First Group recent acquisition GB Railways Group

gblandford · Post by **gblandford** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 9:41 pm

Hi

I know they were talking about it, but I didn't realise it happend.

http://www.angliarailways.co.uk/about/n ... ?story=330

Guy

n863dwt · Post by **n863dwt** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 9:46 pm

well personaly i just wanna know how it will affect the different gb railways group companies and their livery plus does this mean more desiros for the great eastern if they win the franchise or new electric loco's or just replace the class 86's with class 87's or class 90's

Goingnorth · Post by **Goingnorth** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 10:41 pm

I think in time there wil be 4 or 5 players in the TOC market...

1st, Virgin, Natex, Arriva...and so on..

I can see some heavy grouping in the next few years, and with NR taking in maintenance and now signal engineering you can start to see it's evolution and not revolution...

Slowly, but surely it should start to sort itself out...

Kevo00 · Post by **Kevo00** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 10:42 pm

Lets hope consolidation is for the better and not the worse like in some markets...

60085 · Post by **60085** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 10:54 pm

Huh! Arriva can't runrn a bus service up here let alone a railway

.

60085 "MANNA".

Goingnorth · Post by **Goingnorth** » Wed Sep 03, 2003 11:03 pm

60085 wrote:Huh! Arriva can't runrn a bus service up here let alone a railway .

60085 "MANNA".

Arrr, now, I would have agreed this time last year, but they have improved a lot. The punctuality and reliability graphs prove it. Ray price has even announced loco-hauled services over the S&C soon..

When the 158s get displaced from TPex, it's likely they will replaced the 156s, which will replace the pacers...So things should get better.

One thing I would moan about is the late night and early morning service in the NE is terrible. I get the feeling it might be the cost of keeping the mechanical boxes open around the clock, off the main line.

Could do with a Teeside IECC really and extending York IECC to meet up with Manchester Pic just outside the station there.

Sadly, money being what it is, it's not gonna happen...

anakha · Post by **anakha** » Thu Sep 04, 2003 3:15 pm

n863dwt wrote:well personaly i just wanna know how it will affect the different gb railways group companies and their livery plus does this mean more desiros for the great eastern if they win the franchise or new electric loco's or just replace the class 86's with class 87's or class 90's

As an annual season ticket holder with FGE I received a bit of bumpf from them when they were launching their initial application for the new Greater Anglia franchise. They indicated that, if they were successful, their plans for the LS to Norwich service would not include any loco-hauled services but that they would opt for high-speed 125mph EMU's. Don't know if they'd stick to that now with the changed circumstances but it's an insight to how First were thinking.

Post by **martinhodgson** » Thu Sep 04, 2003 3:31 pm

60085 wrote:Huh! Arriva can't runrn a bus service up here let alone a railway .

60085 "MANNA".

They fail all over the world too - they have coaches in La Coruna, Spain

60085 · Post by **60085** » Fri Sep 05, 2003 9:22 am

Oh well I must confess I'd not have noticed any improvements in the last year or so... mainly because in the previous 2 or 3 years they'd driven us away. The Tyne & Wear Metro service being extended through to Sunderland also provided another option (although I do have to change at Pelaw

) that is/was both cheaper and more frequent - although slower.

Their bus service in the north-east isn't anyhign to shout about.
My sister uses them in Northumberland and two or three times buses have failed to turn up... causing her to have to get a taxi to work.
What I can say is that they (arriva) have been very decent about it and have picked up the tab for her journeys.

60085 "MANNA".