Tom Anderson wrote:
On Fri, 15 Dec 2006, Dave Arquati wrote:

Boltar wrote:
Paul Corfield wrote:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/press-cent...t.asp?prID=984


"Transport for London (TfL) has announced that MTR Laing and Go-Via
have been selected to submit a 'best and final offer' for the
contract to run London Overground services on the integrated North
and East London Railways, under the management of TfL."

Why can't TfL just run it themselves? Why does it have to be sub
contracted out?

Why should they run it themselves? Doing so would be unlikely to bring
many benefits. The concession approach is similar to the running of
the DLR, which has a phenomenal track record, and it allows a
performance incentive and penalty regime to be installed so that the
concessionnaire is continually motivated in the right direction. You'd
be unlikely to get that sort of drive if TfL ran it themselves.

Because, as we well know, everyone who works for TfL is an incompetent,
unprofessional, disinterested jobsworth who has no interest in actually
providing a decent service to the public.

Oh, no, hang on a minute ...

Hmm, you abused my point a bit there :-)

I should clarify - TfL could operate an adequate service on London
Overground. They could even operate a high-quality one if they tried
hard enough (shock horror). However, the incentivised concessionaire
will *have* to deliver a high-quality service if it wants to survive.

The adage comes to mind about the rabbit escaping from the fox, because
the rabbit is running for his life whereas the fox is only running for
his dinner.

Pity there wasn't a bit more vision and willpower with the ELL.

If, in the 1980s, someone had asked for £1.5bn to build a 40km light
railway network throughout the derelict docklands of East London, they
would have been laughed out of the Treasury - but by 2012, that will
be the investment in and scale of the DLR.

Three cheers for the DLR! And one day, possibly, three car trains!

tom



--
Dave Arquati
www.alwaystouchout.com - Transport projects in London