Chancellor confirms Intercity Express Programme is going ahead.

[whole diary]

[Chafford1]

From the Northern Echo:

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/business/9479051.Osborne_confirms_Newton_Aycliffe_Hitachi_plant_on_track/


'Today the Government said it hopes to reach "financial close" on the contract within weeks.

And speaking on board a Hitachi-built Shinkansen bullet train in Tokyo, Mr Osborne confirmed that construction of the factory is due to start later this year and the first trains due to roll off the production line at Newton Aycliffe as planned in 2016.

He said: "I am here in Japan seeing for myself the technology that is behind the new trains that will be built in Britain.'

[Rhydgaled]

Whatever happened to the information here: http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=10150.msg105523#msg105523 that IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) wouldn't reach finantial close until May.

It is mad to sign the order yet, DaFT^» (Department for Transport - critical sounding abbreviation I discourage - about) don't know what they are doing yet.
1. They don't know if Swansea, Hull and Harrogate will be wired.
2. The 'go anywhere' purpose of the bi-mode is fundementally flawed, because the 26m carriges limit them to specially cleared routes.
3. Building new bi-mode is enviromentally purverse when we have Voyagers running arround.

[ellendune]

Read the words carefully. The chancellor did not say the deal was signed - he is just reiterating that they are preferred bidder and saying it will go ahead.  Which was what was said previously.

[Rhydgaled]

The planned make-up of the IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) fleet appears to have changed again.

The franchise consulation says the number of weekday diagrams will be as follows:
26x IEP 5-car bi-mode
12x IEP 8-car bi-mode   (previously I didn't think there were plans for any bi-modes other than 5-car)
11x IEP 8-car electric

It appears to me that the 11 electric units will probably just be enough for the Bristol services which don't extend to Weston-Super-Mare and Taunton, but that leaves Cardiff (and the Oxford fasts that don't extend to Worcester/Hereford, if they are going IEP) with bi-modes 100% under the wires.