Not yet looked at this, but is this the unexpurgated version?
I understand these two paras were left out of the initial version, amongst others, and the Government has only just released these missing paras....
8.15 I do not believe that the current value proposition is the right one for the Great Western franchise. Great Western is a more difficult proposition for the Department as it is seeking to let a long franchise on a high value, complex operation where there will be substantial disruption from major infrastructure programmes in the coming years. As I have touched on elsewhere, West Coast route modernisation taught Government and the industry valuable lessons about seeking to transfer full revenue risk to franchisees when major investment programmes are taking place. Those lessons should not be lost.
8.16 In developing the new programme, the Department will need to consider how any delay in Great Western fits within the portfolio of upcoming inter-city competitions. Great Western, East Coast and West Coast are all large contracts, even on a shorter initial term ^ and the Department needs to phase these competitions in a way that both it and the market can deal with.
