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Network Rail boss 'needs Crossrail like a hole in the head', report claims
Paul Waugh, Deputy Political Editor02.03.09
Britain's most senior rail chief has suggested he needs London's £16 billion Crossrail project "like a hole in the head", a secret report has claimed
Network Rail chairman Sir Ian McAllister says the building works for the capital's new east-west rail line will disrupt services for other national lines.
But he immediately came under fire today for advocating a "Basil Fawlty school of customer relations" where providing more trains for passengers was seen as an inconvenience to those who run the network.
Sir Ian's remarks were laid bare in a new report, obtained by the Evening Standard, on the systemic weaknesses in state-owned National Rail.
Crossrail, which will directly link Heathrow to the City and Canary Wharf, finally won approval from the Government last year after more than 25 years of delay and deliberation. The scheme is seen as vital by London's businesses in maintaining the capital's global competitive edge and in boosting services for commuters.
However, the study by consultants PriceWaterhouseCoopers, claims that Sir Ian is deeply sceptical about the Crossrail project and its impact on his other national services linking major cities to London. One unnamed senior figure told the report's authors "the chairman told me that he needs Crossrail like a hole in the head".
It also shows that the Office of the Rail Regulator believes that Network Rail is "overly focused" on meeting government targets.
"Network Rail is considered to be too risk averse and too focused on operations rather than capital projects. This approach is believed to be holding back the development of the railway infrastructure," the report states.
"As an example of this, a comment was made that Network Rail is unsupportive of the Crossrail project because of increased risk of delays and disruption to the network during its construction."
Michael Stephenson, a former Downing Street adviser leading the campaign to radically change Network Rail to give more power to passengers, said that it proved the organisation was woefully out of touch with the public.
Mr Stephenson, general secretary of the Co-operative Party which sponsors several Labour ministers, said: "The evidence compiled by PWC for this report, including this astonishing aversion to Crossrail, reveals an organisation imbued with the Basil Fawlty school of customer relations - 'this rail system would run much better if it wasn't for the passengers'."
Network Rail's £20billion debts are guaranteed by the taxpayer.
It was created after the Government nationalised Railtrack, but critics claim it lacks public accountability.
The report found that the rail operator packs its board with second-rate non-executive directors.
Network Rail's head of public affairs, Stuart Vernon, warned members sent copies of the secret report that it was "confidential" and its contents should not be released.
The report also found that severe disruptions in the West Coast mainline last year were seen as a "trivial" matter by the organisation.
A spokesman for Network Rail said that the "hole in the head" quotation was not something Sir Ian had ever said or held as a view.
He said: "The unnamed figure referred to represents neither the views of Network Rail nor its chairman. Network Rail is fully committed to the vital Crossrail project and is making a £2.3bn investment in upgrading our network around the capital to deliver it.”
Reader views (7)
Will we ever learn. Why should so much of our transport resources be put into a project to connect worthless bankers in Canary Wharf to Heathrow. City Airport has existing connections across Europe and that is what it is designed for. No more public money for bank operations please.
- Jack Spratt, Richmond, England
If it deprives National Rail of customers,it may give them an aim to clean up and be more efficent
- H.J.Jones, London UK
Sir Ian does have one point - Crossrail is a TfL project, and NR and TfL have an iffy relationship since TfL nearly dropped a bridge on the NR Great Eastern Main Line the other year. For Crossrail, NR get the disruption and TfL get the benefit, so he's probably just being honest, if inadvisably so.
As for making Network Rail accountable to passengers, the structure set up by the Tories and supported by Labour explicitly prevents NR from getting anywhere near a contract with a passenger (why is it that the only rail company in the world which can't run passenger trains is Network Rail?), so it's not surprising they are more concerned with relations with the DfT and the train operators who between them fund the company.
To reverse this you would need to allow NR to run passenger trains. We could then call it 'British Rail', or something. Just a wild, unworkable idea, I know.
- Tom, London, UK
I agree they should sort out what they have first. Especially central London grinds down way too often and adding on more fringe lines is not going to work!
- Phil, Islington, London
I do sometimes wonder why some of the rail projects take place; they often say it is done to improve journey times however we have to suffer literally years of long delays to knock a few minutes off of the journey time and on some occasion they then stop the trains you used to get so that your journey time gets longer.
- Mike Melbourne, Bedford England
Our rail network will never be developed if those in charge of it are so committed to the avoidance of temporary disruption. They need to concentrate more on reducing the constant daily disruptions travellers get from unwarranted cancellations, late running etc. That would restore confidence a bit. Most travellers would then put up with temporary disruption if they could see improvements on the way and management with some foresight.
- James Elliott, Eastbourne UK
No problem: we'll build the tunnel through his head. Should be nice and clear.
- Neil M., london uk,
