Select Committee on Public Accounts Thirty-Eighth Report


Conclusions and recommendations


1.  In bidding for the project in 1996, LCR forecast that passenger numbers using Eurostar would reach 21.4 million in 2004 but actual passenger numbers for 2004 were only 7.3 million. Where future income from passengers is expected to provide a major element of the revenue needed to repay the cost of constructing transport infrastructure, it is crucial that realistic forecasts are prepared from the start. Downside risks need to be given due weight, drawing on both UK and international experience, in considering future projects.

2.  The economic case for the Link remains marginal. On passenger traffic alone the Link is not justified, so regeneration benefits are required to make the project value for money. The Department's assessment of regeneration benefits of the Link should be rigorous, and should separate out clearly those attributable to other major infrastructure projects close to the Link, including in due course the impact of the 2012 Olympics.

3.  The initial aim was to transfer a high level of commercial risk to a private sector consortium, which did not however have the financial strength or equity capital to sustain that risk if things went wrong. As risks materialised, the Department had to provide more and more support, while trying to ensure that private sector disciplines were maintained. In considering such major projects in future, Departments need to satisfy themselves that there is reasonable consistency between the degree of risk transfer and the extent of investors' equity stake in the project.

4.  The Department thought the Cost Overrun Protection Programme, though expensive, was a way of maintaining private sector disciplines without extra direct support from the taxpayer. After Railtrack Group withdrew from the project in 2001, the arrangements made by the Department and LCR included placing layers of cost overrun risk with commercial insurers, as well as the project managers. The value for money of such complex arrangements is difficult to judge, and there would have been less need for them if the private sector had, from the outset, the necessary financial strength to carry the risk allocated to it.

5.  There remains uncertainty over the future call on the taxpayer. Even though the major construction risks have passed, under the terms of the restructured deal the taxpayer remains exposed to the financial consequences of Eurostar under-performing against forecast passenger volumes. The Department should actively manage the size and timing of LCR's call on the Access Charge Loan facility, so as not to weaken the incentive for LCR and Eurostar to maximise passenger revenues. Any future changes to the structure or ownership of LCR will need to protect the interests of the taxpayer.

6.  High levels of inflation on construction projects which drove up the costs of Section 2 of the Link will continue to be a problem for the South East. There are a number of further major infrastructure projects planned, for example, the Olympics, widening of the M25, Thameslink 2000 and the Thames Gateway, creating substantial additional demand for limited resources. The Treasury and Office of Government Commerce, together with public bodies planning major projects, should aim to schedule the construction phases of such projects so as to manage the risks to cost, time and quality from any unplanned surge in demand.


 
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