Christian Wolmar's December newsletter
Christian Wolmar
Dear Subscriber
Putting things off seems to be the order of the day. We had expected a very full December with announcements on HS2 and franchise reform, as well as progress on franchise lettings, but instead everything has been kicked into touch. Justine Greening is rightly being cautious, but there is a time when she has to show whether she is up to what is a very complex job, with lots of decisions to be made, or not.
Instead, we had an Autumn Statement whose headlines promised much but which, on examination (see latest Rail magazine not yet on the website I’m afraid) offered little of new to the rail industry except for the promise of the reopening of an East – West route north of London. There was, though, precious little of the hard stuff in Osborne’s statement with really no new money at all.
There are a more than usual number of additions to the website, reflecting a busy month. Journalism, thankfully, lives on though I have also blogged a couple of times on the Westminster parking row and even been threatened with ‘m’learned friends’ after writing about a particularly junky piece of research by the rather grandly titled Centre for Economic and Business Research – read it here.
First, an entertaining little item about the road lanes that are being promised for the exclusive use of the dysfunctional ‘Olympic family’ in The Oldie. More seriously, the deaths of two cyclists on the so called Cycle Superhighway in East London prompted me to write about it in my now regular column in Surveyor magazine.
In Public Finance I rehearse the arguments over HS2 and also return to these in my analysis of the very thorough report on the issue by the Transport Committee here . My other Rail column is on the bizarre renationalisation of the railways by European state owned companies. Finally, I have started writing again for TSSA magazine here
I am also going to be writing for a new magazine, RailConnect, principally on projects and the like, which is a great excuse to get round the railway and see what’s going on at ground level. First stop next week is the station rebuild at Tottenham Court Road – hard hats and boots de rigueur.
I have summed up the score in my usual Mystic Wolmar predictions in the current Rail magazine, scoring about 50 per cent with a good hit on Hammond’s departure, but welcome thoughts for next year.
I have finished my American railroads book, the fifth in my railway history books, which will be published in May, though, of course, there will be lots of editing and corrections to do before then. Next up, the Transsiberian. I will, of course, be travelling on it and tips on where best to stop off, how to organise it, etc are most welcome. Instinctively, I think I will travel on it East West as that’s the way fewer people go but open to advice.
For last minute Christmas presents – I now have a few of the trade paperback (a kind of big version of paperback, as the proper version will be out in June) edition of Engines of War, £8 plus £2 50 p & p, pay by PayPal or email me via the website.
No planned talks in January, but lots coming up in February, including a special at the Canal Museum on February 22nd on the Subterranean Railway.
Compliments of the season and follow me on Twitter @christianwolmar
Christian