"The Crossrail programme is proceeding well and is on course to deliver value for money to the taxpayer" according to the UK House of Commons Public Accounts Committee, and lessons can be learned by other projects, such as HS2..
And in the USA, U.S. DOT Announces Comprehensive Proposed Rulemaking for the Safe Transportation of Crude Oil, Flammable Materials..
With the horrific Lac-Megantic disaster barely a year away, these regulations cannot come soon enough.. But the new operator on the line is a tougher, more disciplined operator, so they say...
Click on the links for the full stories..
Headlines
UK
Llandudno train station officially opened after revamp.(BBC News)
Transport group funds Dunblane town centre upgrade work.(BBC News)
Campaign to stop rail suicides.(Wigan Today)
Man is electrocuted on city train line near Haymarket in Edinburgh.(BBC News)
Roger Daltrey backs Ashford model railway museum plans.(BBC News)
Crossrail shows how the Welsh economy could be boosted by electrification and other transport investment, MPs claim(WalesOnline)
Give us more staff at our railway stations.(Daily Express)
BBC Two - The Fifteen Billion Pound Railway, Tunnels Under the Thames..tonight!
www.parliament.uk.
Crossrail: textbook example of how to get things right.
23 July 2014
The Public Accounts Committee publishes its Eighth Report of Session 2014-15, HC 574.
Richard Bacon MP, member of the Committee of Public Accounts, today said:
The Crossrail programme is proceeding well and is on course to deliver value for money to the taxpayer. The joint sponsors of the Crossrail programme, the Department for Transport (the Department) and Transport for London, are working well with the delivery organisation, Crossrail Limited, to deliver the programme, which at present is broadly on schedule and being delivered within budget.
The programme provides an opportunity for the Department and the rest of government to learn valuable lessons about delivering major projects, such as the importance of careful early preparation. However, construction is not yet complete, and considerable risks remain in delivering the programme by 2019, particularly managing the transition from building the railway to operating it, and delivering the Crossrail trains.
This project also raises questions about how government compares different transport projects when making its investment decisions.
Crossrail is a textbook example of how to focus on the essentials of programme management, including defining a realistic scope, establishing a management team with the necessary skills and securing the required funding. Two years of planning took place before the construction programme began on Crossrail, allowing the scope of the programme to be well defined, resulting in only a handful of subsequent changes being required. Roles and relationships were clearly established in the programme’s founding agreements, and Crossrail Limited had to pass the sponsors’ early programme reviews to prove it had the right skills and capabilities in place. The current funding of £14.8 billion for construction work was agreed after a series of early examinations into costs, partly driven by the 2010 spending review.
Recommendation: The Department should capture the lessons it has learned from the Crossrail programme and apply these to its other projects, most notably High Speed 2. It should also promote the lessons from Crossrail, which are applicable to other major projects, widely across government.
Transport projects are assessed using benefit-cost ratios that do not capture the full benefits, thereby understating the case for investment. The Crossrail programme followed standard practice for transport investments by developing two benefit-cost ratios. While one included an assessment of some wider economic impacts, such as increased productivity from greater clustering of firms and labour market effects, the ratio used in deciding whether the project should go ahead excluded these and other measurable benefits, such as changing property values or land use. Crossrail Limited and Transport for London have been researching how to develop more robust estimates of these wider benefits, which are challenging to measure.
Recommendation: The Department needs a clearer understanding of the wider economic benefits of transport projects which should be included in its investment decisions.
The full rationale for proceeding with Crossrail was not made clear. The business case for Crossrail had a benefit-cost ratio of less than 2:1, and focused on the need to provide transport for a rapidly increasing population and to avoid choking economic growth in the South East. It was not made clear that the Department also took into consideration factors such as the better use of land in East London when deciding to invest in the Crossrail programme, rather than alternative projects elsewhere.
Recommendation: The Department should clearly set out how it weighs up different factors, including the benefit-cost ratio, in its decision making, and apply consistent criteria to appraising the projects in its portfolio.
Smaller transport projects have access to fewer resources and less expertise making it more difficult for them to secure funding from the Department. The Department has a portfolio of both large and small projects across the country. However, small projects appear to be at a disadvantage, despite some of them having very high benefit-cost ratios, as they find it harder to secure funding. This is partly a result of local authorities having differing levels of skill and capability to develop business cases, and a lack of resources compared to central government to secure help with this.
Recommendation: The Department should share its data and expertise in assessing transport projects with local authorities to strengthen the relative case for smaller projects.
The Department cannot maximise contributions from private sector beneficiaries of transport projects if it does not fully understand the benefits that projects will bring. The Department did not fully realise how the Crossrail programme would benefit London businesses. As a result, it had mixed success in securing the contributions it had negotiated with businesses. While Heathrow Airport Limited will now only provide £70 million, less than a third of the funding originally agreed, the Department has been more successful with London businesses where the benefits of the project have been better understood and explained to the beneficiaries.
Recommendation: The Department should establish and use a better understanding of the wider economic benefits of transport projects to help it to maximise contributions from beneficiaries of future transport projects.
"Major, complex infrastructure projects are notoriously difficult to deliver on time and in budget. With Crossrail we see a textbook example of how to get things right. Happily, this means Crossrail – a £15.8bn programme in total – is on course to deliver value for money to the taxpayer.Richard Bacon was speaking as the Committee published its 8th Report of this Session which, on the basis of evidence from Philip Rutnam, Permanent Secretary, Department of Transport, Sir Peter Hendy, Commissioner, Transport for London and Andrew Wolstenholme, Chief Executive, Crossrail Ltd, examined the subject of Crossrail.
The joint sponsors of the Crossrail programme, the Department for Transport and Transport for London, are working well with the delivery organisation, Crossrail Limited, to deliver the programme, which at present is broadly on schedule and being delivered within budget.
The team has focussed on the essentials of programme management, including defining a realistic scope, establishing a management team with the necessary skills and securing the required funding. Two years were spent on planning before construction began, and roles and relationships were clearly established.
The Department should capture the lessons it has learned from the Crossrail programme and apply these to its other projects, most notably High Speed 2.
There are also lessons to be learned about how transport projects are appraised. Benefit-cost ratios are used that do not capture the full benefits, and the case for investment is understated.
With Crossrail, the ratio was around 2:1, or medium value for money. However, when wider economic benefits, such as increased productivity from greater clustering of firms and labour market effects, it was more like 3:1. The full rationale for proceeding with Crossrail was not made clear.
The Department cannot maximise contributions from private sector beneficiaries of transport projects if it does not fully understand the benefits that projects will bring.
In this case, the Department did not fully realise how Crossrail would benefit London businesses, and so it had mixed success in securing the contributions it had negotiated with businesses. While Heathrow Airport Limited will now only provide £70 million, less than a third of the funding originally agreed, the Department has been more successful with London businesses where the benefits of the project have been better communicated.
Construction of Crossrail is not yet complete, and considerable risks remain in delivering the programme by 2019, particularly managing the transition from building the railway to operating it, and delivering the Crossrail trains. So far, though, the signs are good."
The Crossrail programme is proceeding well and is on course to deliver value for money to the taxpayer. The joint sponsors of the Crossrail programme, the Department for Transport (the Department) and Transport for London, are working well with the delivery organisation, Crossrail Limited, to deliver the programme, which at present is broadly on schedule and being delivered within budget.
The programme provides an opportunity for the Department and the rest of government to learn valuable lessons about delivering major projects, such as the importance of careful early preparation. However, construction is not yet complete, and considerable risks remain in delivering the programme by 2019, particularly managing the transition from building the railway to operating it, and delivering the Crossrail trains.
This project also raises questions about how government compares different transport projects when making its investment decisions.
Conclusions and recommendations
The Department and Transport for London are jointly sponsoring the Crossrail programme to deliver a new rail service for London and the South East. When complete, the railway will run from Reading and Heathrow Airport in the west, to Abbey Wood and Shenfield in the east. The programme involves construction and improvement works costing up to £14.8 billion, including: building a new underground railway across central London; improving existing tracks to the east and west of London, and building and upgrading stations. It also includes buying a new fleet of trains at a cost of £1 billion, and appointing a new operator for the service. Crossrail Limited is delivering most of the programme, with Network Rail undertaking the work on existing sections of railway.Crossrail is a textbook example of how to focus on the essentials of programme management, including defining a realistic scope, establishing a management team with the necessary skills and securing the required funding. Two years of planning took place before the construction programme began on Crossrail, allowing the scope of the programme to be well defined, resulting in only a handful of subsequent changes being required. Roles and relationships were clearly established in the programme’s founding agreements, and Crossrail Limited had to pass the sponsors’ early programme reviews to prove it had the right skills and capabilities in place. The current funding of £14.8 billion for construction work was agreed after a series of early examinations into costs, partly driven by the 2010 spending review.
Recommendation: The Department should capture the lessons it has learned from the Crossrail programme and apply these to its other projects, most notably High Speed 2. It should also promote the lessons from Crossrail, which are applicable to other major projects, widely across government.
Transport projects are assessed using benefit-cost ratios that do not capture the full benefits, thereby understating the case for investment. The Crossrail programme followed standard practice for transport investments by developing two benefit-cost ratios. While one included an assessment of some wider economic impacts, such as increased productivity from greater clustering of firms and labour market effects, the ratio used in deciding whether the project should go ahead excluded these and other measurable benefits, such as changing property values or land use. Crossrail Limited and Transport for London have been researching how to develop more robust estimates of these wider benefits, which are challenging to measure.
Recommendation: The Department needs a clearer understanding of the wider economic benefits of transport projects which should be included in its investment decisions.
The full rationale for proceeding with Crossrail was not made clear. The business case for Crossrail had a benefit-cost ratio of less than 2:1, and focused on the need to provide transport for a rapidly increasing population and to avoid choking economic growth in the South East. It was not made clear that the Department also took into consideration factors such as the better use of land in East London when deciding to invest in the Crossrail programme, rather than alternative projects elsewhere.
Recommendation: The Department should clearly set out how it weighs up different factors, including the benefit-cost ratio, in its decision making, and apply consistent criteria to appraising the projects in its portfolio.
Smaller transport projects have access to fewer resources and less expertise making it more difficult for them to secure funding from the Department. The Department has a portfolio of both large and small projects across the country. However, small projects appear to be at a disadvantage, despite some of them having very high benefit-cost ratios, as they find it harder to secure funding. This is partly a result of local authorities having differing levels of skill and capability to develop business cases, and a lack of resources compared to central government to secure help with this.
Recommendation: The Department should share its data and expertise in assessing transport projects with local authorities to strengthen the relative case for smaller projects.
The Department cannot maximise contributions from private sector beneficiaries of transport projects if it does not fully understand the benefits that projects will bring. The Department did not fully realise how the Crossrail programme would benefit London businesses. As a result, it had mixed success in securing the contributions it had negotiated with businesses. While Heathrow Airport Limited will now only provide £70 million, less than a third of the funding originally agreed, the Department has been more successful with London businesses where the benefits of the project have been better understood and explained to the beneficiaries.
Recommendation: The Department should establish and use a better understanding of the wider economic benefits of transport projects to help it to maximise contributions from beneficiaries of future transport projects.
UK Heritage News
See Flying Scotsman – Photos and video – Flying Scotsman – National Railway Museum
The Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway.(Central Somerset Gazette)
International
Africa
Railways Africa. ..Headlines
NATIONAL HOUSEHOLD TRAVEL SURVEY
TRANSNET PENSIONERS FOR CLASS ACTION
NEW LINE ALONG THE MOLOTO ROAD
BLACKIE HEADING BACK TO CAPE TOWN
TFR AUCTION SALE 105, 17 JULY 2014
COMMUTER BODY OPPOSED TO TOWNSHIP GAUTRAIN
EXTENDING GAUTRAIN TO DURBAN
Details...Here
Australia
Major Transport Infrastructure Program (DTPLI on YouTube)
A program of major transport projects will be delivered over the next decade to support Victoria's rapidly growing population and economy.
Massive infrastructure projects like Melbourne Rail Link, East West Link, the Cranbourne-Pakenham Rail Corridor Project and the CityLink Tulla Freeway widening will be complemented by grade separations, major road maintenance programs and new train, tram and bus services.
These projects will shape Victoria's transport network for decades to come.
Canada
Zacks' Bull Of The Day: Canadian Pacific (seeking alpha)
China
Crash anniversary calls for new confidence.(People's Daily)
High speed line electrification maintenance vehicle on test - Railway Gazette
Driverless trains delivered to Singapore - Railway Gazette.
Russia
Serbian Railways: Campaign for Help: Flooding in Serbia causes catastrophic railway infrastructure damage
Turkey
HIGH-SPEED TRAIN TO BE EXPANDED ACROSS THE COUNTRY OVER 10 YEARS.(Daily Sabah)
USA
California High Speed Rail: 10 Readers With 10 Views (The Atlantic)
Silver Line TV Commercials.
Community members intrigued by high-speed rail system envisioned for Colorado.(CraigDailyPress)
www.progressiverailroading.com.
U.S. DOT Announces Comprehensive Proposed Rulemaking for the Safe Transportation of Crude Oil, Flammable MaterialsReleases new data on Bakken crude oil to support increased safety measures
The NPRM proposes enhanced tank car standards, a classification and testing program for mined gases and liquids and new operational requirements for high-hazard flammable trains (HHFT) that include braking controls and speed restrictions. Specifically, within two years, it proposes the phase out of the use of older DOT 111 tank cars for the shipment of packing group I flammable liquids, including most Bakken crude oil, unless the tank cars are retrofitted to comply with new tank car design standards. The ANPRM seeks further information on expanding comprehensive oil spill response planning requirements for shipments of flammable materials. Both the NPRM and ANPRM are available for review here and will be open for 60 days of public comment. Given the urgency of the safety issues addressed in these proposals, PHMSA does not intend to extend the comment period.
“Safety is our top priority, which is why I’ve worked aggressively to improve the safe transport of crude oil and other hazardous materials since my first week in office,” said Secretary Foxx. “While we have made unprecedented progress through voluntary agreements and emergency orders, today’s proposal represents our most significant progress yet in developing and enforcing new rules to ensure that all flammable liquids, including Bakken crude and ethanol, are transported safely.”
Today’s NPRM is based on an ANPRM published by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) last September, and reflects feedback from more than 152,000 commenters. Specifically, PHMSA will seek comment on the following provisions:
Defining the term “high-hazard flammable train” (HHFT).
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Rail routing risk assessment.
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Enhanced standards for both new and existing tank cars.
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In addition to issuing the NPRM and ANPRM, PHMSA concurrently released a report summarizing the analysis of Bakken crude oil data gathered by PHMSA and FRA between August 2013 and May 2014. The data show that crude oil from the Bakken region in North Dakota tends to be more volatile and flammable than other crude oils. Collected as part of
Operation Classification (OSD), a joint PHMSA and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) effort, the data were initially gathered to verify that crude oil was being properly classified in accordance with federal regulations, and evolved to include more robust testing to better understand the characteristics of the product.
The safety risk presented by transporting Bakken crude oil by rail is magnified both by an increasing volume of Bakken being shipped by throughout the U.S. and the large distances over which the product is shipped. In 2008, 9,500 rail-carloads of crude moved through our country compared to last year, when there were 415,000 rail-carloads. Moreover, on average Bakken crude oil shipments travel over 1,000 miles from point of origin to refineries on the coasts.
PHMSA and FRA plan to continue the sampling and analysis activities of Operation Safe Delivery through the summer and fall of 2014working with the regulated community to ensure the safe transportation of crude oil across the nation.
The new, comprehensive rulemaking will open for public comment once published in the Federal Register at www.regulations.gov, and I urge you to read it and provide your feedback.
###
Other Railway Press
www.railway-technlology.com.
Crossrail manufactures final concrete segment for eastern twin tunnels
Crossrail has manufactured the last of its 250,000 concrete segments, which will be used to line the 12km-long eastern twin tunnels connecting east London and Farringdon.
Alstom and Eversholt Rail agree to extend DC motor work
French train maker Alstom and UK-based rolling stock operator Eversholt Rail Group have agreed to extend a TM2141 DC motor contract by an additional two years.
RAD to equip Sao Paulo Monorail route with communication systems
Israel-based communications provider RAD is to offer a wireless communications solution for the São Paulo Monorail project in Brazil.
Abellio Greater Anglia unveils new rail services between Cambridge and Stansted
UK train operator Abellio Greater Anglia (AGA) has unveiled new rail services between Cambridge and Stansted Airport, in a bid to offer better travelling options for passengers.
Network Rail pump £12.5m into Euston station in a bid to make it 'bigger, and brighter'
Brazil and China combine efforts and sign a five-year rail project memorandum
Alstom and South Africa join forces in a project which has been labelled 'the biggest in rail transport worldwide'
Top Ten: Innovations which are shaping the future of rail
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