees can, equally, provide a yardstick for monitoring the performance of the State owned service.

 

Never waste a crisis!

 

...R

[Ely_South]

That doesn't leave long to unstitch the Virgin embroidery from all those first class seats.

 

I've a funny feeling that the logo is pretty easy to remove from the seats, being a separate element of the upholstery (no doubt for good reason!). But that still leaves the red colour scheme of course. And the vinyls and all the other gubbins….

 

On the bright side, it probably means another HST livery to model before the East Coast loses them :-)

 

Rob

[4630]

The DfT press release is out now;

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/lner-to-run-east-coast-mainline-services-from-london-to-yorkshire-the-north-east-and-scotland

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/east-coast-rail-update

 

 

Edited to add link to Chris Grayling's Commons statement.

Edited May 16, 2018 by 4630

[woodenhead]

The return of the title "LNER"!

LDOR with a curious but strangely familiar brown livery

[talisman56]

Here we go again...

[Oakydoke]

Let's hope it remains permanently in State ownership this time.

The term "state ownership" is commonly misused with regard to these franchises.

It has remained in "state ownership" all along.

The service has been franchised out to be operated on behalf of the DfT by a contractor, now it's going to be operated in-house by an agency contractor on behalf of the DfT.

[woodenhead]

Let's hope it remains permanently in State ownership this time. It worked well that way previously and it will provide an excellent yardstick from which to measure the performance of the other franchisees. And the other franchisees can, equally, provide a yardstick for monitoring the performance of the State owned service.

 

Never waste a crisis!

 

...R

Politically that cannot happen, it would rather fly in the face of policy and play into the hands of the opposition parties if it outperformed the private operation (again!!) 

[alfsboy]

I hear they are are renationalizing British Leyland and British Shipbuilders i and shooting all fox hunters .Looks like  the Corbyn  effect is working .

[Oakydoke]

Politically that cannot happen, it would rather fly in the face of policy and play into the hands of the opposition parties if it outperformed the private operation (again!!)

 

But VTEC outperformed East Coast in terms of the amount of revenue they raised for the taxpayers.

They just couldn't meet the increasingly large and unacheivable payments required by the contract they overbid for and that the DafT were happy for them to sign up to.

[Dunsignalling]

The return of the title "LNER"!

It was bound to happen eventually, there wasn't much alternative.

 

All other options that would, even vaguely, describe where the trains go, must have been exhausted.

 

John

Edited May 16, 2018 by Dunsignalling

[Dan Griffin]

So we Have GWR, Southern and now LNER, all we need is the LMS to take back the west coast and we will have arrived in 1923, sorry 2023!! Seriously who’d have thought that 95 years after the grouping that three of the ‘big four’ would still be working the main lines!

[rodent279]

So we Have GWR, Southern and now LNER, all we need is the LMS to take back the west coast and we will have arrived in 1923, sorry 2023!! Seriously who’d have thought that 95 years after the grouping that three of the ‘big four’ would still be working the main lines!

I know it's only a name, but it smacks of another case of "all we have to do is go back into the past and all will be well". Wallowing in the past as though it was a better world.

[Trains4U]

Nobody has confirmed any sort of name yet.

I wouldn't be surprised if they go back to "East Coast"

 

Why pay a design consultancy millions if you already have all the artwork and designs

[Steamport Southport]

I know it's only a name, but it smacks of another case of "all we have to do is go back into the past and all will be well". Wallowing in the past as though it was a better world.

 

Good. Better than the present where you have everything named after burger companies and mobile phone operators.

 

 

 

 

 

Jason