Surely that's the point? This sounds like
DfT» 's in-house gadflies, who ask "why is it being done that way so it takes so long?" and, being told "because that's how railway work is done" suggest alternatives used elsewhere. But can that be done from a perch in DfT? Most work is already being done by the big civils contractors for Network Rail, and part of the reason for that is that they can do this cross-fertilisation. So it looks more like a combination of ministers thinking their department ought to project manage
NR» 's project managers managing outside contractors' project managers, and Dominic wanting to replace "useless" civil servants with outsiders.