Star comment: There may be a silver lining over West Coast Main Line
From joy, to drama, to farce.
After all the hard work and money invested in the bidding process for the West Coast Main Line franchise, the whole thing is being torn up because of “technical flaws”. We are back to square one.
That is bad enough. Even worse is that the firms involved in the bidding are going to get a £50 million refund as a result of this monumental foul up.
So, while the Government is saving small amounts here and there by taking benefits away from people, whole shedloads of cash are going down the drain through governmental and ministerial blunders.
Serious questions need to be asked of the Department of Transport and whether it is fit for purpose in overseeing the running of the railway network.
Similar questions should come to the door of Justine Greening, the now-departed transport minister.
Top civil servants justify their handsome salaries on the basis that that is what their competence and expertise would command in the private sector. Yet in the private sector a debacle like this would be a disastrous, career-ending event. Heads would roll.
Who is going to be held to account in the public sector, which is supposedly answerable to the taxpayers who are footing all the bills? A lot of people in suits will be ducking under their desks today.
It may turn out that there is a silver lining, and that this expensive disaster helps lead to the right decision in the end. One person smiling into his beard is Virgin’s Sir Richard Branson, who was always convinced that the process was flawed.
He now must stand by his pledge to give Shropshire a direct rail link to the capital.
Because if the interests of the people who really matter, the poor, long-suffering rail users, are not the first priority, you have to ask what the point of the whole process is anyway.
Comments for: "Star comment: There may be a silver lining over West Coast Main Line"
Bill
Hear, hear.
For years Whitehall has been the home of horrendous errors costing the taxpayers billions. The NHS integrated IT project was the worst.
However, some blame has to be laid at the door of Prime Ministers and Chancellors from Thatcher onwards - their unshakeable belief that external consultants were far better at advising on major projects than their own staff and that the commercial sector 'knew better how to be efficient'.
The result has been both a 'brain drain' from Whitehall (and many major local authorities) leaving far too many departments populated not by dedicated and unbiased individuals working for the public good, but by outsiders with vested interests who too often are part of organisations which have a commercial interest in the decisions they advise the government and councils to make.
We need to get the principles of the civil service re-established and the overpaid consultants and secondees booted out of all decision-making processes.
rob
Funny how people blame Thatcher for everything, The country was in such a great state before she came to power. I can't remember rationing of power in the last 30 or so years, no wildcat strikes and 40% wage increases, no rubbish lining the countries streets and also the dead actually get buried today. Also we are no longer called the Sickman of Europe anymore and luckily we did not have to go cap in hand to the IMF( as we did in the 70's under a certain popular leader) for a bailout in the current economic crisis.
Amazing how one woman attracts so much hatred. Yes she did alot wrong and rubbed up alot of people the wrong way and i was probably one of them.
Anyway, i will agree with you about Whitehall, over spending on everything. Like laptops costing 1300 quid each, when you could buy the same one from a well known supplier, for just 350 quid.
Mark
Did heads roll at G4S?
frank
Budget airlines made a commercial success out of flying to lesser known European cities thanks to subsidies from the local authorities. Given the limited commercial payback for a direct rail link between Shrewsbury and London, would the local authority consider some financial support to the service thus benefitting local rate payers and attracting tourism from London? If it worked for regional towns/cities in Spain and France - why not try the same approach for Shrewsbury? I'm sure the Virgin trains team (and Mr Branson one time owner of the budget airline Virgin Express) would be keen to explore a more creative solution.
nick
Everyone in Shropshire should now restart the campaign to get a direct rail service from London to Telford, Wellington and Shrewsbury included in the formal specifications for the new West Coast franchise. This would ensure its long term survival, Otherwise the county would be reliant on the winner of the revised franchise competition to 'include' a trial and probably infrequent service to see if they can make a profit from it. Otherwise the county will remain an isolated and remote area with low wages and little outside investment.