Whilst skiing in Austria

Viability of Midland Main Line electrification, part three

On 21 December, the House of Commons Transport Select Committee published correspondence relating to the government’s cancellation of rail electrification schemes, especially the Midland Main Line (MML) north of Kettering.

In her letter dated 2 November 2017, transport select committee ‘chair’ Lilian Greenwood asked transport secretary Chris Grayling ‘what had changed between September 2016 and July 2017 such that the initial central case for MML electrification was no longer valid’.

The answer, of course, is that nothing (of any substance) had changed. Because of the government’s intention to build (and transfer West Riding and D2N2 traffic to) HS2, there was no case for MML electrification in September 2016. Or September 2015. Or September 2014 (etc).

The Beleben blogpost ‘Viability of Midland Main Line electrification part two’ of 13 September, 2016 — which stated, “It is difficult to see how Midland electrification, in its present form, could ever be value for money. It might make sense if it were designed to cater for railfreight, and future passenger journeys from the West Riding and D2N2 to London. The government’s current intention is for such journeys to be transferred to the eastern leg of HS2” — pre-dates the Atkins appraisal mentioned by Lilian Greenwood.

And in the post ‘Plummeting from infinity’ (13 November 2017), the Beleben blog exposed how, on 7 November 2016, MPs had debated MML electrification ‘in the dark’.

A culture of failing

The House of Commons public accounts committee is concerned “that there appears to be a culture within HS2 Ltd of failing to provide full and accurate information to those responsible for holding it to account“, and the company “does not have in place the basic controls needed to protect public money“.

When asked to identify the three top risks facing the HS2 programme, the Department for Transport was unable to do so, explaining that it ‘primarily relied on HS2 Ltd to identify and deal with risks’.

 

Adonis and the spotlight

(Private Eye)

Cheshire connectivity spin meets reality

Improving journey times to the ‘Cheshire science corridor’ opens up ‘new possibilities for collaboration and innovation’, according to HS2 Ltd.

But does HS2, or even ‘Northern Powerhouse Rail’, really improve journey times to the ‘Cheshire science corridor’? And if so, how?

Get trucks off rail, part two

Part one

An extract from the National Infrastructure Commission’s “Congestion, Capacity, Carbon, Priorities for national infrastructure“.

HS2 and ‘UK suppliers’

Ninety-eight per cent of the current HS2 ‘Tier 1’ supply chain are ‘UK suppliers’, according to transport minister Paul Maynard.

But what is a ‘UK supplier’?

Apparently, all it means is, ‘a supplier, whose registered address has a British postcode’.

Rabbit hutch science

A warning from Germany

In February 2013, the Beleben blog noted that HS2 has “every chance of becoming Britain’s Stuttgart 21, but on a much bigger scale“.

HS2 ‘is not controlled by Whitehall’

“Ownership of HS2 is very much controlled by the regions, it’s no longer a Whitehall-dominated or controlled project”, according to HS2 Ltd chairman David Higgins (sound recording published on 24 November on the Signal Radio website, statement at 02:55 into the mp3).