From the Independent:

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/tra...p?story=571591

High-speed commuter rail scheme delayed by a year
By Barrie Clement, Transport Editor
13 October 2004

A £300m project to establish Britain's first super-fast commuter rail
service will be delayed by at least a year amid concern that it could be a
hugely expensive "white elephant", The Independent understands.

The specialised 186mph trains are due to start running from stations in Kent
to London along the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), but ministers are still
arguing over which rolling stock to order.

Industry sources assert that there is "not a cat in hell's chance" of the
new trains being ready on time - a prediction privately acknowledged by
Whitehall officials.

The Department for Transport has registered its dismay about the price of
the new rolling stock, which has to be specially built to cope with the
different electrification systems on the domestic and CTRL tracks. It is
known that the cost of the 18 "sets" - locomotive and carriages - could be
£200m. However, it is possible that more sets will be required, taking the
final price tag, together with other costs, to £300m.

Some government officials are also worried that the new services may fail to
attract sufficient commuters.

While a new station at Ebbsfleet, Gravesend, is expected to be popular with
passengers because of its proximity to the A2 and the M25, there is a
question-mark over other stations further away from the capital.

The new trains would operate on three main routes. One of the new services
is scheduled to start at Folkestone and another at Ramsgate. They will both
then join the CTRL at Ashford International. From there they go via
Ebbsfleet under the Thames to Stratford and on into London. Another is
supposed to begin at Sittingbourne, run through the Medway towns then on to
the CTRL at Ebbsfleet. They will all terminate at St Pancras.

It is thought that the only way of guaranteeing full trains would be by
keeping the cost of tickets down. Ministers still hope that a premium rate
can be charged for the super-fast services, possibly double the rate paid on
comparable routes on the far slower suburban network.

Transport for London, which is responsible for networks in the capital,
points out that part of the cost for the new super-fast services will be met
by axing rush-hour trains using the existing lines.

One source close to the rolling stock companies that will buy the trains and
lease them to the train operator said that while the project was a
"financial basket case", the Government seemed politically committed to it.

On the existing domestic railway the fastest time between Gravesend and
Charing Cross is 52 minutes. The new services would take about 15 minutes to
get from Ebbsfleet to a newly enlarged St Pancras.

In a recent letter to the Prime Minister, Sir Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, leader
of Kent County Council, argued that the development of the new links was
essential to the Government's plans for the development of the so-called
Thames Gateway, which runs through north Kent to the coast.

Sir Sandy called on Tony Blair, who has taken over the chairmanship of the
cabinet sub-committee dealing with the development area, to "unlock the
inertia" surrounding the high speed links.

The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA), which took over responsibility from
Connex for the ailing rail services in Kent, hopes to "re-privatise" the
franchise next year. The new incumbent will be responsible for running the
fast commuter services as well as existing routes.

A spokesman for the SRA said that officials were working with the Department
for Transport to get services started "as soon as possible".