Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris
Indeed. And Merseytravel (the strategic transport authority for the Liverpool city region formerly known as Merseyside) had to fund the purchase of the new class 777s because, had they left it to the usual process there was a material risk of the units, if owned by one of the leasing companies, being contracted to Merseyrail for a limited period and then getting redeployed somewhere more lucrative. Which, as it happens, is exactly what happened with the class 507s these new trains are replacing. They were ordered for Merseyrail but then deployed in London for services out of Waterloo, only arriving in Merseyside several years later.
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The Liverpool City Region financed them this way because it was cheaper. Governments being able to borrow more cheaply than the private sector and no need to make a juicy margin either. They are a dedicated fleet for the region so can't easily be used outside it regardless of ownership.
---------- Post added at 23:11 ---------- Previous post was at 23:04 ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by Damien
Crossrail isn't the problem. The problem is the lack of equivalent ambition elsewhere which is a Labour issue of 97-2010 but also now a Tory one of 2010-2022. They've been in charge for 12 years now.
Crossrail may have come in late and over budget but it's built. It's a rare example of a grand infrastructure project actually completing its initial vision. An East-West Railway that tunnels below central London with several stations redeveloped in some of the most densely crowded areas of London.
Everything else in this country seems to get stuck in public consultation hell before being abandoned or dramatically scaled back.
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HS2 is still a huge and ambitious project, though, even if it were to just go to Birmingham.