[QUOTE="Ross Miller"]Cap'n this is a failure of governance by the civil service rather than Government.
Correct.
I was e-mailed information today relating to the wonderful work which a PR release has told us is going to happen at Ashford Station:-
http://www.kentonline.co.uk/ashford/news/work-begins-at-ashford-international-station-158572/
What has happened is that THEY HAVE BUILT TRAINS WHICH DON'T FIT THE STATION!
The current network kinematic envelope & structure gauge has been used used for over 50 years. This is what train manufacturers SHOULD design trains to.
The DfT/ORR(HMRI) has allowed trains that don’t fit the UK network infrastructure to run and dumped the cost on the infrastructure operator.
We now have £100m additional costs because DfT didn’t manage the contract properly. Resources wasted, progress on other projects deferred, major disruption to users.
It's a total balls up and instead of being exposed by the press as such is sold as a great celebration that we are rebuilding Ashford Station.
You really could not make it up!
