The decision earlier this week by the Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, to scrap the West Coast Main Line contract has brought into question the overall integrity of the Department for Transport’s decision-making process. With this in mind, I believe that a root and branch re-examination of the whole of the High Speed 2 rail project and its viability is now essential. Read more via Cheryl Gillan MP: After the West Coast Main Line trouble, the case for HS2 needs to [...]
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Tag Archives: Rail
Justine Greening must review HS2 in the public interest
I’m grateful to StopHS2 for drawing my attention to this video of the Public Accounts Committee hearing at which it was revealed HS2 has a Cabinet Office Major Projects Authority status of red/amber: As The Guardian reported: The latest figures issued by the HS2 high-speed rail scheme have revised down the economic benefits for the fourth time – suggesting the scheme will barely, if ever, break even. Originally the scheme was forecast to bring £2.40 of benefit for every pound [...]
Tags: Government, High Speed Rail, HS2, Rail, Transport
The rail fares and ticketing review – closes 28 Jun 2012
Via Rail fares and ticketing review – Consultations – Department for Transport: The Government’s goal for rail fares and ticketing is to allow more passengers to travel and to have a better experience of rail, at the same time as reducing rail industry costs. This consultation is designed to gather evidence to inform the Government’s Rail Fares and Ticketing Review. The consultation document is 115 pages, so I feel sure most busy commuters will not have time for it. It’s [...]
Rail: did we win the Cold War then suffer a Communist takeover?
I had a series of exchanges recently at the Transport Committee on the subject of rail regulation which illustrated how far economic regulation has drifted from economic reality. The transcript is here. The Chief Executive of Network Rail appears not to appreciate the role of price and freedom to contract, or at least he is prepared to submit to the Office of Rail Regulation’s subversion of those mechanisms: Q39 Steve Baker: Sir David, you talked about trade-offs, the fight for [...]
Tags: economics, HS2, Network Rail, Office of Rail Regulation, Parliament, Rail, Transport
NAO report shows HS1 is a financial disaster
Today, the National Audit Office publishes a report that demonstates HS1 is a financial disaster and radically confirms the doubts and fears of opponents of HS2. The report reveals that passenger demand has fallen far short of forecasts and government guarantees are kicking in so ”the Department is now responsible for servicing and repaying the project debt. We estimate that net taxpayer support may reach £10,200 million”. The calculation used to justify HS1 was that transport benefits, wider economic impacts and regeneration benefits would amount to a [...]
HS2: FOI rejected for West Coast Main Line peak time loadings
Last December during a Transport Select Committee oral evidence meeting, I asked the Transport Secretary, Justine Greening, a number of questions regarding the refusal of a Freedom of Information request relating to the West Coast Main Line peak time loadings. I wrote to the Transport Secretary as means of a follow up. Here is an extract of the response I received: My written response of 16 December 2011 to the Committee confirmed that, though the Department of Transport has – [...]
Tags: HS2, Rail, Select Committee, Transport
HS2 consultants’ services have already cost over £25 million
Last month, I put down a written Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Transport, asking for the remit and cost of the consultants involved in the High Speed Two project. You can read my question and the answer in Hansard here and the text is below. As you can see, these costs have already run to over £25 million… Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which consultants are being or have been used on the High [...]
Tags: Bureaucracy, Corporatism, economics, High Speed Rail, HS2, Liberty, Parliament, Rail, Transport
Survival of the unfittest: why the worst infrastructure gets built—and what we can do about it
Via Survival of the unfittest: why the worst infrastructure gets built—and what we can do about it: [...] Taken together, the UK and US studies both account well for existing data on cost underestimation and benefit overestimation. Both studies falsify the notion that in situations with high political and organizational pressure the underestimation of costs and overestimation of benefits is caused by non-intentional technical error or optimism bias. Both studies support the view that in such situations promoters and forecasters [...]
Tags: economics, HS2, Infrastructure, Liberty, Planning, Rail, Transport
51m’s response to the HS2 decision
Via 51m.co.uk, Councils opposing HS2 say that although they have no objections to the principle of high speed rail, they will continue to fight the current flawed proposals, following news that the Government plans to press ahead with the £32 billion project. Leaders will be examining the decision and considering whether there are grounds for a legal challenge. “This is an immensely bad decision for Britain,” said Martin Tett, Chairman of the 51m alliance of local councils challenging the scheme, [...]
Tags: 51m, Buckinghamshire, HS2, Rail, Transport
The Government’s decision on HS2
The Government has announced its decision on HS2: The Government has decided to proceed with the development and delivery of a new national high speed rail network to provide the capacity that Britain needs to compete and grow. I just left the Chamber after listening to the oral statement and a good number of colleagues’ questions. The mood is overwhelmingly in favour, on both sides of the House. I remain convinced of the point of view I put to the [...]
Tags: HS2, Parliament, Rail, Transport
