'Rock-solid' case to award Bombardier £1.4bn trains deal
A UNION leader has said the case for awarding city train-maker Bombardier the £1.4 billion Thameslink contract "remains rock-solid".
Bob Crow, general secretary of the RMT union, made his comments as he reacted to a Public Accounts Committee report yesterday.
It said the Department for Transport's handling of the West Coast Main Line franchise deal would cost taxpayers "£50 million at the very least". Last year, Transport Secretary and MP for Derbyshire Dales Patrick McLoughlin scrapped the deal after flaws were found in how bids were evaluated.
Mr Crow said West Coast and the decision in 2011 to award Thameslink to German manufacturer Siemens showed it could "not be trusted". He said: "The stench from the fallout of the West Coast franchise continues to hang over Britain's transport industry."
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He added: "No wonder the Thameslink/Siemens fleet contract remains unsigned nearly two years on. The case for the work to go to Derby and not Germany remains rock-solid."
A department spokesman said steps were taken to ensure no repeat of the West Coast failure.
Comments
by dianae
Wednesday, February 27 2013, 4:51PM
“"no repeat of the West Coast failure" - Thameslink predated West Coast so good to hear that the civil servants are either going to be trained in how to do their job or the job given to other people who can do the job but that doesn't help Bombardier shake off the false image (repeated by local MP and Transport Secretary) that it is a lame duck company”