IEP - Money down the drain

Telegrammed by Ithuriel
According to this written answer from Chris Mole MP on March 24

From 2005 to October 2009, the Department for Transport has spent £21 million on the Intercity Express Programme. This resource has included financial, procurement, programme management, technical, legal, industry, business case and other specialist advice required to ensure the successful delivery of a project of the scale of the Intercity Express Programme. This figure should be considered in the context of the Intercity Express Programme contract value of £7.5 billion.

Now, since the preferred bidder Agility Trains is struggling to raise £500 million in funding to get the project off the ground...

And since this will only buy around 170 vehicles...

And since DfT Rail is still talking about starting on the East Coast Main Line...

And since this would mean replacing the IC225 fleet prematurely and result in a substantially higher train leasing cost...

And since Great Western Electrification is still at an early stage and is unlikely to be completed before 2017...

And since the cautious civil servants at DfT Rail who aren't 'cranks' are discussing with the ROSCOs life extension of IC125 to 2035...

That £21 million is a scandalous waste of money and the project should be cancelled forthwith!

And before putting his name to answers like this Moley should ask for a breakdown of where that spurious £7.5 billion figure comes from.