Latest news with #GarethWilliams
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Eurostar says there's no room for rivals at its depot – I went to judge for myself
'I think of it as like entering Hagia Sophia for the first time,' says Gareth Williams, Eurostar's General Secretary, as we enter the main shed at Temple Mills. There's more heavy machinery, fewer intricate mosaics, sure, but I get his point. This depot, fringing the east side of Hackney Marshes in East London, is vast: more than a quarter of a mile long, wide enough to house eight Eurostar trains side-by-side, tall enough to hoist them high up into the air. For around 400 people, this temple of engineering is the office. Every day of the year (Christmas Day included), Eurostar trains roll in and out for maintenance. Toilets are deep cleaned, lights tinkered, electrics rewired, wheels replaced. Sometimes, damage caused by foxes or wild boars must be attended to. Nowhere else in the country is equipped to service high-speed trains, and throughout its 18-year history, the Temple Mills depot has slipped happily under the radar (previously, Eurostar's trains were serviced at North Pole depot in West London, before operations moved from Waterloo to St Pancras). But recently, Temple Mills has been making headlines. In the last 12 months, a suite of rival rail operators – including Virgin Trains, Gemini (a start-up that plans to co-brand with Uber) and the state-owned FS Italiane Group, alongside Spanish operator Evolyn – have launched bids to run trains through the Channel Tunnel. All of these bids hinge on an important question: where will their trains be stored and serviced? So all eyes, naturally, are on Eurostar's existing depot at Temple Mills, but there is disagreement as to whether there is capacity for any more trains. The future of cross-Channel rail travel lies within these walls. My tour of Temple Mills begins on a mezzanine walkway overlooking the main shed. On this Wednesday evening there are five trains being serviced across eight roads. Between now and midnight another six will roll in. Eurostar has drivers whose sole job is to move the trains in and out of the facility, a process described as 'train Jenga' and choreographed in a small nerve-centre control room. Running this depot is a logistical undertaking for one rail firm, let alone two, but this week the Office of Road and Rail gave a preliminary verdict that there's potential capacity at Temple Mills for one more operator 'at most', or for Eurostar to grow. 'Today's report is great news for passengers on both sides of the Channel,' Virgin Trains responded. 'It confirms what we already knew – that there is the capacity Virgin needs at Temple Mills – bringing the Group even closer to unlocking competition on the cross-Channel route.' Evolyn, Gemini and FS Italiane Group declined the opportunity to respond, but Mark Smith, the Man in Seat 61, says: 'Evolyn/Trenitalia seem front runners as Trenitalia have some Hitachi Frecciarossa 1000s in the pipeline, which could be added to or diverted for this service. The other contenders are starting from scratch.' The message from Eurostar, however, is quite different. 'The depot is essentially full,' Gareth Williams says, as we walk past a series of pink bikes used by depot staff to travel around the vast complex. 'If you move the furniture about, what the report says is that one, maybe one and a half of these roads will be potentially available.' It is thought that these 1.5 roads could handle an additional fleet of five trains at most, but Virgin Trains plans to invest in a dozen trains and the other operators are likely to put in orders for at least ten. Eurostar has 17 e320 trains that are serviced at this depot, while its eight e300s are serviced at Le Landy depot near Paris. We enter a warehouse store room described as the 'Ikea Zone' with more than 80,000 components stacked on high shelves. Nuts, bolts, windscreens, coffee machines. If another operator moves in, they will need their own warehouse space. Another canteen. More trains. More blocks in the game of Jenga. This store room is an example of what moving another operator into Temple Mills would entail. There are other nuances in the discussion of capacity at Temple Mills. There are two 'Cripple Roads' at Temple Mills that house old Eurostar trains that are stripped for parts, and the ORR's initial report suggested the roads in the reception area could plausibly be put to more effective use. But when the independent regulator says there's potential space for another operator to squeeze in, this is not the same as saying such a squeeze is practically viable for all parties. And anyway – Eurostar has its own plans for expansion. The French-owned firm plans to invest up to £1.5bn in a new 50-train fleet and new facilities at Temple Mills, as well as increasing capacity at stations including St Pancras International. They say that there are a number of other suitable sites available for competitors, including one at Stratford not far from Temple Mills. 'There's got to be an answer that gives everyone else who is prepared to invest the same opportunity to build their own facilities,' says Williams. 'A solution needs to be found, but it's not going to be found on one road in this shed.' For passengers, the sooner things get sorted in Temple Mills, the better. Competition would likely mean more destinations on the map. All of the rival firms have hinted at plans beyond the current Eurostar map featuring Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Lille, which has seen stops like Lyon, Marseille and Disneyland Paris crossed out over the years. Potential new routes to Bordeaux, Milan, Zurich and Frankfurt are all on the table. Even Eurostar agrees competition is no bad thing: 'It's not competition that kills companies, it's stagnation,' says Gareth Williams. Tickets could become cheaper too. The infrastructure consultancy firm, Steer, predicts that growth in capacity in the Channel Tunnel (from 11m to 35m by 2040) could see ticket prices go down by up to 30 per cent. There is also the potential that the overall service would be improved as well. Eurostar has had a monopoly on the line since 1994. Any new pretenders will be keen to offer unique services, whether it be quicker Wi-Fi, more leg-room, greater eco-credentials or finer dining options, to set them apart. For now, that's all hypothetical, as the rail firms have this week been ordered to file final submissions 'at pace' to allow the ORR to make a decision, by October, as to whether they will be granted access to Temple Mills, or if Eurostar will be given the nod to expand. As I left the Temple Mills complex, something about its carbuncular boxy exterior made me reflect on the Hagia Sophia comparison once again. For the first thousand years of its existence, Istanbul's most iconic holy building was used as a church, before being converted into a mosque in the 1300s, a museum in the 20th century, and more recently, a mosque once again. It is an example of how buildings can be repurposed and adapted through the ages as dynasties rise and fall. In a matter of months, we will know whether the throwaway comparison was more prescient than Eurostar's General Secretary intended. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. 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Telegraph
4 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Eurostar says there's no room for rivals at its depot – I went to judge for myself
'I think of it as like entering Hagia Sophia for the first time,' says Gareth Williams, Eurostar's General Secretary, as we enter the main shed at Temple Mills. There's more heavy machinery, fewer intricate mosaics, sure, but I get his point. This depot, fringing the east side of Hackney Marshes in East London, is vast: more than a quarter of a mile long, wide enough to house eight Eurostar trains side-by-side, tall enough to hoist them high up into the air. For around 400 people, this temple of engineering is the office. Every day of the year (Christmas Day included), Eurostar trains roll in and out for maintenance. Toilets are deep cleaned, lights tinkered, electrics rewired, wheels replaced. Sometimes, damage caused by foxes or wild boars must be attended to. Nowhere else in the country is equipped to service high-speed trains, and throughout its 18-year history, the Temple Mills depot has slipped happily under the radar (previously, Eurostar's trains were serviced at North Pole depot in West London, before operations moved from Waterloo to St Pancras). But recently, Temple Mills has been making headlines. In the last 12 months, a suite of rival rail operators – including Virgin Trains, Gemini (a start-up that plans to co-brand with Uber) and the state-owned FS Italiane Group, alongside Spanish operator Evolyn – have launched bids to run trains through the Channel Tunnel. All of these bids hinge on an important question: where will their trains be stored and serviced? So all eyes, naturally, are on Eurostar's existing depot at Temple Mills, but there is disagreement as to whether there is capacity for any more trains. The future of cross-Channel rail travel lies within these walls. A tight squeeze My tour of Temple Mills begins on a mezzanine walkway overlooking the main shed. On this Wednesday evening there are five trains being serviced across eight roads. Between now and midnight another six will roll in. Eurostar has drivers whose sole job is to move the trains in and out of the facility, a process described as 'train Jenga' and choreographed in a small nerve-centre control room. Running this depot is a logistical undertaking for one rail firm, let alone two, but this week the Office of Road and Rail gave a preliminary verdict that there's potential capacity at Temple Mills for one more operator 'at most', or for Eurostar to grow. 'Today's report is great news for passengers on both sides of the Channel,' Virgin Trains responded. 'It confirms what we already knew – that there is the capacity Virgin needs at Temple Mills – bringing the Group even closer to unlocking competition on the cross-Channel route.' Evolyn, Gemini and FS Italiane Group declined the opportunity to respond, but Mark Smith, the Man in Seat 61, says: 'Evolyn/Trenitalia seem front runners as Trenitalia have some Hitachi Frecciarossa 1000s in the pipeline, which could be added to or diverted for this service. The other contenders are starting from scratch.' The message from Eurostar, however, is quite different. 'The depot is essentially full,' Gareth Williams says, as we walk past a series of pink bikes used by depot staff to travel around the vast complex. 'If you move the furniture about, what the report says is that one, maybe one and a half of these roads will be potentially available.' It is thought that these 1.5 roads could handle an additional fleet of five trains at most, but Virgin Trains plans to invest in a dozen trains and the other operators are likely to put in orders for at least ten. Eurostar has 17 e320 trains that are serviced at this depot, while its eight e300s are serviced at Le Landy depot near Paris. We enter a warehouse store room described as the 'Ikea Zone' with more than 80,000 components stacked on high shelves. Nuts, bolts, windscreens, coffee machines. If another operator moves in, they will need their own warehouse space. Another canteen. More trains. More blocks in the game of Jenga. This store room is an example of what moving another operator into Temple Mills would entail. There are other nuances in the discussion of capacity at Temple Mills. There are two 'Cripple Roads' at Temple Mills that house old Eurostar trains that are stripped for parts, and the ORR's initial report suggested the roads in the reception area could plausibly be put to more effective use. But when the independent regulator says there's potential space for another operator to squeeze in, this is not the same as saying such a squeeze is practically viable for all parties. And anyway – Eurostar has its own plans for expansion. The French-owned firm plans to invest up to £1.5bn in a new 50-train fleet and new facilities at Temple Mills, as well as increasing capacity at stations including St Pancras International. They say that there are a number of other suitable sites available for competitors, including one at Stratford not far from Temple Mills. 'There's got to be an answer that gives everyone else who is prepared to invest the same opportunity to build their own facilities,' says Williams. 'A solution needs to be found, but it's not going to be found on one road in this shed.' Cheaper travel on the horizon For passengers, the sooner things get sorted in Temple Mills, the better. Competition would likely mean more destinations on the map. All of the rival firms have hinted at plans beyond the current Eurostar map featuring Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Lille, which has seen stops like Lyon, Marseille and Disneyland Paris crossed out over the years. Potential new routes to Bordeaux, Milan, Zurich and Frankfurt are all on the table. Even Eurostar agrees competition is no bad thing: 'It's not competition that kills companies, it's stagnation,' says Gareth Williams. Tickets could become cheaper too. The infrastructure consultancy firm, Steer, predicts that growth in capacity in the Channel Tunnel (from 11m to 35m by 2040) could see ticket prices go down by up to 30 per cent. There is also the potential that the overall service would be improved as well. Eurostar has had a monopoly on the line since 1994. Any new pretenders will be keen to offer unique services, whether it be quicker Wi-Fi, more leg-room, greater eco-credentials or finer dining options, to set them apart. For now, that's all hypothetical, as the rail firms have this week been ordered to file final submissions 'at pace' to allow the ORR to make a decision, by October, as to whether they will be granted access to Temple Mills, or if Eurostar will be given the nod to expand. As I left the Temple Mills complex, something about its carbuncular boxy exterior made me reflect on the Hagia Sophia comparison once again. For the first thousand years of its existence, Istanbul's most iconic holy building was used as a church, before being converted into a mosque in the 1300s, a museum in the 20th century, and more recently, a mosque once again. It is an example of how buildings can be repurposed and adapted through the ages as dynasties rise and fall. In a matter of months, we will know whether the throwaway comparison was more prescient than Eurostar's General Secretary intended.
Wales Online
7 days ago
- General
- Wales Online
Uncertainty over future of services at two North Wales hospitals 'unfair' on staff
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Hospital staff are being left "twisting in the wind" amid the uncertain future of two community hospitals which have seen "temporary" closures of inpatient beds. The loss of services at Tywyn and Penley Community Hospitals had both sparked local concerns. The Dyfi Ward at Tywyn, in Gwynedd, saw the "temporary" measures imposed more than two years ago due to a shortage of trained nursing staff. Get all the latest Gwynedd news by signing up to our newsletter - sent every Tuesday The closure of inpatient beds in April 2023 followed repeated attempts to recruit and a "heavy reliance" on agency staff. At Penley in Wrexham, the interim closures caused an outcry after coming just before Christmas, in December 2024. A Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board [BCUHB] report said the closures were due to concerns over the "sustainability" of the care model, a very limited number of patients suitable for the type of care in the setting, and reliance on temporary staff. The report recognised that staff "have and continue to face uncertainty" amid the ongoing service review. The report aimed to set out proposals for developing longer term solutions relating to Tywyn and Penley Hospitals. The health board said further discussions and consultation would be carried out over this year, with final recommendations coming in December. Gareth Williams, the health board's vice chairman, told a meeting last week that staff on temporary contracts were being treated "unfairly" because of the situation, and said it went against the board's principle of "fair work". Kamala Williams, BCUHB's head of health strategy and planning, told the meeting that the re-opening the beds at Tywyn and Penley had not been ruled out. But the health board was "duty bound" to consider other ways of delivering safe, sustainable and high-quality services that met the needs of the respective local communities, she said. An ongoing process to "identify sustainable solutions" was underway, with engagements, regular briefings and follow up sessions with Llais, an independent body representing patients, and community representatives. Since the Tywyn closure, inpatient bed capacity at Dolgellau Hospital had risen from 14 to 18 beds, staff had been redeployed to Tuag Adref (Homeward Bound) community service and a new Treatment Room established. A now five-day-a-week Minor Injuries Unit had reopened and a Wellbeing Hub supported health promotion and community engagement. Recruitment at Tywyn had also been "successful" but the report noted: "Workforce skill mix, retention and resilience still remained with significant issues preventing the reopening of the ward safely, sustainably and without likely detriment to the other clinical and community services provided at the hospital". A public engagement and meeting had been attended by over 100 residents and senior health board leaders. Updates had also been given to MSs and MPs, a recruitment campaign held and a health board-led workshop carried out. A public forum by Llais had highlighted "strong support" for accessible, locally delivered care and locals had expressed concern over the loss of inpatient services. At Penley, staff meetings were being convened regularly to "ensure staff were informed of developments," a stakeholder mapping workshop session was held in May, and a Llais 'drop in' session was planned for June. The health board's vice chairman said he felt they should "not just say they were in favour of 'fair work' but demonstrate it". He said: "Time after time, when I go round this organisation, I find staff being treated unfairly, in terms of those on short term contracts, where it is said, 'oh, we will extend it for three months, we might make a decision then'. "That's really letting people down, people with mortgages and other responsibilities, it's like leaving them to twist in the wind, while we decide what we are doing. "It is not acceptable if we say we are committed to fair work. But we are starting to make progress." Health board chair Dyfed Edwards added: "Principles are only worth something if we live them." Speaking after the meeting, Geoff Ryall-Harvey, regional director of the north Wales region for Llais, said: "Both Tywyn and Penley are important local services, local people are very concerned about the loss of these beds and it is vital that BCUHB listen to local concerns." Join the North Wales Live Whatsapp community now
North Wales Live
7 days ago
- Health
- North Wales Live
Uncertainty over future of services at two North Wales hospitals 'unfair' on staff
Hospital staff are being left "twisting in the wind" amid the uncertain future of two community hospitals which have seen "temporary" closures of inpatient beds. The loss of services at Tywyn and Penley Community Hospitals had both sparked local concerns. The Dyfi Ward at Tywyn, in Gwynedd, saw the "temporary" measures imposed more than two years ago due to a shortage of trained nursing staff. Get all the latest Gwynedd news by signing up to our newsletter - sent every Tuesday The closure of inpatient beds in April 2023 followed repeated attempts to recruit and a "heavy reliance" on agency staff. At Penley in Wrexham, the interim closures caused an outcry after coming just before Christmas, in December 2024. A Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board [BCUHB] report said the closures were due to concerns over the "sustainability" of the care model, a very limited number of patients suitable for the type of care in the setting, and reliance on temporary staff. The report recognised that staff "have and continue to face uncertainty" amid the ongoing service review. The report aimed to set out proposals for developing longer term solutions relating to Tywyn and Penley Hospitals. The health board said further discussions and consultation would be carried out over this year, with final recommendations coming in December. Gareth Williams, the health board's vice chairman, told a meeting last week that staff on temporary contracts were being treated "unfairly" because of the situation, and said it went against the board's principle of "fair work". Kamala Williams, BCUHB's head of health strategy and planning, told the meeting that the re-opening the beds at Tywyn and Penley had not been ruled out. But the health board was "duty bound" to consider other ways of delivering safe, sustainable and high-quality services that met the needs of the respective local communities, she said. An ongoing process to "identify sustainable solutions" was underway, with engagements, regular briefings and follow up sessions with Llais, an independent body representing patients, and community representatives. Since the Tywyn closure, inpatient bed capacity at Dolgellau Hospital had risen from 14 to 18 beds, staff had been redeployed to Tuag Adref (Homeward Bound) community service and a new Treatment Room established. A now five-day-a-week Minor Injuries Unit had reopened and a Wellbeing Hub supported health promotion and community engagement. Recruitment at Tywyn had also been "successful" but the report noted: "Workforce skill mix, retention and resilience still remained with significant issues preventing the reopening of the ward safely, sustainably and without likely detriment to the other clinical and community services provided at the hospital". A public engagement and meeting had been attended by over 100 residents and senior health board leaders. Updates had also been given to MSs and MPs, a recruitment campaign held and a health board-led workshop carried out. A public forum by Llais had highlighted "strong support" for accessible, locally delivered care and locals had expressed concern over the loss of inpatient services. At Penley, staff meetings were being convened regularly to "ensure staff were informed of developments," a stakeholder mapping workshop session was held in May, and a Llais 'drop in' session was planned for June. The health board's vice chairman said he felt they should "not just say they were in favour of 'fair work' but demonstrate it". He said: "Time after time, when I go round this organisation, I find staff being treated unfairly, in terms of those on short term contracts, where it is said, 'oh, we will extend it for three months, we might make a decision then'. "That's really letting people down, people with mortgages and other responsibilities, it's like leaving them to twist in the wind, while we decide what we are doing. "It is not acceptable if we say we are committed to fair work. But we are starting to make progress." Health board chair Dyfed Edwards added: "Principles are only worth something if we live them."
Scotsman
07-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
How can we fix Scotland's big scale-up problem?
Companies with global potential need different kinds of pathways to make the impact they deserve Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scotland is a brilliant place to start a business. We've built a robust ecosystem that supports early-stage ventures. We haven't yet, however, cracked the code of creating global-scale businesses. Relative to the rest of UK and Europe, few startups get past 50 employees and fewer hit £20m in annual revenue, never mind £100m. A recent report from Sifted disappointingly found only two of the UK's 100 fastest-growing companies were from Scotland (Holibob and PlayerData). Our system is not yet wired for scale. Richard Lennox is an expert in business scaleups Today, our entrepreneurial programmes cast a wide net. They are inclusive by design, and rightly so. Perhaps it's time we created a different kind of pathway for the top 10 per cent of high-potential growth companies: those with the capacity, ambition and market to become the next Skyscanner, FanDuel or Current Health. These ventures need more than general, educational support. They need targeted connections, tailored advice from those who have lived the scaleup journey and, most importantly, an injection of global ambition. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Gareth Williams didn't just want Skyscanner to be a top travel site — he wanted it to be one of the top ten websites in the world. That clarity of purpose gave us focus, and belief. Without that mindset, scale is out of reach. Gareth Williams wanted Skyscanner to be one of the top ten websites in the world Yet, culturally, Scotland, can be tough on ambition. Few scoffed at Bill Gates when he said he wanted a computer on every desk but, here, we sometimes discourage that kind of vision. Even our curriculum reflects that: at my son's school they're learning about Brunel but not James Watt. We need to reconnect with our own legacy of innovation. To meet that ambition, we must recognise that for a Scottish scaleup, your customer isn't local. They're in the US, Asia, or Europe. You need to meet them there from Day One. At Current Health, Chris McGhee, our CEO, spent nearly every other week in the US directly engaging with customers. It wasn't glamorous, it was necessary, and fundamental to our growth. As I speak to founders and leaders, a gap exists almost universally in the level of support that they get and the networks they need. Most business advisors, including investors, have never scaled a company themselves and certainly not a technology company. We need to better incentivise founders and leaders who've done it before; not just through mentorship, but through real value exchange. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad What if Scotland convened a 'global-first' founder/operator network offering our entrepreneurs a front door in any major city, through Scotland House, for example? Somewhere to meet customers and get a warm introduction to allies that moves the needle. Capital remains another critical lever. Venture capital has its place but a 30x return on investment in 5-10 years is a tough target, and not every great company fits that model. We also need to go out of Scotland to meet growth investors. Events like investor event EIE25 are the exception because they bring together concentrated opportunity. But, most of the time, it's on us to get in front of them. University spinouts remain a potential bright spot. Companies like Neuranics and Prothea Technologies show what's possible. As Entrepreneur-in-Residence for the University of Edinburgh's Venture Builder Incubator, I've seen founders bringing unique technology to market, but the tech is only 50 per cent of the business – the rest is sales, positioning and customer insight. A co-founder with commercial instincts could be game-changing if we can find a path to making introductions.
