Christian Wolmar's May newsletter
Christian Wolmar
Dear Subscriber
I was trying to wait for the McNulty report to come out before sending out this newsletter, but now it appears that it will not be until May 17th at the earliest. After a quiet time when all news has been buried by a marriage, an earthquake, a war and various tornadoes, suddenly transport, and especially the railways, are coming to the fore again.
The McNulty report will certainly be controversial. When I met him, he emphasised that he would not be putting forward a programme for massive closures, but according to a Tory source, Hammond has been making speeches emphasising that the railways are full of financial basket cases. The fact that a White Paper on railways now appears to be on the agenda is somewhat ominous but in truth the likelihood of widespread closures actually happening is, I think, very low. They would be very unpopular especially as critics could point out to the billions being spent on HS2 and, indeed, shutting lines would weaken support for HS2. And they would tend to go through Tory constituencies.
Indeed, with the government so ready to do U-turns on issues ranging from forest sales to the NHS, proposed closures would be, I suspect, a one day wonder with rapid retreat of stout parties. However, rail supporters will need to be on their guard, and ready to mobilise in order to campaign against any suggestion to close lines.
In other breaking news, as they say on TV, we’ve just heard that First is not going to take up its option of three more years, from next spring, on the Great Western franchise. This was hardly a surprise, as predictable as Manchester United finishing in the top four. First have been losing money on the franchise ever since it agreed to extra investment following the debacle in the Bristol area a year into the contract, and it was never going to agree to pay the premium payments required in the final three years. That does, however, make a nonsense of the Department for Transport’s boast about the fantastic deal it got when the franchise was let, and indeed about the whole franchise process. The Wolmar question, ‘what is franchising for?’ is ever relevant.
Because transport has been so out of the news, and I no longer do my Transport Times column, there are only three new items on the website: the two Rail columns on, respectively, the structure of Network Rail and the prospect for co-ops in the railways, and a Thunderer comment for The Times on the crazy plan to build bi-mode trains.
I am still trying to clear the space under my bed – I have just got in a supply of Blood Iron & Gold paperbacks, for £8 plus £2 50 p & p, and there are still the Fire and Steam hardbacks, which make a great prezzy, at £5 plus £3 p & p. Just email me at christia...@gmail.com to find out where to send cheques, or pay by PayPal at xi...@pro-net.co.uk .
Next month’s newsletter will, I suspect, be earlier in the month and contain much more news.
Christian Wolmar