Rail 687: Fares becoming political
The annual fares rise caused rather more uproar than usual, and remarkably led to a partial retreat by the government. This suggests that the policy of increasing them even more steeply next year may be reversible, especially now that there is a Transport Secretary who has rather more sensitive political antennae than her predecessor.
The case for these rises is weak, and the line taken by the Association of Train Operating ...
Mystery over tunnelling costs as DfT tries to manage media coverage
One of the big mysteries of yesterday's HS2 announcement was how the Department had pulled off the trick of adding in five miles of extra tunnelling and yet seemingly the cost of the project has remained the same.
Pressed on this point on Newsnight, Norman Baker was vague saying there was an extra cost,but he was very unspecific and was not pressed by the other participants in the discussion. However, buried ...
HS2 case based on dodgy methodology
Given the scale and cost of HS2, the case to build the line rests on remarkably shaky foundations.
The government relies very strongly on what it calls the “business case” which is, in fact, a complex and fairly flaky methodology that tries to assess the wider long-term costs and benefits of the project and ascribes monetary values to aspects such as environmental degradation and business.
A complex equation ...
Passengers pay twice for rail journeys
The British version of Le Grand Retour takes place today as everyone finally returns to work. But those commuting by rail are in for a shock. Fares have gone up by 6 per cent and a few unlucky season ticket holders will find they are paying up to 10 per cent more.
Commuter fares, according to the Campaign for Better Transport, are now on average 3.5 times ...
