Thameslink Programme inquiry
Closed
What the inquiry looked at
“The Thameslink Programme is a major project to extend Thameslink Rail services to 100 new stations and increase capacity on trains into central London, as well as updating rolling stock. The programme, sponsored by the Department for Transport, is worth £7 billion. It includes infrastructure works in central London managed by Network Rail, and acquiring 115 new trains. A recent report from the National Audit Office found that Network Rail had remained within its current infrastructure budget and introduced measures to better monitor the project’s finances. However, acquiring the new trains is behind schedule, and the UK’s wider rail network cannot yet support the new Thameslink services reliably. For example, between July 2015 and March 2017 13% of all cancellations and delays over 30 minutes have been due to track or signalling failures. As a result, the Department for Transport has elected to introduce services more slowly, with full rollout in December 2019, a year later than planned. The Public Accounts Committee will take evidence from the Department for Transport and Network Rail to ask about the Programme’s progress and how problems with the rail network can be addressed. The Committee will also seek assurances that the programme can be delivered without further delays, and avoiding cost increases.”
The committee's words, from the inquiry page on parliament.uk ↗.
What it found
The Thameslink Programme is a highly complex investment in infrastructure, trains and new services for passengers. The delivery of the programme has progressed well since we examined it in 2013, but there are still substantial challenges that will need to be carefully managed to ensure that the programme as a whole is delivered successfully.
The Department for Transport (the Department) has now announced that it is delaying the full introduction of the new services by a year, to December 2019, to reduce the risks of disruption to passengers. The Department and Network Rail must ensure that the Thameslink programme does not suffer from further delays. The Department and Network Rail have been slow to appreciate the importance of early planning for how the new services will operate, and how they will organise the rail industry to do this.
The discovery that another £900 million of maintenance work is necessary to deliver reliable Thameslink services also raises concerns about Network Rail’s understanding of the performance and condition of the network. Whilst we acknowledge that the programme has progressed, this is yet another example of a rail project which has been delayed and will cost the taxpayer more than originally expected.
What the government said
No government response is linked to this report.
How the inquiry ran
Each dot is a dated item listed on this page, from the inquiry's opening on 3 November 2017 to 23 February 2018.
- Oral evidence 6 Dec 2017
- Report 23 Feb 2018
What it recommended
The committee's recommendations are not listed here yet. Read them in 20th Report - Update on the Thameslink Programme ↗ on parliament.uk.
Evidence
Oral evidence sessions 1
- 6 Dec 2017No witnesses recordedparliament.uk ↗