Oliver Blanthorn
@bovine3dom.bsky.social
Yeah, he has been going around saying this a lot recently.
I haven't looked too hard at it but in principle it's not necessarily a terrible idea - removing road markings makes drivers feel less safe, so they go slower, and are safer.
Priorité à droite + good visibility + raised junctions = Vienna
I haven't looked too hard at it but in principle it's not necessarily a terrible idea - removing road markings makes drivers feel less safe, so they go slower, and are safer.
Priorité à droite + good visibility + raised junctions = Vienna
December 8, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Yeah, he has been going around saying this a lot recently.
I haven't looked too hard at it but in principle it's not necessarily a terrible idea - removing road markings makes drivers feel less safe, so they go slower, and are safer.
Priorité à droite + good visibility + raised junctions = Vienna
I haven't looked too hard at it but in principle it's not necessarily a terrible idea - removing road markings makes drivers feel less safe, so they go slower, and are safer.
Priorité à droite + good visibility + raised junctions = Vienna
1) France sees a way of using EU rules to give the SNCF a massive advantage - make it illegal for any competitor to use any trains built before ~1990
2) Les Echos realises this will hurt competition
3) Les Echos labels this phenomenon a « paradoxe »
"paradoxe" must be one of those false friends
2) Les Echos realises this will hurt competition
3) Les Echos labels this phenomenon a « paradoxe »
"paradoxe" must be one of those false friends
December 7, 2025 at 5:18 PM
1) France sees a way of using EU rules to give the SNCF a massive advantage - make it illegal for any competitor to use any trains built before ~1990
2) Les Echos realises this will hurt competition
3) Les Echos labels this phenomenon a « paradoxe »
"paradoxe" must be one of those false friends
2) Les Echos realises this will hurt competition
3) Les Echos labels this phenomenon a « paradoxe »
"paradoxe" must be one of those false friends
ooh. where do we apply? I've always fancied a pass carmillon :)
December 7, 2025 at 5:09 PM
ooh. where do we apply? I've always fancied a pass carmillon :)
Not particularly surprised that BlaBlaCar doesn't want to criticise the SNCF
The SNCF is a big shareholder in them after selling them Ouibus 🤔
Bit of a weird article really. Doesn't mention the colossal failure of SNCF Connect. People will be studying it for decades as an example of what not to do
The SNCF is a big shareholder in them after selling them Ouibus 🤔
Bit of a weird article really. Doesn't mention the colossal failure of SNCF Connect. People will be studying it for decades as an example of what not to do
December 7, 2025 at 6:38 AM
Not particularly surprised that BlaBlaCar doesn't want to criticise the SNCF
The SNCF is a big shareholder in them after selling them Ouibus 🤔
Bit of a weird article really. Doesn't mention the colossal failure of SNCF Connect. People will be studying it for decades as an example of what not to do
The SNCF is a big shareholder in them after selling them Ouibus 🤔
Bit of a weird article really. Doesn't mention the colossal failure of SNCF Connect. People will be studying it for decades as an example of what not to do
No, the SNCF had to work really hard to make Connect as bad as it is. Stubbornly refusing to listen to users, too many staff, too many features, covered in adverts, terrible all in one search box.
They could have done all that with the Ouigo app too but they didn't
They could have done all that with the Ouigo app too but they didn't
December 5, 2025 at 8:19 AM
No, the SNCF had to work really hard to make Connect as bad as it is. Stubbornly refusing to listen to users, too many staff, too many features, covered in adverts, terrible all in one search box.
They could have done all that with the Ouigo app too but they didn't
They could have done all that with the Ouigo app too but they didn't
for the SNCF, yes!
December 5, 2025 at 8:10 AM
for the SNCF, yes!
The Ouigo app is a million times better than SNCF Connect for a start
December 4, 2025 at 8:44 PM
The Ouigo app is a million times better than SNCF Connect for a start
one train per hour? are you sure it wasn't one train per day? 😅
December 4, 2025 at 11:52 AM
one train per hour? are you sure it wasn't one train per day? 😅
Yeah, in part because the railway is so neglected that no-one can live there and work in Nice or Monaco
First train of the day from Tende will get you into Nice for 3pm with the new timetable 🤡
ter-fiches-horaires.sncf.fr/publish/FH_0...
First train of the day from Tende will get you into Nice for 3pm with the new timetable 🤡
ter-fiches-horaires.sncf.fr/publish/FH_0...
ter-fiches-horaires.sncf.fr
December 4, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Yeah, in part because the railway is so neglected that no-one can live there and work in Nice or Monaco
First train of the day from Tende will get you into Nice for 3pm with the new timetable 🤡
ter-fiches-horaires.sncf.fr/publish/FH_0...
First train of the day from Tende will get you into Nice for 3pm with the new timetable 🤡
ter-fiches-horaires.sncf.fr/publish/FH_0...
The Transdev approach of offering to hire SNCF staff on reasonable terms but them ~all turning it down and so retraining bus drivers instead seems to be working pretty great
Many problems in France but a shortage of unemployed people is not one of them
Many problems in France but a shortage of unemployed people is not one of them
December 4, 2025 at 10:45 AM
The Transdev approach of offering to hire SNCF staff on reasonable terms but them ~all turning it down and so retraining bus drivers instead seems to be working pretty great
Many problems in France but a shortage of unemployed people is not one of them
Many problems in France but a shortage of unemployed people is not one of them
It's hard to apportion blame in these situations. Better to start with a clean slate and fire everyone who ever knew about the situation but did nothing to fix it
December 4, 2025 at 10:32 AM
It's hard to apportion blame in these situations. Better to start with a clean slate and fire everyone who ever knew about the situation but did nothing to fix it
I know :( working out ways to not sell other companies' tickets gets you a promotion not a faute grave
December 4, 2025 at 10:23 AM
I know :( working out ways to not sell other companies' tickets gets you a promotion not a faute grave
Firing everyone involved for incompetence is a bit of an extreme response by the SNCF but it's good that they're sending a firm message
December 4, 2025 at 10:18 AM
Firing everyone involved for incompetence is a bit of an extreme response by the SNCF but it's good that they're sending a firm message
French often uses the « présent historique » to talk about past events, which is just the present tense. I suspect British usage is linked to that
December 2, 2025 at 1:28 PM
French often uses the « présent historique » to talk about past events, which is just the present tense. I suspect British usage is linked to that
the French ones I see use characters for each day of the week because they're horrifically complex
December 2, 2025 at 11:49 AM
the French ones I see use characters for each day of the week because they're horrifically complex
"improves reliability on days when fewer people use trains" is exactly the kind of statistical gaming i am worried about GBR doing :)
the south east is one of the few bits of the UK with a sensible timetable so it would be a shame to lose that for some SNCF-style penny pinching (centime clutching?)
the south east is one of the few bits of the UK with a sensible timetable so it would be a shame to lose that for some SNCF-style penny pinching (centime clutching?)
December 2, 2025 at 10:56 AM
"improves reliability on days when fewer people use trains" is exactly the kind of statistical gaming i am worried about GBR doing :)
the south east is one of the few bits of the UK with a sensible timetable so it would be a shame to lose that for some SNCF-style penny pinching (centime clutching?)
the south east is one of the few bits of the UK with a sensible timetable so it would be a shame to lose that for some SNCF-style penny pinching (centime clutching?)
i wonder if not running a service on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays saves much money given all the fixed costs + the extra cost of planning more timetables
December 2, 2025 at 10:45 AM
i wonder if not running a service on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays saves much money given all the fixed costs + the extra cost of planning more timetables
yeah. it would be very unusual. but recently the ONS upped its estimates of net emigration of British citizens and some people have misread it as meaning that there is overall net emigration
December 1, 2025 at 3:44 PM
yeah. it would be very unusual. but recently the ONS upped its estimates of net emigration of British citizens and some people have misread it as meaning that there is overall net emigration
the UK has net emigration of citizens but its net migration of all comers is about 300k, +0.5% of population, a year
December 1, 2025 at 1:41 PM
the UK has net emigration of citizens but its net migration of all comers is about 300k, +0.5% of population, a year
my understanding is that the engines are themselves often leased through e.g. www.rrpf-leasing.com
i think cars are a slightly different market in that they usually just get kickbacks for arranging loans rather than keeping the loans on their books?
i think cars are a slightly different market in that they usually just get kickbacks for arranging loans rather than keeping the loans on their books?
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www.rrpf-leasing.com
December 1, 2025 at 1:06 PM
my understanding is that the engines are themselves often leased through e.g. www.rrpf-leasing.com
i think cars are a slightly different market in that they usually just get kickbacks for arranging loans rather than keeping the loans on their books?
i think cars are a slightly different market in that they usually just get kickbacks for arranging loans rather than keeping the loans on their books?
it was only a few billion right? ideally not something to do every day but 30 years later not particularly worth getting upset about?
December 1, 2025 at 11:56 AM
it was only a few billion right? ideally not something to do every day but 30 years later not particularly worth getting upset about?
hmm. aircraft engines sort of work like that, i think, but is there a good reason to believe that it would be good for trains? the rest of aircraft and motor vehicles are usually separate lessors right?
it seems to me to be a totally different business.
it seems to me to be a totally different business.
December 1, 2025 at 11:34 AM
hmm. aircraft engines sort of work like that, i think, but is there a good reason to believe that it would be good for trains? the rest of aircraft and motor vehicles are usually separate lessors right?
it seems to me to be a totally different business.
it seems to me to be a totally different business.