Has any land actually been sold? It was announced, but these things take months and the announcement of the election will have put a pause on activity.R/e Simon Calder - is it even possible now (with land being bought/resold etc) to extend HS2 to Crewe?? Would the new Transport Secretary even consider it?
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No, no land has been sold.
Looks like it’s up to RF to hold them to account then - not like the new opposition can with such few numbers!
You don't need to have transport experience to run the DfT, that is like suggesting only medical professionals should run the DOH.
Exactly - which made Labour’s criticism of appointing Therèse Coffey (who loves a cigarette and a pint) to the DOH ironic
Sure... But you need to understand where priorities should lie. Does she have any experience before she became the shadow minister?
Oh course but you're not meant to be an expert on everything transport. That's what Ministers and advisers are for as well as meeting people who run the transport network.
Ah fair enough. As long as she's pro rail/anti car I'm happy.
The wires are done to 25000 AC standards, and can be switched over with ease, the TramTrains are capable of working 750DC as now, or 25000 AC. They are dual voltage. Seems someone had a bit of forward thinking, unusual on todays railway.
She’s been Shadow SoS for Transport for the last three years, so I’d expect her to have a pretty good handle on what all the important issues are, at the very least. After all, that’s been her job other than constituency work.
Shes always given a good account of herself when Transport questions have been in the house and her knowledge of the brief goes wider than just rail as for example she gets the need to reorganise airspace mgt over the UK.
What if the cost the new Government can afford doesn't match up with the expectations of those in dispute? The money will need to come from somewhere.
Merriman openly admitted the industry had lost more money from the strikes than what it would have cost to solve the dispute. So I reckon they will settle pretty easily but will want to tie in the unions to being part of driving efficiencies in the future.
That’s not exactly what he said. The claim was the strikes wider effect on the UK economy was larger than the cost of settling. Though how they account for the ongoing increase in costs from a pay rise versus the limited costs of disruption isn’t clear.
Most of the population uses cars though and there are road upgrades that need to happen like the Black Cat Roundabout. I'd expect road policy to focus more on free flow on A-road dual carriageways rather than additional motorway lanes.
I believe the only restriction lifted allowed local authorities to use the land for something else in their local plan.
Rail "nationalisation" was a popular pledge and they need to get the work done before the first contract expires or have a painful announcement of a short contract extension.
1972 replacement needs to happen soon. I'd expect an announcement on new trains for Northern shortly beforehand so Labour don't risk appearing like all the money is being spent in the south again.
Or those in dispute better lower their expectations. There is going to be no harvesting of magic money trees and there is longer a political angle to the dispute.
The Labour document doesn't amount to "full nationalisation".
You can't want private sector investment in the UK with one hand, while confiscating their property with the other.
