Alistair Darling's Budget speech - references to transport (24/3/2010)

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Mr Deputy Speaker, investment in both traditional and new infrastructure is also vital if our economy is to grow and our businesses are to succeed.
We have to move goods and people around the country and around the globe.
It is no good supporting high-speed rail links in principle, but declining to back plans which might lead to local controversy.
The Government is taking forward plans for a high-speed rail link from London to the Midlands, and then to the North and Scotland.
In Government, we have taken the tough decisions to improve our transport links and to cut delays in our planning system.
Plans for Crossrail, Heathrow, along with high-speed trains, will improve transport in this country and support some 100,000 jobs over the coming years.
Roads are, of course, an essential part of our transport network.
The bad weather of the last few months has taken a damaging toll on their condition.
So I am providing ^100m to pay for vital repairs to local roads throughout the country, and ^285m to pay for improvements in the motorway network, including by expanding capacity by allowing hard shoulder running.

[IndustryInsider]

No actual statement that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) electrification will continue, but at the same time no statement that it wouldn't - time will tell of course!

[Electric train]

No actual statement that GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) electrification will continue, but at the same time no statement that it wouldn't - time will tell of course!

The design is quite well developed, so money is being spent on the project but it still needs that Government commitment funds for the building of it which is likely to be part of CP5^▸ (Control Period 5 - the five year period between 2014 and 2019)

[onthecushions]

Usually the Budget proposals for Rail are in the small print emerging in its aftermath. As, post privatisation, we have CPx financial planning with DfT^» (Department for Transport - about)/ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about), there tends not now to be money in/out of the industry at the Budget. The industrial action looming indicates that cuts are taking place however. Long term, railways are in trouble because of excessive borrowing as a result of the privatised structure (too many contractual parties) - hence the need to return to BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)).

The GW^▸ (Great Western) electrification is mostly safe as it has a real financial return (it would cost more NOT to do it) rather than having an imagined BCR^▸ (Benefit Cost Ratio) > 2, and allows cascade of the 319's.

Scrapping the IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) (7.5Bn) gave a big saving (aka Budget cut) but means that (like it or not), we'll have to make our Mark 3's last yet another generation, even if electrically hauled. Perhaps we should be buying up those Irish scrappers...

OTC