Electric GWR!

[Robin Summerhill]

The Tories will cancel it as soon as they take over.

Don't forget that political parties are falling over each other at the moment trying to "out-green" the opposition. Railways are seen to be green and therefore currently a Good Thing. I shouldn't worry about a reincarnation of Ernie Marples - the world has moved on since then.

The trouble with cancelling contracts after they have been entered into is that there will be penalty charges to the contractor. You can't simply walk away from a contract and expect the contractor to shrug his shoulders. He would have geared up, taken on staff, bought materials etc etc.

There have been some monumental (and idiotic) cancellations in the past, and I certainly look forward to another (less idiotic) in cancelling the ID card scheme. But if this one gets off the ground (emphasis on the "if" back there!) it will probably run to its full conclusion.

Also don't forget that Richard Beeching lost one major argument when he was at the BRB - he wanted the LMR electrification scheme cancelled

[stationcat]

All this excitement about electrfication of the GW main line is all very well, but nobody has as yet sumond up to political will to reintroduce a passenger service on a piddling little branch line between Bristol and Portishead. As I said before, I'll eat my hat when it happens.

[horace]

Station cat your moving the goal posts, i can see it will be reinstatement of all the Beeching closed lines before we get a hat eating demonstration. Tell me your not actually the publicity rep for FGW by any chance, they seem to have the same moving goal post policy

[Robin Summerhill]

All this excitement about electrfication of the GW main line is all very well, but nobody has as yet sumond up to political will to reintroduce a passenger service on a piddling little branch line between Bristol and Portishead. As I said before, I'll eat my hat when it happens.

Its easier to get interest in and funding for the big projects. The Government gets a feather in its cap and good publicity for an electricification scheme. Unfortunately, in the great scheme of things, nobody in higher office gives a toss about the Portishead branch because its only the people of Portishead that are that affected.

Now, if Portishead was a "marginal" constituency, that might just be another matter

(subtext - don't just laugh at "Yes Minister" - believe every word of it - that's how politics really operates)

Portishead is in the same pile as reopening Corsham and Wootton Bassett - nobody of importance is interested, they'll get no credit for it, so the traffic congestion can go on.

I'm not saying that all this is right, just that it is the way things work in the real world.