Brunel just got on with the job of building railways

I almost had the tissues out when reading about Metro-West Project Co-ordinator James White’s difficulties in reinstating a half-hourly service between Bristol Temple Meads and Portishead, on track that is still there and a track bed that has been in use since Broad Gauge days ( RAIL 829).

He explains how difficult it is having the river on one side and a rock face on the other side of the line. Weren’t these here when Brunel built his railway and the suspension bridge high above the gorge?

Of course, Brunel didn’t have the disadvantage of Computer Aided Design and a string of consultants. Nor did he have GRIP 1 to 50, or the like! He just drew it in his book, got his navvies to build it, and then it worked fine for 150 years.

Brunel built the entire line from Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads in less time than Network Rail will have taken to reinstate suburban trains on a short line that still exists. If anyone in senior management of Network Rail had any pride in the job they would be ashamed of this long-running saga.

And now that Network Rail has increased the cost estimate to £175 million it will probably cost more than the London to Bristol main line as well, especially by the time they actually complete the job!

I had hoped that these kinds of stories would end once Sir Peter Hendy took over the chairmanship of Network Rail, but sadly the fiasco of non-electrification to Bristol and the tripling of costs suggests that nothing has changed.

Hard to believe that we once led the world in railway engineering!