Spanish Banking Practices
This story in the Guardian about Santander and their Chief Executive; Alfredo Sáenz, shows why the only thing you should ever do with this overblown Spanish bank, is to use their cash machine, if it is the only one available.
I did that once and got charged for the money, but didn’t get any. They did find the mistake, so 48 hours later, the money was put back in my account.
But as I’ve often said here, a great friend of mine who retired from a high position in a major clearing bank, always told me to bank with a bank, which is head-quartered in the UK and preferably England, if you live there.
There is also this story on the BBC, about Lloyds divesting themselves of their Spanish Operations at a hefty loss. One of the consequences is that Lloyds now have a small 1.8% stake in a Spanish bank. To quote my old mate, Brian, it looks like they’ve been screwed, glued and tattooed on that deal.
But then it’s only money! Except that a lot of it is our’s!
Checking Up On King George V
It has often been said that King George V’s last words were “Bugger Bognor”. Although, as this article says, it is probably a myth.
But today, the BBC Weather is saying that Bognor Regis is going to be the warmest place in the UK at 15°C
So as I’ve never been to Bognor Regis, I think this is a good day to see if King George V had the right thoughts about the place.
How To Parallel Park
This video has become a YouTube hit.
Waitrose ‘Can Add 50 % To The Price Of Your Home’
The Standard also reports this.
I’ve got three within a simple bus ride, but I have a feeling that one will turn up nearer in the next couple of years.
The Jubilee Line Bites London Again!
According to this article in the Evening Standard, the Jubilee line is being shut by the wrong kind of water.
The Jubilee line is to be shut for more than 30 days over the next two years in central London because acidic water is eating into the cast iron linings of the tunnel walls.
Services will be halted in both directions between Finchley Road and Waterloo for major repairs costing £40 million.
Why has the Jubilee line got it in for London, as when a line goes berserk, it is often that line, which was opened for the Millennium? When I use the line, there seems to be a higher chance of trouble compared to the other lines.
It would appear that the problem is in the first section of the Jubilee line that was built in the 1970s. The tunnels seem to use iron linings and it is interesting that Crossrail is manufacturing all of its linings out of concrete.
I do wonder what other problems will turn up on London’s most troublesome Underground line!
At least on the BBC News tonight, they showed how the repair techniques were being tested in the old Charing Cross platforms, which were last used for Skyfall. So hopefully, they’ll find a way to cut the closure of the line to a minimum.
Not Very Correct French
French Railways or SNCF has just introduced a budget low-cost TGV service . They’ve called it Ouigo, which I assumed is pronounced “we go”.
I thought the French had laws against the language of the dreaded rosbifs!
But it is a concept that might just have enough to succeed.
Would I use it?
Probably not, as it seems to be tied into French mobile phones and post codes. But I had read that the web site was only in French, but it’s now also in English. So I suspect that in a few months, it’ll be as easy to use as easyJet or Ryanair.
I shall certainly try it on one of my trips back from somewhere in Southern Europe.
Lea Bridge Station May Be Reopened
Tucked away in the May 2013 edition of Modern Railways, is a statement that Lea Bridge station in Walthamstow may be reopened.
If they do reopen the station and the nearby Hall Farm Curve, this would link the Chingford branch directly to the Lea Valley Lines. Wikipedia says this about the project.
Transport for London ran a study on the feasibility of reopening the curve for 2016 that produced a result with a benefit-cost ratio ranging between 8:1 and 14:1 depending on the length of trains involved. In 2007, the Greater Anglia Route Utilisation Strategy published by Network Rail suggested that construction of the curve could be possible by 2019 or later.
Designs for new services run using the curve have been suggested to reduce journey times between Walthamstow and Stratford or Tottenham Hale to 12 minutes from their current duration of 34 minutes and 43 minutes respectively.
It would appear that house prices in Walthamstow and Chingford should soon be on the rise, if the project goes ahead.
I believe that small projects like this can often give great benefit to passengers and the railways. This one is one of three that have just been proposed. The others are Ilkeston and Pye Corner. They all follow Cambridge Science Park station, which will start construction next year.
The Cost Of A UKIP Government
According to the Times today, there is a big black hole in UKIP’s plans based on their 2010 manifesto. They postulate a figure of £120 billion, which probably has a margin of error.
It shows that those out of power can promise the earth, even if they won’t ever be able to deliver.
But I hadn’t realised until now, that Farage and UKIP want to bring back smoking in pubs. I think now, that would probably be a big vote loser, as we’ve all got used to cleaner air in bars and restaurants.
I May Not Be Old Enough To Listen To Radio 2, But I Did Get Invited To Take Part
I was invited to appear on the Jeremy Vine show on BBC Radio 2 today, even though I’m not old enough to listen regularly.
If they put it on-line, I’ll give a link.
Are Virgin Trains Going To Go Faster?
With trains, it has always been known, that the faster you go, the more passengers you attract.
So when you get a headline of Virgin mulls 135 mph working in Modern Railways, you suspect that they are working on faster trains.
After all the Class 390 Pendolinos are capable of 140 mph, but are limited to 125 mph in service.
At present, most trains to both Liverpool and Manchester take about eight minutes over two hours from Euston, but one train a day does it in two hours. So to lose that eight minutes and get all trains on the headline-grabbing two hours, would mean an average speed increase of 6.25%. If the average journey speed bears a direct relationship to the train’s maximum speed, then by increasing the current maxium from 125 mph to 135 mph is a rise of 8.0%.
So is this where the conservative figure of 135 mph came from? It is just enough to get all London to Liverpool and Manchester trains just under that magic two hours, that will give a sensible return for the cost of the extra speed and the track and signalling improvements?
Applying the same rules to the Glasgow time of four hours and thirty minutes, could give a speed reduction to four hours and ten minutes.
So on a rough and ready cakculation, Virgin’s op speed of 135 mph, could bring a great improvement to the West Coast Main Line. Remember that the rebuild of the line in the early 2000s was intended to deliver a London Manchester time of an hour and forty five minutes.
The Anonymous Widower 