Branson lives to fight another day

[David Johnson]

So the bidding process for the West Coast railway line has been scrapped by the new Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said the mistakes in evaluating the relative merits of the four bids received to run the route had been made by Department for Transport staff and the "fault lies wholly and squarely" with the department.

So the process is now back to square one and all the other bid processes for different rail lines have been suspended.

Apparently the Department for Transport staff had made a pig's ear of analysing the risk involved in the various bids which is largely what Branson suggested at the time when it was found that First Group had won. Branson states that he had said the same to Justine Greening at the start of the process.

Total cost of the process including compensation? ?40 million down the drain.

JUst shows how government departments whether they are under Labour or Tories have rings run round them by large multinationals when it comes to privatisation contracts like this.

If Branson had not brought a legal challenge, this pig's ear would have been handed over to First Group and the taxpayer would lose even more bloody money.

[Arginald Valleywater]

I take it you don't like Branson then? For the past 10 years I have used Virgin Rail and found their service spot on.

[David Johnson]

I would prefer to see the service re-nationalised but what Branson said about the awarding of the contract for the West Coast to First Group was spot on.

Personally I have had no problems travelling on Virgin Trains - a reliable service.

Justine Greening was obviously out of her depth based on the video clip here.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19395621

[william]

The government just dont know how to govern - the contract was awarded through a process that was riddled with holes.

Good luck to Richard as he is one of the few real business men left in this country.....

[Arginald Valleywater]

Well said William, at least he has the balls to take risks, a rare commodity these days.

[spider]

" Richard as he is one of the few real business men left in this country".

He lives in the British Virgin Islands doesn't he?

Or is that just for tax purposes?

[Arginald Valleywater]

I think he lives in Chelsea....

[spider]

Ah BVI is just where he's based for Tax purposes then.

[steveb]

I'm sure this happens a lot. We just don't find out.

Love him or hate him, I have to give Branson points for getting this out on the open and shut down now, rather than in several years time, hundreds of millions of pounds down the drain and with the trains in chaos.

?40m is a lot of money, but it's a fraction of what could've been lost.

[David Johnson]

I wonder who will blow the whistle with regard to all the billions of pounds worth of NHS contracts being awarded to private companies so far this year?

Maybe the bidding process and risk analysis was wonderful throughout?

Or not......