Quote:
Originally Posted by Roland Perry
In message , at 23:19:37 on Tue, 9
Jan 2018, Robin9 remarked:
I'm willing to give Mr. Grayling some slack because he recognises
Network Rail's shortcomings for what they are. I particularly
like the way he is giving the East West Rail project to a separate
company.-
Sort of. What he's said is that for it proceed, a separate privately
funded company needs to own the project. Apparently this counts as
giving his full support.-
Isn't there a billion of state money going in, too?-
Not for the bits which still need doing now (I'm unsighted as to the
amount they've spent on the bits which are by now open).
I have the impression that the project is unofficially split in
two. The realistic part - between Bicester Village Station and
Bletchley - is now going ahead with a large dollop of taxpayers'
money.
If it's costing a billion to re-open a line that's pretty much already
there, that's a disgrace. However, isn't most of that project almost
done now?
The unrealistic part - the new build between Bedford
and Cambridge - seems to be making no real progress, with
neither the route nor finance at all certain.
The finance is "certain", in the sense that (this week anyway) it will
have to be raised privately, and is therefore zero. And the various
promoters of the scheme keep making absurdly over-optimistic noises
about both the benefit and the likelihood of it going ahead.
Not only are they attempting to create a Golden Age That Never Was[3],
but they're papering-over the fact the original promise was Oxford to
Bedford in 43 minutes, now slipped to 71 minutes
Roland Perry |
Work on the section between the new Bicester junction and
Bletchley hasn't even started yet. The track bed has suffered
serious erosion since being mothballed and in places will require
a complete rebuild. I've walked along part of the route and have
seen small ponds and robust vegetation in what was once the
track bed.
I do agree that a billion is - or should be - way over the top.
I assume one part of that huge sum is to pay for whatever
irrational scheme they come up with for Bedford and that
another part is to pay for accommodating HS2 in the Claydon
Junction area.
I didn't know that 43 minutes was ever planned for Oxford to
Bedford. I'm not sure what the distance is or how many stops
were intended, but Winslow will be the only station between
Bicester Village and Bletchley and the route is well laid out so
fairly high speeds will be possible.