Christian Wolmar's July newsletter
Christian Wolmar
Newsletter July
Hot on the heels of the June newsletter, I am sending out this one to announce the e-publication of On the Wrong Line, my book on rail privatisation, which is now available on Kindle.
The book has been edited and updated, though most of the original remains, but there is one fascinating addition, an appendix of a statement by John Major on why he privatised the railways. This is fascinating because in his autobiography, Major barely mentions rail privatisation, and yet it was one of his most controversial and widely publicised policies. Therefore his justification is an important contribution to the debate. The book can be purchased via this link and Down The Tube, my book on the London Underground PPP, which has now been on line for nearly a year can be obtained here .
We await the publication of the High Level Output Specification and the Statement of Funding Available which has to be published this month and will tell us what plans the government has for rail investment and what money is available to pay for it. It will certainly keep me busy for a while. All the signs are that the government will retain its commitment to rail and will not squeeze the industry too much, and will extend its plans to electrify more lines, with the Midland Main Line top of the list.
The signing of the deal for the crazy Intercity Express Programme, the new trains for the intercity routes, is also expected although there are last minute attempts within the industry to point out the madness of a huge PFI scheme that offloads vast amounts of risk onto the private sector which will undoubtedly charge massive amounts for the pleasure. When will they ever learn?
Because publication of this newsletter has come so quickly after the last one, there are only a couple of new entries on the side. There is only one Rail article, looking at the implications of the franchising process for Bristol For The Times article I wrote a piece about the hoo-ha over Network Rail cutting down trees while my latest TSSA column covers chaos over fares.
I have also written the foreword for the latest book from Keith Strickland, an excellent railway photographer, who is donating the royalties for In Search of Steam which has just been published to the Railway Children. I’m not really a great fan of steam engine books but this book covers a wide variety of foreign railways with photographs that are designed to show the locomotives in a wider context. Keith manages to ensure that the photos are of interest even to non steam buffs. There are some real gems, such as a steam engine thundering down a Jordanian street and a tank engine in a small Swiss town. It can be bought through Amazon at http://www.amazon.co.uk/In-Search-Steam-Keith-Strickland/dp/0752465600/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341401762&sr=1-1
Anyone interested in getting signed copies of any of my books, do email me. Otherwise buy them on Amazon through the site.
Please keep on clicking on the ads on the site – it generates the income to pay for it. And do follow me on Twitter – passed the 4,500 mark recently and heading for 5,000. It’s a great way to communicate.
Let’s hope the sun shines soon….
Christian