The completion and sale of High Speed 1

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Posted on: 6 July 2012
By: mackene
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Filed under: News

The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee has published the findings of its inquiry into the completion and sale of the high speed rail link to the Channel Tunnel (HS1). The Committee concludes that while HS1 provides an efficient service, contributing in an important way to British transport infrastructure, there were costly mistakes in the history of the project, and adds that these must not be repeated with HS2. The Committee considers the root of the problem to have been the inaccurate and wildly optimistic forecasts for passenger numbers both when the line was being planned and when the Department restructured its  deal with the contractor. The Department failed to take into account the growth of low cost airlines or the competitive response of the ferry companies. The Committee expresses further concern that the Department for Transport does not have a full understanding of the wider economic impact and regeneration benefits of transport infrastructure, including HS1, to inform future investment decisions.

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