Letters & comment

摘要

With all due respect, it is not a "skills gap" driving up costs of HS2 ("Skills gap driving HS2 costs sky high, says Lords", 26 March 2015, www.building.co.uk). The cause is the absence of a clearly defined project and an analytical estimate of total project cost that can be compared with similar schemes elsewhere. We are suffering from "project creep". Referring to projects elsewhere, overseas promoters are happy to quote estimated costs but extremely reluctant to disclose as-built costs; the structure of the UK construction market is justifably a concern but we can learn from Europe and those European companies such as Hochtief, BAM, Volker and Bouygues that have a presence here. From my personal perspective I have developed draft closed and degree courses covering "the economics of railway engineering construction" that are being taken up overseas but not, sadly, here in the UK.