The Guardian hears that Bolt’s planning to leave a ‘loophole’, allowing TfL to cut back on upgrades rather than having to scrape together the cash – which is just marvellous for us. Boris is understandably also fuming after transport secretary Lord Adonis knocked back his request for government funding – even though the government imposed the system, and TfL says the original contracts say the PPP companies and their shareholders should raise the money.
It’s all the more galling when a report out today blames Adonis’s own department for “poor and inadequate” management of the Metronet contract, that cost taxpayers – wait for it – £400m. And while we’re on that magic number, TfL say Tube Lines have blown – wait for it – £400m on management fees because of the myriad contractors involved in the mess of companies seconded to do the work. The upshot of all this in-fighting, of course, is that we’re left stuffed into trains that aren’t fit for the 21st century. Cheers.
