The headline makes it sound like they have engineering challenges that can’t be overcome when actually the classification in this report tells us nothing new.
Here is a link to the report that they are referencing:
It summarizes about 150 projects in about 30 pages, so there is no specific rationale or analysis given for why each project receives the rating that they give it.
The description of the colour ratings says:
Annex A: Explanation of DCA colour ratings
The DCA is an evaluation from the IPA or the SRO of a project’s likelihood of achieving its aims and objectives, and doing so on time and on budget
…
Red: Successful delivery of the project appears to be unachievable. There are major issues with project definition, schedule, budget, quality and/or benefits delivery, which at this stage do not appear to be manageable or resolvable. The project may need re-scoping and/or its overall viability reassessed.
The HS2 projects are already over-budget (as stated in the article), so it is clear that the likelihood of achieving them on budget is zero, which makes a
Redrating inevitable, and not particularly newsworthy.I try not to be all doom and gloom, but this is the exact sort and scale of project the UK needs to be successfully completing to combat climate change. The fact we can’t is legitimately terrifying.
Stuff like this just makes me wonder what’s the point of working and contributing to the country.
Things like this and funding the NHS are what people need, yet apparently it can’t be done.
How can every single thing that benefits regular people be too expensive, what else is there to spend money on??
There’s growing evidence that the opposite may be true:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/feb/02/will-hs2-really-help-cut-the-uks-carbon-footprint
That’s not exactly the case, your second link even states that HS2 would offset (via modal shift) more carbon than it emits during construction.
That ofcourse isn’t to say we should hand wave it away, construction is one of the worst industries when it comes to pollution. But, the problem is we will need to build things, because the structure of society needs to change to stop being so carbon dependant. If we do nothing, then we still have all the structural problems which caused the problem in the first place.
HS2 stops, some, people having to drive. Longer term, it would also help to move business concentration away from the south east. Decentralisation across the entire UK would mean that a lot more things are a lot more local to a lot more people. HS2 doesn’t do that alone, but HS2-type projects (my original comment) absolutely do.
Even if you support degrowth as a method, that still requires substantial change, which in turn means construction.
There is no way the government pull the plug at this stage. The only course is to shake that magic money tree and get it done at any cost. As usual.
To get things back on track (heh, on track, see what I did there?), I anticipate some especially juicy contracts going to newly forged ‘construction’ companies set up by Tory donors.
That’s the problem with estimating the cost of these projects, they never really take into account all the corruption and backhanders.
Jaysus H Christ. Can we not build any new infrastructure?
With a government that literally could not organise a piss up in a brewery, the answer has to be no. They are just grifters conning the country out of money for themselves and anyone who will support them. Nothing else has any importance. The covid inquiry outcome will be very telling just how little these scumbags actually wanted to help the people they serve.
People make real money on government contracking and it is a good place for corruption where state actors and private sector fleece tax payers. Boomers are getting extra greedy tho, back in the day at least they delivered something, half the to now project isn’t even delivered or delivered without poor condition or not fit for the use case.
Boomers ?? seriously you want to start a culture to defend this shitty government. Get over yourself you moron.
Just exposing pervasive culture of corruption the boomer generatetion shares.
Every time I see shady dealing, there are a few boomers making good money on it as they control most of the negotiation and leadership roles in government and private sector. They collude in their deals via this “culture”
It has always happened but the cut this generation is taking is border line highway robbery. It is getting our of hand.
I apologize my analysis triggered you but without calling spadr a spade we can’t really move forward since at this point political process is captured and we have a massive social issue on our hands that requires a cultural change.
The buses don’t go where you come from my friend. You are a prime reason why we need a better education system in the UK. Go back home the village is missing their idiot.
You appear to be hurt by another person having a different opinion from you online…
Got to learn to cope better ;)
I love a different opinion. Different opinions are what make you consider your own choices better.
I dislike idiotic generalisations with no foundations either in facts or substance. Your problem is not with people who got more than you, your problem is with the people who made life shit for the lower paid in this country. What people got prior to 2010 is what we all should still be getting now. The only reason you are not getting a good deal is because of choice of government over the last 14 years.
Rather than sounding off stupidly without any credible argument try voting for what you want from government, Join a union and be proactive by writing to your MP. Blaming someone else for your own issues will never solve them. This is something that you need to make an effort with.
