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This morning social media’s in a froth because of some crap journalism from the mainstream media, including the BBC. It seems they’ve finally caught up with some old news that on the 20th July the Infrastructure and Projects Authority published its annual report into progress on major government schemes and infrastructure projects – like HS2. The media’s making great play of the fact HS2’s currently rated RED and the fact this includes the word ‘unachievable’ – leaving a lot of people horribly misinformed and thinking HS2 can’t/won’t be built.
It’s worth noting that (contrary to impressions given by the media reports) this is not an investigation into HS2. It’s the IPA’s annual report and HS2 is only mentioned in passing. There’s no discussion of HS2 in the main body of the report – only in the traffic light ratings.
The IPA uses a colour-coded system to gauge how scheme are doing progress wise, they go from green to red. The ‘red’ rating is described thus;
Note the caveats. ‘appears’ – ‘at this stage’ – ‘do not appear’ – ‘may need’, absolutist this is not. Of course, you’re not going to get the lazy journalists at the Beeb or other media outlets to explain all this – or the fact many projects that have been given red ratings from time to time go on to be completed successfully. Here’s another project mentioned in the same report. Crossrail!
Yep, Crossrail was also rated as unachievable at one time! Would anyone dare argue it’s unachievable now? No. Despite difficulties in delivery the project’s been a roaring success and already exceeded expectations.
There’s another rail project that was rated Red at one time too – the Intercity Express Programme (IEP) which was the design, build and delivery of the new Hitachi train fleets known as the Class 800-802 (or ‘Azuma’ if you’re on LNER). Here’s this from page 24 of their 2018 annual report.
The irony? The first IEP went into service in 2017! These trains are now in nationwide service and have been for over 6 years years on the East Coast Main Line, Great Western Main Line and Trans-Pennine express routes across the Pennines and to Scotland. More have been built for Hull Trains, Lumo and now East Midlands Railway and Avanti West Coast. So much for ‘unachievable’.
Oh, I could mention that the Royal Navy’s two Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers were also rated ‘unachievable’ too! Here’s page 21 of the 2017 report listing red ratings in 2013-2014.
HMS ‘Unachievable’ and HMS ‘Red Rating’ at sea…By Petty Officer Photographer Jay Allen – https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-latest-activity/news/2021/may/20/210520-carriers-at-sea-and-strike-warrior, OGL 3, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=105562576
Admittedly, there’s still problems with them, but now they’re delivered and afloat they’re off the IPAs ratings. The point is, these ratings are a guide, not gospel. Nor is the Infrastructure and Projects Authority there to cancel projects. Its remit is to aid successful delivery.
Sadly, the mainstream media won’t give you this analysis and background. Partly through laziness but also because there’s very few specialised journalists worth their salt anymore who know the background on these things. Which means the public is more misinformed than informed. Let’s face it. what did any of you actually learn from the media reports in the way of perspective – until I blogged this?
There’s a reason why HS2 is getting these red ratings – and it’s nothing to do with the actual construction of HS2 – which is going well. It’s due to the Governments meddling, dither and constantly changing their minds that’s increasing costs, causing delays and altering the scope of the project leading to uncertainties. But the mainstream media don’t mention that either.
Lord Reith must be spinning in his grave…
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Well said, Paul. This sort of reporting makes me wonder why I have retained my membership of the National Uni
I wonder if the other 20 or so projects with a red rating will get similar media coverage?
I think we know the answer to that one! HS2 gets the flack as quite a few members of the media happen to live on the route…
I’m here from Twitter, and am glad to come across your page as a result of our brief exchange. I can’t claim to be a rail professional but I am pro (HS)-rail, and am a comms professional. “Lazy journalism” is a global issue which touches all of us, and while it’s always been there, it’s worse today because “thanks” to Google and Facebook people are no longer ready to pay for their news as they were in the 90s. Journos are expected to file stories under huge time pressure and research is discouraged because there’s no money to pay for it. In this situation, corporate and public bodies with a high profile need to have professionals who get ahead of the news cycle and help to either stop nonsense getting out there or move quickly to correct it. In this case, it’s ridiculous that I have to learn from you (although thank you for it) what the IPA is and why the thrust of the articles is nonsense. *This should have been done by a comms team at HS2!* As it happens I’m starting on a project to help a foreign track authority avoid the mistakes of HS2 (from a public/political comms POV rather than technical) and its becoming obvious as I get up to speed that there has been an information vacuum left by the HS2 side from the start, and in the modern world, vacuums get filled very quickly with nonsense and disinformation. This particular incident is a great example which I’m going to show my client today!
I’ll b very happy to follow your page for more on HS2, (and will whitelist it), and thanks for putting me right on the facts around this, and indeed what the IPA is (I’d never heard of it, so I expect 99% of the readers hadn’t either)
‘Unachievable’ touched a bit of a nerve I think!, although pretty much anything is achievable if you chuck enough time and money at it – certainly HS2 are trying their best to prove that by spending loads and taking forever….there’s a good piece in the Times today on the subject from William Hague.
James. The only nerves touched I can see are those of the Anti’s, as your comment proves. This Red Rating thing is as usual the Anti’s grasping at straws, yet another false dawn for their narrative. Big engineering costs money and takes time, the failure to understand that is the most telling point in your comment.
Absolutely, especially if it’s badly thought out, designed and managed. Jeremy Clarkson has an excellent article in The Sunday Times today making much the same point better than I ever could…
James. Wow, Jeremy Clarkson and the Sunday Times, is that really the best you have to offer?? Confirmation bias mixed up with some classic John Paul Crossley vain word play. But all it really does is showcase why the STOP HS2 narrative fails time after time, badly thought out regurgitated hyperbole and mythology that it is.