Following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
British Rail - UK
Project name : Advanced Passenger Train (APT)
Project type : Design and development of high speed trains
Date : 1981 (filed under historical failures)
Cost : £50M (1981 costs estimated) – £150M (2012 inflation adjusted cost)
Synopsis :
With the goal of decreasing travel times between the UK's major cities, in the 1970's the then publicly o...
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Failed government project
Department of Transport – West Coast Railway Franchise
The following entry is a record in the "Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
Department of Transport - UK
Project name : West Coast Rail Franchise Competition
Project type : Tendering process for operations of passenger rail system
Date : Sep 2012
Cost : £40 to £100 Million estimated
Synopsis :
Operated by private companies, the British rail system is divided into a number of distinct regions. The contract for the West Coast li...
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De Havilland Comet
Following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
De Havilland Aircraft - UK
Project name : Comet
Project type : Commercial aircraft design and development
Date : 1949-1954 (filed under historical failures)
Cost : Unknown
Synopsis :
Developed in the late 1940's, the de Havilland Comet was the first jet airliner to enter commercial service. A technological leap forward, the Comet ushered in the jet ...
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Bristol Aeroplane Company
Following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
Bristol Aeroplane Company - UK
Project name : Bristol Brabazon
Project type : Aircraft design and development
Date : 1949 (filed under historical failures)
Cost : £12M (1949 costs) - £350M (2012 inflation adjusted cost)
Synopsis :
Project failure is by no means a new phenomena. The mistakes that lead to today's failed projects are mistakes than have been ma...
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British Home Office
Following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
British Home Office - UK
Project type : Mobile computing implementation
Project name : Mobile Information Programme (MIP)
Date : May 2012
Cost : £103M
Synopsis :
Equipping 41,000 British Police Officers with Blackberry devises was intended to cut down on paperwork, improve efficiency and allow officers to spend more time on the beat. Savings from the plan ...
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Tacoma Narrows
Following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
Washington State - USA
Project name : Tacoma Narrows
Project type : Suspension bridge
Date : 1940 (filed under historical failures)
Cost : $6.4M in 1940 - $105M adjusted to 2012 costs
Synopsis :
If you are putting together a list of failed projects from the history books it would be hard to ignore the Tacoma Narrows bridge. At the time of its opening in sum...
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UK – FireControl
Following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
Fire Services - UK
Project type : Centralize control over fire dispatch functions
Project name : FiReControl
Date : Dec 2010 Cost :£650 GBP
Synopsis :
The United Kingdom abandons 9 newly constructed regional fire control centers and scraps plans to reorganize by centralizing fire dispatch functions. In attempt to streamline processes, 46 centers that handle...
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Department of Homeland Security – Cook Country
Following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
Department of Homeland Security - USA
Project type : Integrated security system
Project name : Project Shield
Date : Jan 2012 Cost :$45M
Synopsis :
A project aimed at providing live camera links from police cars and other fixed locations to a central command location fails to achieve the desired results. Equipment failures, poor planning and poor training me...
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US Census – Field Data Collection Automation (FDCA) – Case Study
Case study has moved please click here
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Department for Communities and Local Government – UK
Following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
Department for Communities and Local Government - UK
Project : FiReControl
Project type : Integration of emergency services dispatch centres
Date : Sep 2011 Cost : £460 GBP
Synopsis :
Efforts to integrate 46 regional emergency response control rooms with 8 integrated centres is abandoned after 6 years of effort and £460 GBP ($727) is spent. Although const...
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