The Sleeper's Daily Blog

A collection of opinions on the day’s events in the rail industry from Rail Technology Magazine's most feared reporter, ‘The Sleeper’.

Blending irreverence with a much-needed dose of reality, these morsels of spite keep passengers’ best interests at heart and prove the old adage that 'the truth hurts'.

Interested in becoming a guest blogger? Email the editor.

A closer look

20.05.13: ScotRail is teaming up with Glasgow Caledonian University to provide an in-depth analysis of their maintenance systems and recommendations on how they could be improved. It is an interesting idea; bringing academia and industry together to...

Untangling the truth

17.05.13: The HS2 row continues today, as the Government hits back against the ‘out of date’ NAO report. The rhetoric around this project gets more and more tangled, as the DfT tries to clarify the purpose behind the route. It’s not...

Under the assumptions

16.05.13: The NAO report published today highlights several key criticisms of the DfT’s planning and presentation of the business case for HS2. Confusion remains around the strategic push for the new line, and errors in the business case calcul...

Innovation boost

15.05.13: With unprecedented passenger numbers in rail, competitions such as those run by the EIT will be essential to provide quality customer service. Operators must ensure they take care of their passengers, encouraging them to keep travelling by...

The benefits of biomass

14.05.13: GBRf has warned of the damage biomass access charges could inflict on the industry, as well as the UK’s carbon reduction efforts. Implementing charges before the market is mature will cost freight and potentially jeopardise biomass co...

Beyond Uckfield

13.05.13: The reopening of the Lewes – Uckfield line has been criticised by the BML2 project group – for not going far enough. A second main line from Brighton to London could improve the business case and link two of the UK’s main...

In the dark

10.05.13: Information displays for Manchester Metrolink will be welcomed by passengers who have been without any idea of when the next tram will be coming. TfGM has explained the delays were due to the rollout of a new tram management system, which i...

Disruption discounts

09.05.13: Could East Midlands Trains approach to passenger disruption catch on across the industry? The operator is offering discounts and compensation for those affected by major works at Nottingham this summer, which certainly recognises the damage such...

Go HS2

08.05.13: The confirmation of HS2 will come as welcome news for many in the rail industry; representing faster connections, a vital boost to capacity and the opportunity for thousands of new jobs. The legislation will now be introduced, in the face o...

A platform for good

07.05.13: Introducing recycling bins at stations could be a good way to increase recycling rates in Scotland. Zero Waste Scotland has installed bins at a number of railway stations and is working to increase community awareness of the scheme. It&rsqu...

Join the conversation

03.05.13: It’s the end of a busy Railtex, with new contacts, old friends and big business. It seems to have been a real step change from the 2011 show, as exhibitors move towards smarter stands highlighting the latest technology with digital fl...

Ripples of disruption

30.04.13: The damage at Hatfield caused by a landslip in February has been far greater and more complicated to manage than anyone originally thought. Network Rail has just announced several renewals works which will now be postponed, to keep as many servi...

New start at New Street

29.04.13: With the news of Newport’s leaky roof coming just ahead of Birmingham New Street, hopefully the second station will avoid any equally embarrassing hiccups. A huge team and substantial budget has gone into completely reinventing New St...

The next generation

26.04.13: Attracting a new generation of workers into the rail industry has long been a pressing issue, and is becoming more important as the scale of investment and work increases. RTM is launching a new charity today to show young people the wide v...

Go slow

25.04.13: Louise Ellman MP has called for Government to publish the amount it will cost to extend a number of franchises before re-letting them for longer contracts. But the cost of rushing major franchises could be far greater, as the WCML debacle d...

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latest rail news

Legal challenge to new London-Oxford line fails

20/05/2013Legal challenge to new London-Oxford line fails

The new rail link between London and Oxford line will go ahead, after a legal case brought by an Oxford resident failed in the High Court. T... more >
Spoil removal begins at Hatfield collapse site

20/05/2013Spoil removal begins at Hatfield collapse site

Engineers have started to remove spoil from the rail line damaged by a landslip at Hatfield colliery. The incident has led to a series of enginee... more >
ScotRail to fund maintenance systems research project

20/05/2013ScotRail to fund maintenance systems research project

Researchers will study ScotRail’s maintenance systems to boost efficiency and reliability through a two year Knowledge Transfer Partnership... more >

editor's comment

01/04/2013Media leaders

Welcome to this special Railtex 2013 edition of Rail Technology Magazine. The RTM team is looking forward to what is always a fantastic show, with so much to see, a huge number of people to meet and catch up with, and a great programme of talks, seminars, discussion sessions and demonstrations. So it is no coincidence that we have used this special 240-page issue of the magazine to launch our new branding, as you will see on the fr... read more >

featured articles

  • 20/07/2012Ground engineering reaches new heights

    Dave Warner, Director of Van Elle’s new rail division, explains how the company is helping to drive the sector forwards with investment in new...
  • 26/04/2012A better passenger experience

    RTM hears more about the diverse ways in which Derby-based Garrandale provides services to the UK rail network, and the role of CEO Malcolm Prentice...
  • 26/04/2012Clean power for high speed trains

    Mike Ferris, CEO of MTU-UK Ltd, explains more about the new MTU Series 1600 PowerPack. Equipped with MTU diesel engines, British DMU railcars...
  • 26/04/2012On the right track

    Lighting solutions specialist Holophane Europe has recently developed a range of specifically designed lighting for a wide range of metro...
View all News

last word

Customer service innovation

Customer service innovation

Recently RTM’s Sleeper blog asked how innovation could help improve customer service within the rail industry. Anthony Smith, Passenger Focus chief executive, gives us his view. Rail is a boom industry; more and more people are choosing to travel by train. Our National Passenger Survey highlights that, while overall satisfaction scores are generally good, less than half of passengers think they get good value for money and even le... more > more last word articles >
board2

'the sleepers' daily blog

A closer look

20/05/2013A closer look

ScotRail is teaming up with Glasgow Caledonian University to provide an in-depth analysis of their maintenance systems and recommendations on how they could be improved. It is an interesting idea; bringing academia and industry together to address practical issues that could significantly improve rail performance. Could other TOCs be... more >
read more blog posts from 'the sleeper' >

rail industry events

Elmia Nordic Rail & Elmia Future Transport

08 Oct 2013 09:00

The Nordic countries are investing heavily in their railway systems due to a huge lack of capac...

read more >

Dinner at the Roundhouse 2013

10 Oct 2013 18:00

Organised by Mainspring Headline sponsor Garrandale To book your table contact Roy Rowlan...

read more >

UK Rail Industry Awards (UKRIA)

20 Feb 2014 18:00

Welcome to the UK Rail Industry Awards The UK rail industry’s most prestigious annua...

read more >
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events calendar

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May 2013

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RAILTEX 2013

30/04/2013 10:00 - 02/05/2013 16:00

The UK's leading rail event covering railway equipment, systems and services, Railtex is the industry's meeting place - where visitors and exhibitors alike see the latest technology in action, learn about new products and services and meet fellow industry professionals.

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RAILTEX 2013

30/04/2013 10:00 - 02/05/2013 16:00

The UK's leading rail event covering railway equipment, systems and services, Railtex is the industry's meeting place - where visitors and exhibitors alike see the latest technology in action, learn about new products and services and meet fellow industry professionals.

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Rail Champions Inventio Discovery Sessions - Introduction to Business Winning Strategies in the UK Rail Sector

14/05/2013 09:00 - 16:00

By attending this one-day interactive ‘business winning’ workshop, attendees will gain valuable insights into winning strategies 'aligned' to the rail infrastructure sector, which builds on, and integrates the latest thinking in alliance partnering, innovative thinking and sustainability frameworks, providing a proven approach to managing and monitoring strategic sales objectives, benchmark performance and secure sustainable new business.

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2013 Light Rail Conference

15/05/2013 09:00 - 16/05/2013 17:30

Now in its eighth year, the UK Light Rail Conference brings together the entire spectrum of the light and urban rail industry to drive forward open debate on the major issues facing the industry and to encourage networking and best practice from UK systems and from those around the world.

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2013 Light Rail Conference

15/05/2013 09:00 - 16/05/2013 17:30

Now in its eighth year, the UK Light Rail Conference brings together the entire spectrum of the light and urban rail industry to drive forward open debate on the major issues facing the industry and to encourage networking and best practice from UK systems and from those around the world.

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comment

Enhancing innovation in the rail sector

01/05/2013Enhancing innovation in the rail sector

Annette Gevaert is director of rail and transport at Achilles, the leading provider of supplier information management services. She has oversigh... more >
Sentinel 2

01/04/2013Sentinel 2

Darren Gamage, technology services director at Mitie Total Security Management, spoke to RTM about the contract with Network Rail for the new Sen... more >
Stabilising the Hooley Cutting

01/04/2013Stabilising the Hooley Cutting

At Hooley near Croydon, a team of engineers is using its expertise to stabilise a railway cutting hit by land slips. Paul Thompson, writing on be... more >
Metro style services on heavy rail lines

01/04/2013Metro style services on heavy rail lines

London is undergoing a rail revolution. The first part is London Overground, which is operated by the LOROL joint venture between MTR Corporation... more >

rail industry focus

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interviews

Easing the bottleneck

01/04/2013Easing the bottleneck

Mark Langman, Network Rail route managing director for Wales, spoke to RTM about the recent Loughor Viaduct replacement and track redoubling in s... more >
TRACK21: Railway track for the 21st century

01/04/2013TRACK21: Railway track for the 21st century

Professor William Powrie FREng, principal investigator of TRACK21 at the University of Southampton, describes the latest track research and its i... more >
Improving railway performance for the passenger

01/04/2013Improving railway performance for the passenger

The Office of Rail Regulation’s (ORR’s) new director of railway performance, Alan Price, formerly the rail division infrastructure di... more >