Bob worked for BR from 1963, WAGN, was responsible for electifying to King's Lynn, Stanstead, etc. Now semi-retired, he's a nonexec director of First Capital Connect and First Great Western, working 1 or 2 days a week.


General industry comments

"""The government is subsidising the rail industry by 3 billion per annum; looking back 10 years and exprapolation without the three following items, it would actually be in surplus - a new payer - by now.  However:

a) West Coast Main line / biggest error with government now 9 billion worse off
b) Railtrack. "Seemed to think they had a vacuum hose into the treasury"
c) Channel Tunnel Rail Link. 5 billion and loss leader / lower Channel Tunnel passenger traffic than expected, and the line doesn't do much for Rochester / Chatham / Gillingham anyway.

"Polititians see us a spendthifts and it's remarkable that they're prepared to put another 15 billion in via HLOS which offers 1300 carriages, Thameslink improvements, and major freight enhancement."""

Anglia Specific Improvements

"""Felixstowe - Peterborough - Nuneaton freight
Thameslink - close Moorgate, improve Farringdon, reposition terminal platforms at Blackfriars.
12 car trains, Cambridge to Kings Cross. A year or two before stock can be allocated to the satifaction of the DfT although FCC could source it.
Stanstead also to 12 car, and 4 platforms.
2009 Clacton resignalling.
Stratford Capacity Improvemnets ("platform 10a to full lenght"?) said to be a lot of work due to need to rebuild road bridge

"As we're in East Anglia I was not asked to go further in my talk".

Bob sees ORR, Treasury, DfT, Network Rail and the TOCs all working together to meet the various objectives and get a positive outcome.  He noted inthe last few days that Network Rail have been holding back and asking for money, but assured us that's just a part of the process.

Under HLOS - route plans by Q2/2008 and announcements Q4."""


Note - he DID make some FGW specific comments:

http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=924.0