Confirmed - IEP twice as expensive as Pendolino

Readers may have thought Eye's latest survey on IEP diagrammed vehicle costs was a little tongue in cheek.

Sadly not, according to the latest issue of Rail Business Intelligence (No 425, 1st November 2012).

Under the headline "IEP will cost twice as much as a Pendolino" it reports:

"Before the lengthening programme and delivery of the four new trains, Alstom was covering 48 Pendolino diagrams from 52 sets. On this basis the cost per diagrammed vehicle per month was £37,000.

"Based on the total cost in the written answer (Earl Attlee on 15th October) IEP will cost twice as much per diagrammed vehicle as the Class 390."

A table in the article gave the cost per diagrammed IEP vehicle per month as £74,500.

'You cannot be serious!' indeed.