COMMENT: Network Rail – Not a pretty sight

On Friday 10 May 2002, your Editor in Chief was emerging from an occasional visit to a gym in Darkes Lane, perhaps 100 yards from Potters Bar Railway Station.  He heard what he described at the time, as an almighty bang, followed by an eerie silence.  The Potters Bar rail crash had taken place.  Six passengers were killed plus a pedestrian walking in the street.  A small memorial garden today sits at a point just by the station where much of the debris fell.

It has taken 10 years for the truth of the accident to emerge.  Last week Network Rail, the successor to Railtrack, and responsible for the maintenance of the permanent way, accepted the blame.

At St Albans Crown Court, Network Rail was fined £3m, the money paid out of the public purse.  None of the officials responsible, nor at Jarvis, the contractor who actually performed the work on the railway track, were named or fined. 

Network Rail has issued the standard statement saying that safety is their paramount obligation, a phrase now used in many industries as a plain cover up.  Is safety really an overriding factor or is the chase for profit (or a bonus) the ultimate goal?

Have you had a look at your local railway station recently?  What you will generally see is an appalling trackside mess with dense foliage everywhere that has not been dealt with for years, sometimes six feet tall.  What lies within this growth no one can tell.  Here is a recipe for disaster, whether the weeds undermining the track or those of a certain mindset using the undergrowth as cover for dastardly deeds.

More elderly readers may be reminded of the wonderful station gardens that abounded under British Rail.  OK the organisation left a lot to be desired but at least it took pride with its product and the infrastructure.  Stationmasters competed nationally and there were nominal prizes galore. 

AERBT has been unable to verify a timescale but it seems obvious that at some point over the last decade Network Rail decided that cleaning the trackside was not for them and a big money saving could be achieved by cutting it out.  Personal bonus's might also be realized and nobody would notice how the targets were met.

The result of this policy is noted above.

In 2012 the nation is being showcased with the London Olympics.  The whole place is being tidied up.  But not the railways.

How long are we to continue with the current situation?  Who will carry the blame once an accident/incident occurs?  Will those ultimately responsible once again get away with their delegation of duty scot-free? 

Network Rail is not a pretty sight.

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Aviation finance situation improves say Gates and Partners

With Europe’s major business aviation show, EBACE, taking place at Geneva this week (17/18/19 May) leading aviation law firm Gates and Partners, has seen a positive start for the business aviation market in 2011.

The London-based firm is seeing a more robust market and notes that sources of finance are becoming more enthusiastic.  Aoife O’Sullivan, a Partner, comments: “Whilst there is still a long way to go to achieve previous activity, we have certainly seen an increase in business jet transactions.  Demand for the mid to heavy jets is still high, but the lighter end of the market is also picking up pace.”

She attributes this to the increasing openness of banks who are returning to the table to finance deals.  “Financiers remain quite strict about the calibre of their buyers, but they are now eyeing up deals that six months ago they would not have considered,” says O’Sullivan.  “Terms may be stricter considering factors such as age of aircraft, stability of purchaser’s finances, origin of buyer, etc, but there is general acceptance that the industry is regaining value.”  She says that the show is a marvellous opportunity to wander around and gauge the business feeling. www.gatesandpartners.com www.ebace.aero

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Cannes hotel gets a major makeover

Once the largest hotel on the whole of the French Riviera, and still one of the most prestigious, the Hotel Martinez, has had 30 prestige sea view rooms added.  The 405-guestroom property is to the quieter eastern end of the main Cannes Bay facing the beach on the Boulevard de la Croisette.  The hotel’s La Palme d’Or restaurant has a Michelin 2-star rating.

Whilst designed in the hotel’s Art-Déco style the new rooms’ state-of-the-art equipment has not been forgotten.  The spacious white marble bathroom features an elegant black mosaic.

Starting in June, the 11 Penthouse Junior Suites on the hotel’s prestigious top floor will be completely redecorated.  The end of the year will see the transformation of the bar and ground floor terrace around the pool.  In total, a budget of €10m has been allocated in 2011 to carry out these works. www.hotel-martinez.com

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Dublin to Charlotte and Philadelphia

US Airways, not a high profile operator in Europe, has introduced a daily summer service between its major US hub at Charlotte, North Carolina, and Dublin.  The two-class Boeing 757 operation complements the airline’s all year round flights from the Irish capital to the airline’s international gateway at Philadelphia.

Now essentially the very successful America West Airlines, rebranded, and based at Tempe, Arizona, US Airways is the sixth largest American carrier with a fleet of 341 aircraft including Airbus, Boeing and Embraer 190 series.  The airline is a member of the Star Alliance.

US Airways is one of the few operators to offer both Gatwick and Heathrow, with a daily service from the major London airport to Philadelphia, and with also a single flight every day, from the south London operation to Charlotte.  British Airways supplies competition to Philadelphia but for Charlotte it has the route to itself. www.usairways.com

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London gets business aircraft show

Biggin Hill Airport in Kent, just off the M25, has been chosen as the site for Business Aircraft Europe 2011 on 14-15 September.  Organised by specialist show organisers MIU Events Ltd it will expand on the Light Jets Europe and Very Light Jets conferences which have been run successfully by the same company for the past five years. 

The new event will comprise an expo of 30+ stands, a static display of aircraft, a paid-for conference and a networking party.  The event last year was held at Oxford Airport, but without the display stands.

MIU says it will also create a unique showcase for companies looking to target those travelling into London ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games.

Whilst the aircraft and stands are for the most part self-explanatory, the whole enterprise will essentially evolve around the conference programme, which last year offered a diversified programme on all aspects of executive aviation and kept delegates very busy over the two days.  The networking aspect of the gathering also proved to be of great value.  See last year's gathering. www.aerbt.co.uk/a/201039#2598 www.miuevents.com

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Olympic Games update

With excitement beginning to rise in anticipation of next year’s London Olympic Games all the details are beginning to fit together.  At Geneva, later this week (Wednesday), Dawn Lindsey, London 2012 Olympic Airspace Planning, Directorate of Airspace Policy, UK Civil Aviation Authority and Phil Dyckins, Head of International Air Services at the UK Department for Transport, will discuss aviation security with special emphasis on next year’s UK events. 

Also as part of the lead-up to London 2012, more than 10,000 volunteers, 8,000 athletes from more than 50 countries and more than 250,000 spectators will be invited to take part in a 12-month rehearsal from May 2011 to May 2012.

Organised by LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games), a programme will focus on testing the sporting fields of play; results, timing and scoring systems; how teams work together and how people move around venues.  There are different groupings of events: events which LOCOG is organising and ticketing, events run by LOGOG that are not ticketed, and events which are not organised by LOCOG.

The four ticketed LOCOG events this summer are: 

Mountain Bike: 31 July – Hadleigh Farm, Essex
Beach Volleyball: 9-14 August – Horse Guards Parade
Basketball: 16-21 August – Basketball Arena, Olympic Park
BMX: 19-20 August – BMX Track, Olympic Park
www.london2012.com

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Solar energy aircraft makes international flight

An aircraft solely powered by the sun made an international flight over the weekend in a publicity stunt to show the potential for pollution-free air travel.  The Solar Impulse took off from Payerne in western Switzerland and landed at Brussels after a 13-hour flight.  Geneva to Brussels International takes a little over one hour by scheduled jet.

"The objective is to demonstrate what we can do with existing technology in terms of renewable energy and energy savings," project co-founder and pilot Andre Borschberg said by telephone during the flight.  He believes such solar-harnessing technology can be used to power cars and homes.

The Solar Impulse project began in 2003 with a 10-year budget of €90m and has involved engineers from Swiss lift maker Schindler and research aid from Belgian chemicals group Solvay.

The aeroplane, which requires 12,000 solar cells, embarked on its maiden sortie in April 2010 and three months later completed a 26-hour flight, a record flying time for a solar powered aircraft.  A larger prototype is scheduled to fly around the world in 2013.  The aircraft is registered HB-SIA. www.solarimpulse.com 

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ON TOUR: HMS Belfast

London’s Southbank, the historical Bermondsey, used to be a pretty rundown area of former wharfs and warehouses. 

Severely bombed during World War II, its renaissance begun 60 years ago with the Festival of Britain, the Festival Hall, the world famous concert hall, now the only reminder of what was a very successful short term project.  Sir Michael Cain and Tommy Steele were born in the area. It stretches from what was once was County Hall to Tower Bridge.

Today it is vibrant and plays host to the London Eye, the National Film Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe, the resurrected Oxo building plus City Hall, the oddly named headquarters of the Greater London Authority.  Ken Livingstone, the previous Mayor, titled it thus in a thwarted bid to take over the square mile which is the real City of London.

Bermondsey is home to many other famous and interesting buildings too, including Her Majesty’s Ship Belfast.

HMS Belfast, permanently moored in the Pool of London, opposite The Tower, is the largest currently preserved former Royal Navy vessel.  It is in fact a light cruiser, and not a battleship or major aircraft carrier, and says something for the way Great Britain looks after its waterborne heritage.  In the United States the final class of big battlewagons has been grabbed by the sponsoring States and sit massively as a memorial to a glorious past. 

In truth London and the Thames should be proud of HMS Belfast, a proud World War II warrior, built at Harland and Woolf in the city it is named after, launched on St Patrick’s Day 1938 and a veteran of the Arctic convoys to the Soviet Union during 1943.  She played an important role in the Battle of North Cape, assisting in the destruction of the German warship Scharnhorst and was involved in the D Day landings.  Belfast saw further combat action in 1950-52 during the Korean War.  In retirement she was acquired by the Belfast Trust and opened to the public in 1971 and is now part of the Imperial War Museum (IWM).  Today she is one of London’s most popular tourist attractions with around 250,000 visitors per year.  She is popular with schools, who can easily manage the ship and nearby IWM in a day.  Very educational.  Also used for conferences BAE Systems recently chose the ship for its recent media briefing on its Regional Aircraft activities.  Private rooms are available for functions including the Wardroom.

When Belfast was first opened to the public, visitors were limited to the upper decks and forward superstructure.  Today nine decks are open to the public.  Access to the ship is via a walkway.  

The official guidebook to HMS Belfast divides the ship into three broad sections. 

The first of these, 'Life on board the ship', focuses on the experience of serving at sea.  Restored compartments, some populated with dressed figures, illustrate the crew's living conditions and the ship's various facilities such as the sick bay, galley, laundry, chapel, mess decks and NAAFI.

The second section, 'The inner workings', below the waterline and protected by the ship's armoured belt, contains core mechanical, electrical and communication systems.  As well as the engine and boiler rooms, other compartments include the transmitting station (housing the ship's Admiralty Fire Control Table, a mechanical computer), the forward steering position and one of Belfast's six-inch shell rooms and magazines. 

The third section, 'Action stations', includes the upper deck and forward superstructure with the ship's armament, fire control, and command facilities.  Areas open to the public include the operations room, Admiral's bridge and gun direction platform.  To emphasise the range of the ship's armament, the forward six-inch guns of A and B Turrets are aimed at the London Gateway service area on the M1 motorway, some 12½ miles away on the outskirts of London.

One of the 4-inch gun mounts and a 4-inch shell hoist are kept in working order for use during blank-firing demonstrations by the Wavy Navy re-enactment group.  The group also stage recreations of wartime activities, such as the battle of North Cape.

In 2002 Belfast introduced 'Kip in a Ship', allowing school and youth groups to stay onboard Belfast overnight, sleeping in bunks on a restored mess deck.  At £38 per night it includes bed but no breakfast!

In addition to the various areas of the ship open to visitors, some compartments have been fitted out as dedicated exhibition space.  Permanent exhibitions include 'HMS Belfast in War and Peace' and 'Life at Sea'.  From time to time current warships berth alongside, and also cruise ships.  

The ship’s relationship with Russia remains to this day.  Two of the ship’s badly corroded masts were re-manufactured at the Severnaya Verf shipyard near St Petersburg, with financial support from Russian businessmen.  On 19 October 2010 the new masts were unveiled at a dedication ceremony attended by HMS Belfast veterans, Prince Phillip and officials from the Russian Embassy and Government.

Getting to HMS Belfast could not be easier.  Either take the splendid riverside walk or find your way to London Bridge Station.  Hays Wharf, once exactly what it says, but now an up market shopping and restaurant area, is well sign posted and beyond that sits Belfast.  Also very close by is The Shard, destined to become the tallest building in Europe when completed next year.  Within its structure the London Shangri-La is being fitted out.

The visit cost is £13.50 (2011) but children under 16 are free and there are various concession prices.  All visitors are provided with a free hand held personal Acoustiguide sound guide with an earpiece and available in English, French, German and Spanish. http://hmsbelfast.iwm.org.uk

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