That is a very good summation of this month's Informed Sources that Roger Ford sends out!
Having given Sir Roy McNulty^s Rail Value for Money Study the classic Informed Sources ^tables ^ charts^ treatment in the February column, based on the Interim report, this month I look ahead to the what, how and when of implementation.
Despite a daunting list of 11 barriers to efficiency, plus an analysis of the ^many and complex^ causes of rail^s ^excessively high^ costs, Sir Roy is optimistic. He declares: ^The Study does not see this set of barriers as a cause for despair. On the contrary, given that the issues are already fairly widely recognised, it believes that the barriers can be overcome with strong leadership and with concerted efforts from all concerned^.
Talking to a wide range of senior sources, it is clear that the railway industry, while applauding the analysis of the problem, is not always convinced by the solutions proposed. However, Informed Sources close to the Study point out that its real purpose is to get the industry committed to change.
At the first meeting of the new Railway Delivery Group (RDG‡), Chairman Tim O^Toole reportedly urged members to rise above cynicism. That the call was considered necessary, and at least one Chief Executive is alleged to have succumbed, pretty well sums up the industry reaction.
Central to Sir Roy^s vision is abandoning the current contractual relationships. There is a lot of stuff about working together for the common good and the introduction of partnerships.
So, tough on fragmentation and tough on the causes of fragmentation. And there^s heavy emphasis on the need for the various parts of the fragmented railway to work more closely if the 30% efficiency gap is to be closed by 2019. ^We^re all in it together^ was a recurring phrase at the press conference to launch the report.
Yet, contrarily, other than calling for various approaches to vertical integration to be tried, the Report seems content to leave the railway fragmented. So top level leadership, in the form of the RDG will be needed to direct the ^substantial programme of change^, focused on cost reduction, culture change and a ^more-integrated whole-system approach^.
Er, why not start to recreate a ^whole system^? As my old chum George Muir has pointed out, we can be certain that in the European state railways against which Sir Roy has benchmarked GB▸ Rail efficiency does not come from ^a thicket of strategy documents and cross-industry bodies^.
I^m particularly interested in Sir Roy^s proposed ^small, independent Change Team^, which will be responsible for ^planning, coordination, monitoring and reviewing implementation of a programme across all elements of industry of a complex series of actions^. The Team should be set up by DfT» but be ^independent from industry and Government at the beginning^ so that it can pursue the reform agenda freely and impartially^.
I can think of several chums who would be up for this ^inefficiency inquisition^.
Included to explain my comment.
If someone wants to start a specific
HS2▸ thread thaty phile mentions above, I've got something to add to that comment of his....
