Network Rail in strange places Competition

[Gareth Marston]

This is from SARPA webmaster Angus:

Today whilst travelling by road (shock horror) between Newtown and
Maesmawr (nr Guilsfield)......I spied a Network rail van parked up in
Tregynon at about 10.50 hrs. Yes, the place near Gregynog Hall.

Now, as everybody knows, Tregynon, Gregynog and all the places named
above except Newtown are not on the network and never have been and
probably could never hope to be unless the moon really is made of green
cheese. Moreover, they are not really on any short cut to anywhere that
there is actually a railway except maybe, the one at Llanfair Caereinion
and as we all know, Network Rail as a rule doth not have very much to do
with them. Am told its a question of ownership.

Now I know that there has been some discussion as to a North-South
railway for Wales and maybe these good folk from NR are industriously
employed in surveying a proposed route, though somehow, I rather have my
doubts.

So what are these Network Rail vans doing at large in the countryside,
far away from the railway during working hours? Are these vans and their
occupants contributing to the enormous costs promulgated by NR for
maintaining and enhancing the infrastructure? Or is there a legitimate
reason?

Would propose a small wager..... will offer £10 to a photo of a NR van
in the most unlikely REAL situation, miles from any standard gauge
railway (adjacent to Snowdon Summit Station as re-aranged by Photoshop
doesn't count!) sent to me by 31st December.

Will publish some of the results on the website. The decision of the
winner will be that of the webmaster and his decision if final.....

If anyone else would like to contribute to increase the prize......all
contributions will be gratefully received.

Angus

@ http://sarpa.info/contact.html

 

[tempests1]

Saw a NWR Van in Bude North Cornwall. It has been a long time since the town had a train service!

 

[attics26]

away from the railway during working hours?

love that cos as we all know the railway just works office hours - not 24/7

 

[Tomnick]

Perhaps a Network Rail employee had chosen to visit said location in his own time, using his company vehicle? Most companies allow leisure use of company vehicles, and I'm sure Network Rail is no different. There should be no significant cost to NR if they don't pick up the cost of fuel used for private purposes.

 

[mumrar]

That has to be one of the most painful and drawn out posts I have ever read (and there's been a few). Your point basically is, Network Rail van seen somewhere not near a current or former railway. The most logical answer is an employee using it in leisure time, but how has this become such a big story for you? Do you live in a quiet town?

 

[Gareth Marston]

That has to be one of the most painful and drawn out posts I have ever read (and there's been a few). Your point basically is, Network Rail van seen somewhere not near a current or former railway. The most logical answer is an employee using it in leisure time, but how has this become such a big story for you? Do you live in a quiet town?

Murmar- you miss the point with Network Rail eating up £6 Billion a year of money most of which is from the taxpayer and with cuts on the way .The person who originally sent the e mail I posted is fundamentally right to challenge anything that NR does. We all know its more expensive than BR , we all know its more expensive than what our European neigbbours manage and if its not dealt with some parts of the country could end up losing their railway. NR will not be immune no matter what it thinks its control period settlement is.

A lot of posts on this site deal with the minutia of railway operations this one eludes to an issue from the outside world - funding and the perception widely held that NR is profligate. Maybe if NR hadn't screwed up implementing ERTMS on the Cambrian and we had the additional passing loops signaled between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury so that more frequent services could have been running before the recession the van would not have attracted attention!

The rail network and many of the musings on this forum depend on govt money - ignore the hand that feeds you at your peril.

 

[the sniper]

away from the railway during working hours?

love that cos as we all know the railway just works office hours - not 24/7

I'm sure NR staff would be very happy to take up this new 9 to 5 way of working!

Just to avoid any more further confusion, if you see a NR van on someone's driveway, either in the countryside or on a council estate, it doesn't mean a railway is coming, it's just because a NR member of staff lives there. Your likely to see these rare beast on driveways during 'working hours' because a good few NR staff work at night. :roll:

 

[Tamperkid]

I am sure not all Network Rail Vans are allowed for private use but some definately are.The emplyee would have to pay for not only the fuel they use but also the road tax because it is no longer a pool vehicle, in which case they are probably saving the company a few hundred quid a year on road tax.

 

[The Planner]

A lot of posts on this site deal with the minutia of railway operations this one eludes to an issue from the outside world - funding and the perception widely held that NR is profligate. Maybe if NR hadn't screwed up implementing ERTMS on the Cambrian and we had the additional passing loops signaled between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury so that more frequent services could have been running before the recession the van would not have attracted attention!

This is what it all boils down to, the bit of railway in your back yard is having a bit of a torrid time so everything NR does is wrong and has to be scrutinised. Ive no doubt McNultys report will give NR a good kicking so save yourself until then.

 

[mumrar]

This is what it all boils down to, the bit of railway in your back yard is having a bit of a torrid time so everything NR does is wrong and has to be scrutinised. Ive no doubt McNultys report will give NR a good kicking so save yourself until then.

You beat me to it. The original emailer quite clearly admits to having no idea as to why the van is there, so what is the suspicion based upon? You do not know who was driving it, why they were there, or anything else, yet you assume it is due to the money being wasted by NR (was it a staff outing? Stag do?) that is apparently rife.

 

[Gareth Marston]

This is what it all boils down to, the bit of railway in your back yard is having a bit of a torrid time so everything NR does is wrong and has to be scrutinised. Ive no doubt McNultys report will give NR a good kicking so save yourself until then.

From the official pan European ERTMS website
http://www.ertms.be/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=38&Itemid=61

Network Rail leads a cross-industry ERTMS programme on behalf of the rail industry...
Cambrian Line Early Deployment Scheme - ERTMS
Integration testing will start in 2008 (initially on part of the route). ERTMS and technical readiness will be achieved by December 2008.

Theirs no way anyone can argue that NR hasn't let the side down on this one.
McNulty or not.

Perhaps I'm being to harsh the van could have been dumping some RIDDOR reports in the woods.

 

[O L Leigh]

What a lot of hot air. Do we even know that the vehicle was being driven by a Nitwit Rail employee on Nitwit Rail business? Could it just as conceivably have been in the charge of someone else, such as a mechanic giving the vehicle a test run as part of a service/MOT for example?

Quite frankly it's common to see Nitwit Rail vehicles away from the network. It doesn't mean that the person in charge of it is up to no good or that Nitwit Rail are being profligate. Unless someone can come up with a good reason otherwise I really can't see what all the fuss is about.

O L Leigh

 

[the sniper]

Could it just as conceivably have been in the charge of someone else, such as a mechanic giving the vehicle a test run as part of a service/MOT for example?

Even if it was a mechanic, I hope they feel ashamed of themselves for doing business with an organisation that had the audacity to deliver ERTMS late to the good people of Mid Wales! If you associate with terrorists, you are a terrorist!!!

 

[JKJimar53]

Can someone please edit a picture of a Network Rail flag on the moon.

That should win it.

 

[The Planner]

Did you know Elvis works for NR ??

 

[Geezertronic]

I once saw a NR van being serviced in a garage by a car/van mechanic... the shame of it

 

[Tin Rocket]

Nosey b*****d get a life.

 

[asylumxl]

I once saw a NR van being serviced in a garage by a car/van mechanic... the shame of it

OMG that's an outrage! How dare it be serviced! Has NR not come up with a way of making their vans run on air and need no maintenance?! What a waste of taxpayers money

 

[fsmr]

We have an Oxfordshire trading standards car that parks every night in our town
Rutland however is 70 miles from Oxfordshire
Many industries allow their eployees access to works vehicles outside of work
I would guess that was the case with the NWR van.

 

[Hydro]

I once saw one at an access gate unloading tools. Now THAT is unusual.

 

[Wyvern]

Usually both company cars and company vans may be used out of working hours provided the driver pays for petrol (usually)

That's why company cars are liable for income tax.

Vans are slightly different, It used to be that, if it can be shown that the driver does not have the use of it for one whole month of the year, it counts as a pool van and tax is not payable.

 

[Gareth Marston]

Usually both company cars and company vans may be used out of working hours provided the driver pays for petrol (usually)

That's why company cars are liable for income tax.

Vans are slightly different, It used to be that, if it can be shown that the driver does not have the use of it for one whole month of the year, it counts as a pool van and tax is not payable.

How many (NR) vans are there and whats the split between worktime and personal use? Assuming a 42 hr working week for arguments sake and with 168 hours per wk. The practice of taking home the van leaves 75% of the week with it not being employed for rail use. Most rolling stock is used around 15 hrs per day.

 

[68000]

This thread has got to be a joke

 

[MCR247]

How many (NR) vans are there and whats the split between worktime and personal use? Assuming a 42 hr working week for arguments sake and with 168 hours per wk. The practice of taking home the van leaves 75% of the week with it not being employed for rail use. Most rolling stock is used around 15 hrs per day.

I think you need to get a life

 

[Greenback]

At a time when the rail industry is expected to be facing big cuts in funding, I don't think it is unreasonable to look at Network Rail's methods of working. It seems to me that the original post were intended to be humourous, but the use of assets is as relevant as Ian Coucher's pay and bonuses.

 

[Hydro]

No one used vans for personal use at my former depot. Occasionally a supervisor or on call bod took one home if they expected to work or get called out. Vans sometimes got allocated to personnel travelling to courses. Company cars were used for personal use, of which there were...two. One of which was even being turned into a pool car. All the work vans became pool vans, and numbers slashed to the point there wasn't enough vans for work days.

Believe me, Network Rail is getting slashed to pieces at the maintenance level. There's no gratuitous use of company assets for personal use, no lavish wastes of money; there are no assets, and there is no money. Soon there will be nobody left to spend what little money there is at the bottom of the moth eaten maintenance wallet.

 

[Greenback]

If vans are not taken for personal use, then is it not even more relevant to ask what they are doing in certain places, far away from railway lines and former lines?

 

[Hydro]

Stopped for lunch, picked up from the garage following service/mending, even lost and reading a map to some godforsaken access where everything looks green and you don't know the area, having a **** in a bush! Just because a van is not near a railway doesn't necessarily mean it's being used for personal reasons.

Maybe it was being used for personal reasons. I'd draft a strongly worded letter to Ian Coucher immediately. His visionary leadership will ensure vans can only use certain routes to railway access points and must only stop in authorised places on railway land. Trackers will log all journeys and those deviating from the authorised routes will be corporately bummed and drummed out of the company in shame.

 

[Geezertronic]

How many (NR) vans are there and whats the split between worktime and personal use? Assuming a 42 hr working week for arguments sake and with 168 hours per wk. The practice of taking home the van leaves 75% of the week with it not being employed for rail use. Most rolling stock is used around 15 hrs per day.

Maybe they should run them on the rails and that'll help solve rolling stock shortages? You cannot seriously be comparing a van to a train?

 

[Bittern]

If vans are not taken for personal use, then is it not even more relevant to ask what they are doing in certain places, far away from railway lines and former lines?

What would they be up to at former lines anyway? Do they still have to maintain abandoned tunnels/platforms to some degree?