21.06.13
Consultants for Thameslink cost £8m
Delays over the Thameslink contract to Siemens has cost £8m in consultancy fees, RMT has found.
The union obtained the figure through a question to transport minister Simon Burns from
RMT Parliamentary Group member and Derby MP Chris Williamson.
Williamson stated: “To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what estimate he has made of additional costs to the public purse arising from the fact that financial close for the Thameslink rolling stock contract was not reached by the scheduled date of spring 2010.”
The costs included over £5m from adviser Freshfields, £1.7m from PwC and £0.8m from consultancy Arup.
RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: “The scandal of the Thameslink stitch up continues with the Government now forced to admit that their betrayal of UK train building has been financed by the British taxpayer to the tune of £8m in largesse to the architects of this debacle. That is a national disgrace and those responsible should be hauled to account.
“RMT’s fight to save train building in the nation that gave the railways to the world goes on against this background of industrial vandalism, ministerial incompetence and EU interference. There must be no repeat over the Crossrail fleet contract.”
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