Rail electrification: 'the sums of public money wasted are appalling'

Serious failings in the Great Western Railway track upgrade have cast doubts on whether it will be delivered to the revised target and budget.

A new report by the Committee of Public Accounts criticises the electrification project for wasting "appalling sums" of public money.

Network Rail's estimated cost of the programme rose by £1.2 billion in the space of a year.

The Committee concluded it is still unclear whether the Great Western electrification project can be delivered to the revised target of December 2018 and budget of £2.8 billion.

Concerns have also been raised about the ability of the Department for Transport and Network Rail to manage future projects.

Both the Department and Network Rail accept that there were significant failings in the design, planning and cost-estimating of the programme.

The Committee makes its recommendations to the Government with the aim to protect taxpayer's money and support passenger benefits on future rail schemes.

Some of the conclusions from the Committee's report:

• Network Rail failed to plan the infrastructure work properly - with the initial design being incomplete. It started construction before it had the necessary permits and consents in order to try to meet the schedule, resulting in higher costs.

• The Department failed to challenge Network Rail’s plans effectively despite the very significant sums of public money at risk.

• Lack of co-ordination and not working in an integrated manner severely hindered and delayed the project.

• The Department’s claim that nearly all the benefits for passengers can be achieved without full electrification of the route casts doubt on the value for money of this and other electrification schemes.