The Railway Metropolis: How planners, politicians and developers shaped modern London
Michael Schabas, Senior rail advisor to Metrolinx, London
Michael Schabas will speak on his book “The Railway Metropolis – How Planners Politicians and Developers Shaped Modern London”, drawing lessons from London and his work railway megaproject in other cities.
* MICHAEL SCHABAS has more than 35 years experience in development and operation of rail transport systems. He has a reputation for devising innovative but practical solutions and helping to implement them. He brings a detailed understanding of project finance and Private-Public-Partnerships (PPPs). He has worked in more than 20 countries, for train operators, developers, funders, manufacturers, and government agencies. He has played leading roles shaping light rail, rapid transit, freight rail and high speed rail projects in Vancouver, Toronto, and London, and has been a Board Director of train and bus companies in Britain, Norway, Germany, and Australia. He is the author of The Railway Metropolis: How Planners Politicians and Developers Shaped Modern London, published by the Institution of Civil Engineers Press in 2016. Mr Schabas has a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Toronto and a Masters Degree from the Harvard Kennedy School.
All are welcome and participation is free. People wishing to attend are required to reserve a place through Eventbrite:
Further details about the OMEGA Seminar Programme for 2019-20 can be found on the OMEGA Centre’s Website – Seminar Series 2019-20. For enquiries and to join the mailing list, please contact Helen Chen (sizhe.chen@ucl.ac.uk).
Date: 23rd October 2019
Time: 5.00pm
Venue: Room LG06 Central House
14 Upper Woburn Place, London WC1H 0NN
Directions: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/maps/
All are welcome and participation is free. People wishing to attend are required to reserve a place through Eventbrite
Summary of the Talk
His presentation showed how three major projects in London have seen mixed experiences in planning and development due to various factors requiring project changes in design and operation – physical planning, technical complexities, costs/funding, new external events, and political considerations.
The Docklands Light Railway was originally intended to be a surface line with simple layout, built quickly to a low specification. New developments such as Canary Wharf, Beckton Extension, redesign of West India Quay Station, extensions to serve City Airport and Woolwich, and the 2012 Olympics, all resulted in adaptations through design changes, increased capacity, and greater operational complexity – all requiring extra costs (some funded by developer contributions). There were missed opportunities and design mistakes. Yet by adapting to change, today’s DLR is still a great success.
The Jubilee Line Extension also saw planning delays due to political controversy, 4 years delay due to issues of funding the high cost, and again saw missed opportunities and design mistakes – but the challenges were overcome and JLE is still a great success.
Crossrail (under construction and still to be completed) has had a different experience – the ambitious strategic scheme had an initial hasty design that became “locked in”, with 20 years of delay due to funding issues, major cost increases, and emerging technical and construction challenges. Despite the long development timescale offering opportunities for changes, there has been little improvement in the scheme.
Download: Presentation Slides
