GENERAL ELEctioN
P
aul Clifton
Eastleigh works as it looks today – a small part
of the engineering facility has re-opened to do
train refurbishments. it was first opened by the
London and south Western Railway in 1891 to
build carriages and wagons.
Last time around, transport barely featured
pARty
in election campaigning. Both Tories and
Labour had more to lose than to gain from
it as an issue. The Tories were still seen as
the party that created Railtrack. Labour had
presided over an era in which performance
declined as spending increased.
P lANNiNg
The Conservative manifesto contained a
paltry six sentences on transport, the longest
of which was about speed cameras. It was not
an illuminating shop window.
Five years ago I looked at the Hampshire
Five months from now we can expect a new government to take
town of Eastleigh as a barometer. It owed
its existence to a railway works that once
charge of transport. What difference will it make? As the parties
employed 5,000 people. The works were
then in the last throes of decline, ignored by
work on their manifestos, Paul Clifton looks at what they might offer Siemens, which preferred an all-new facility to
maintain its South West Trains Desiro fleet.
Siemens’ new shed, a few miles down the
O
n rail policy, the differences colour of the next government, it will face track at Northam, deliberately did not recruit
between the three main parties severe budget constraints. a single fitter from the old works. It was all
are small. Of course they would all Labour has the advantage of a transport about culture change.
disagree with that assertion. But look at the secretary who has, by common consent, the The last 500 workers closed the doors
facts. firmest grasp of his brief of the many rail behind them as they left. They had specialised
They all support the concept of a new high- ministers of the last decade. His plans for in heavy maintenance of slam door trains,
speed line. They all support a programme of electrification, his work on High Speed Two and and the vehicles they tended were all going to
electrification. Two of the three publicly favour the steady drive to improve daily performance the scrapheap. Beside the railway sheds, the
longer passenger franchises and the third is have been set up to survive the election and a once-tiny Southampton Airport was booming.
coming round to the idea. And whatever the possible change of administration. Five years on, it carries record numbers of
26 RAiL pRofEssioNAL : JANUARY 2010
RPJan10 pp26-27 Election Thoughts.indd 26 10/12/09 15:28:31
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