Weekly round-up - 29 June 2015

Rail passengers' unhappiness increasing, high five world record, Green Bank to go private and major new canal for France and Belgium.

Jackie Whitelaw
28 June 2015

Twitter FacebookLinkedIn

Print

1. More bad news for Network Rail. Results of the latest National National Rail Passenger Survey revealed overall satisfaction with trains services has dropped. The latest results show poor performance, particularly in south east England which has led to another drop in overall satisfaction at 80%: down from 82% for the same period last year. Other key results include: satisfaction with punctuality down to 75% (from 77% in 2014) – this figure dropped to 65% for commuters; and value for money ratings remained below the half-way mark, at 45%.

2. National Women in Engineering Day last week saw the setting of a new Guiness World Record intended to celebrate the achievements of femal engineers.  Some 864 men and women joined Transport for London Commissioner (now Network Rail chairman) Sir Peter Hendy on Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall breaking the Guiness World Records title for the most people performing a jumping high five simultaneously. The existing title stood at 150 pairs and was beaten by achieving a massive 432 pairs. as adjudicated by an official judge from Guinness World Records. The successful record attempt was supported by Siemens and TfL.

3. Over 30 professional bodies from around the world, including RICS, met last week at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington D.C. to launch a major initiative which seeks to create international standards in construction measurement. The International Construction Measurement Standards (ICMS) Coalition was established by non-profit organisations representing professionals in more than 140 countries. Collectively, the group aims to create overarching international standards that will harmonise cost, classification and measurement definitions in order to enhance comparability, consistency and benchmarking of capital projects.

4. Business Secretary, Sajid Javid has said that the government is to proceed with plans to bring private capital into the Green Investment Bank and start to move the bank into private ownership. The intention to bring in private capital was first announced at Autumn Statement in 2013. “The bank will still be green, still be profitable, still be a market-leader in financing environmentally sound infrastructure. But free from limitations on where it can borrow money and EU regulations on state aid, the bank will be able to access a much greater volume of capital,” he said. Since its inception in 2012, GIB has committed £2bn helped to finance 50 green infrastructure projects. 

5. According to a new poll of Londoners, business leaders and councillors in the capital, London’s infrastructure lags far behind expectations for a world city. According to new thought leadership panel London Tomorrow, this could be affecting the capital’s international competitiveness. The new research by ComRes for London Chamber of Commerce and Industry lists housing, transport and digital connectivity as the top three areas thought to be furthest behind expectations across all three audiences, with businesses also particularly negative about airport capacity. The research from London Tomorrow, a thought leadership panel organised by London Chamber of Commerce and Industry in association with EY London and supported by London City Airport, looked at the infrastructure investment needed in the capital and how this could be funded and delivered.

6. Engineering and consulting firms setec and Royal HaskoningDHV have been selected by VNF – the French navigable waterways authority – to jointly provide programme management assistance over 12 years for a canal link extending from France to Belgium. The vast new Canal Seine-Nord Europe will connect the basin of the Seine near Paris, to the Scheldt, near Lille, giving access to Belgian and Dutch inland waterways networks. The canal will be 107km long, 54m wide, 4.5m deep and include six locks, three channel bridges, new infrastructure and 55 million cubic metres of dry earth works. Work is scheduled to begin in June 2015 for an opening in 2025.

7. RenewableUK has published a new document which makes a case to Government to continue its support for offshore wind. “Our Offshore Energy Future – Actions for Growth” report highlights a series of key achievements. The industry has reduced costs by 11% in the last 5 years and is on target to drive costs down to £100 per megawatt hour by 2020. Offshore wind is set to be cost-competitive with new nuclear by the mid-2020s. The industry has committed to ensuring that at least 50% of the content of offshore wind farms is made in the UK. 13,000 people depend on the sector for their livelihoods. At least 4.7 gigawatts (GW) will be added over the next 5 years, representing investment of £16-20 billion. However, the document also warns that the UK’s offshore wind industry will be unable to reach its full potential without supportive Government policies.

8. A preliminary deal to remove the 26 different EU national standards currently faced by rail operators and manufacturers in Europe was reached by MEPs and the Latvian Presidency of the Council of Ministers last week. The agreement brings the prospect of a European Railway Area a step closer to becoming a reality. This deal, on the “technical pillar” of the 4th railway package will cut the time and cost involved in certifying that operators, locomotives and carriages meet safety and technical standards.

9. New president of the The Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation for 2015/16 is Dr Susan Sharland. Her theme for the year is ‘Intelligent Transport in a Connected World’ looking at the opportunity to improve transport and mobility with technology and innovation.