Important Announcement
The Strike action being taken next week will see Cornwall without any trains on the strike days. Therefore our Ride the Cornish Branch lines on 25th June, 2022 has been regretfully postponed
The Strike action being taken next week will see Cornwall without any trains on the strike days. Therefore our Ride the Cornish Branch lines on 25th June, 2022 has been regretfully postponed
Two important Franchises
John Roberts reports
John Roberts reports
1. The board of GoAhead plc announced yesterday 13th June it is recommending a £647.7 million cash offer for the company from a consortium of industry investors made up of Australian based bus operator Kinetic and Spanish road and rail infrastructure developer and concession manager Globalvia Inversiones which manages and operates around 80km of light rail and metro routes in Spain. The deal is targeted for completion in October.
GoAhead had announced on 12 June that it had received two bids from Australian group Kelsian and the now successful consortium pushed its share price higher before this announcement.
The deal is subject to competition clearance in the EU, Germany and Ireland.
GoAhead is a major bus and rail operator in the UK via its subsidiary Govia, where it runs the Govia Thameslink Railway network under a management contract recently awarded by the British government. Since 2019, Go-Ahead has been active in the German rail concession market, initially around Stuttgart and since December 2021 in Bavaria, where a second contract begins this December. Go-Ahead is also the operator of a rail concession contract in Norway.
This leaves only First in British hands and they have also been subject to a foreign bid which at the moment they have rejected.
2. Today, 14th June, FirstGroup and DfT have agreed a new National Rail Contract (NRC) for GWR starting from 26th June 2022 for three years with an optional three year extension.
The ambitious infrastructure enhancements promised in previous franchises have given way to some small projects such as MetroWest (Gloucester-Bristol-Westbury) and new stations at Marsh Barton, Portway Parkway and Reading Green Park, all of which are already under construction.
https://news.gwr.com/news/national-rail-contract-awarded-to-great-western-railway
GoAhead had announced on 12 June that it had received two bids from Australian group Kelsian and the now successful consortium pushed its share price higher before this announcement.
The deal is subject to competition clearance in the EU, Germany and Ireland.
GoAhead is a major bus and rail operator in the UK via its subsidiary Govia, where it runs the Govia Thameslink Railway network under a management contract recently awarded by the British government. Since 2019, Go-Ahead has been active in the German rail concession market, initially around Stuttgart and since December 2021 in Bavaria, where a second contract begins this December. Go-Ahead is also the operator of a rail concession contract in Norway.
This leaves only First in British hands and they have also been subject to a foreign bid which at the moment they have rejected.
2. Today, 14th June, FirstGroup and DfT have agreed a new National Rail Contract (NRC) for GWR starting from 26th June 2022 for three years with an optional three year extension.
The ambitious infrastructure enhancements promised in previous franchises have given way to some small projects such as MetroWest (Gloucester-Bristol-Westbury) and new stations at Marsh Barton, Portway Parkway and Reading Green Park, all of which are already under construction.
https://news.gwr.com/news/national-rail-contract-awarded-to-great-western-railway
Many thanks John for watching the wider scene and sending in your detailed report.
A good excuse to visit
Burngullow and Gover.
Andrew and Diane Jones
Burngullow and Gover.
Andrew and Diane Jones
The temperature is rising and now we have a National Rail Strike next week, hardly conducive for lineside photography! So armed with camera I thought a trip to Burngullow and the Gover valley would be in order as Diane had a lengthy hair dressing appointment in St Austell.
Burngullow is one of those locations where you are never sure what you will find. Its ideal for a long lens camera and you have time to position, the only downside is that you have to concentrate on the subject and there is very little time to take numbers, so perhaps other more knowledgeable contributors can fill in the gaps.
Attached photographs 1a and 2a were taken today from Trevanion Road Overbridge between 11am and 12.
Photographs 3a,4a and 5a were taken today from Higher Burngullow Road Overbridge between 12.30 and 13.45 in sweltering heat.
Very best wishes Andrew and Diane
Burngullow is one of those locations where you are never sure what you will find. Its ideal for a long lens camera and you have time to position, the only downside is that you have to concentrate on the subject and there is very little time to take numbers, so perhaps other more knowledgeable contributors can fill in the gaps.
Attached photographs 1a and 2a were taken today from Trevanion Road Overbridge between 11am and 12.
Photographs 3a,4a and 5a were taken today from Higher Burngullow Road Overbridge between 12.30 and 13.45 in sweltering heat.
Very best wishes Andrew and Diane
Photograph 1A Down Castle class 43097 Castle Drogo crossing the Gover Valley 14th June 2022. Copyright Andrew Jones
Photograph 2a down Dmu crossing Gover viaduct 14th June 2022 Copyright Andrew Jones
Photograph 3a Castle class opens up on the long straight at Burngullow, you can see the heat haze from the MTU engine. Copyright Andrew Jones
Photograph 4a A Down dmu 158951 passing the once busy Blackpool Dryers 14th June 2014. Copyright Andrew Jones
A reminder of the short lived EWS company idling its time away in the undergrowth! Copyright Andrew Jones.
Many thanks Andrew good use of your time was made, hope the 'hair do' was a great success.