A tale of two Crossrail schemes: Edinburgh and London

Two capital cities and two cross-city rail projects. George Muir considers the challenges facing them

George Muir was director general of the Association of Train Operating Companies between 1999 and 2008. Before that he was a director of Morgan Grenfell and a financial advisor to the privatisation of the UK electricity industry and to many oil and gas companies.

In Edinburgh, we now have a sparkling new tram sitting in the middle of Princes Street. It looks very pretty but it is not going anywhere as this shambolic project limps on through delays and cost overruns. At heart it is a good scheme, at least the airport to Leith section is, but the ingredients for the shambles were all there at the beginning. A wildly exaggerated “vision”, a parliament in denial, approving the scheme but washing its hands of cost overruns and, most dangerous of...

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