24 November 2006
The modernisation of the West Coast Main Line was put back on track successfully, thanks to the involvement of the Strategic Rail Authority and Network Rail, government auditors said this week.
But costs more than tripled to £8.6bn — and more investment will be needed as passengers are forecast to rise to 34 million a year by 2012.
The National Audit Office praised the intervention of the now defunct SRA. In 2001, the track upgrade, needed to allow new
high-speed trains to run between London, Manchester and Glasgow, was running behind schedule, while costs had increased sixfold.
At the start of 2002, the SRA was asked to step in. It developed a strategy to deliver trains running at 125mph along the route from 2004/05, greatly improving punctuality and passenger satisfaction. Auditor general Sir John Bourn praised the SRA and Network Rail's firm management.
'The weaknesses in the management of the project before 2002 should provide ample warning of the dangers of entering into a scheme on this scale without clear leadership,' he said.
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