If the State owns the infrastructure and owns the right to run trains over it, how can that have been privatisation?
That’s the problem. Either British Railways should have been turned into a PLC and floated on the stock exchange (Like BA, BT.) or the different lines comparable to the old companies sold off.
The Government could then keep its big nose out. It didn’t so we are where we are.
The author asks how the black hole in the finances will be fixed - the taxpayer!
The real problem is railways are a two hundred year old technology which would have been superseded by new tech, new modalities - like railways replaced canals for example - if left to innovation in a free market environment. Instead they have been set in aspic by subsidy and regulation. They only run at or near capacity for about 20% of the time - near empty often.
Nowhere in the World are railways viable without massive taxpayer support.
Putting our railways on life support by Labour - the same bunch and economic illiteracy with nationalised them, let them get bloated with workers (to please the unions) and starved them of investment.
Thank you for this informative read. In May 2018 a railway timetable change resulted in chaos across the network. Some time later, a Commons select committee sat to determine what went wrong. By chance I was watching the BBC Parliament channel (often surprisingly interesting) and saw a room full of railway executives. For those of us old enough to remember, to my cynical eyes it resembled a Lew Grade cast-of-thousands Biblical epic, no doubt representing a hefty salary bill. No-one in the room admitted to any knowledge or responsibility for what had happened. Apparently the buck stopped somewhere over there in the distance, a symptom that perhaps all was not well.
Look at the Timeline as to how slowly matters are progressing. 116 weeks since last general election - perilously close to half way point and despite all the announcements we haven't seen the 30 year railway strategy and wont see it till late in 2027. I always thought designing a detailed strategy came first when looking at large scale organisational restructure - I was mistaken!
Next Steps in the LTRS Timeline
1. Autumn 2026 – Late 2026: Further stakeholder roundtables with freight operators, Metro Mayors, and supply chain representatives based on the framework paper.
2. Spring 2027: GBR publishes its initial Access and Use Policy and Charging Framework, implementing the principles outlined in this discussion document.
3. Autumn 2027: The Transport Secretary will formally publish the full, binding 30-Year Long-Term Rail Strategy (LTRS) following GBR's statutory launch.
The financial position is critical - yet no Govt has successful delivered on productivity improvements. There's not any indication yet that the railways are adjusting to more leisure weekend travel as business commuter numbers are down (Covid - work from home etc). Again a simple, but maybe painful process of scheduling staff to work on weekends. Railways still have Sunday as a "rest day" in other words its overtime payment and a voluntary basis. How many other organisations still run on this model?
Interesting times. And no evidence so far that renationalisation is the answer.
Len you’re absolutely correct. Our train system has never really earned a profit overall. Not with full investments. Some lines may. But not all together.
So my view is it’s time to scrap the railways altogether. They are either antiquated or over complicated.
My view is concrete over all those lines. We have direct routes into all town and city centres. So let’s use them.
And I suggest replacing them with hydrogen powered busses and coaches.
It may be prudent to put on those new road links lorry’s and trucks. Leaving roads free for cars and vans.
It’s about time we stopped trying to make this industry viable. And start thinking into the future. It will be less of a drain on power and more usable to more than trains.
And let’s start having it clean by using already available hydrogen powered busses and coaches.
I’m sure this would be a better use of our connections. After all we are just a small island. We don’t need super fast trains to give us an extra 29 mins.
Nationalise the Railways………ah the good old days, one train operator, daily strikes, daily Go Slow’s (difficult but they managed), strikes timed to cause maximum disruption especially at Christmas. The unions are desperate for a return to nationwide strikes, they are drug addicts who are desperate for the hit the power to make people’s lives miserable give them.
I predict that within 72hrs of taking Avanti into taxpayer funded control, the unions will call a strike that will spread to all the different rail operators………..and as ever, this LIEbour Government will agree to whatever is asked of it.
If the State owns the infrastructure and owns the right to run trains over it, how can that have been privatisation?
That’s the problem. Either British Railways should have been turned into a PLC and floated on the stock exchange (Like BA, BT.) or the different lines comparable to the old companies sold off.
The Government could then keep its big nose out. It didn’t so we are where we are.
The author asks how the black hole in the finances will be fixed - the taxpayer!
The real problem is railways are a two hundred year old technology which would have been superseded by new tech, new modalities - like railways replaced canals for example - if left to innovation in a free market environment. Instead they have been set in aspic by subsidy and regulation. They only run at or near capacity for about 20% of the time - near empty often.
Nowhere in the World are railways viable without massive taxpayer support.
Putting our railways on life support by Labour - the same bunch and economic illiteracy with nationalised them, let them get bloated with workers (to please the unions) and starved them of investment.
This time it will work of course.
Thank you for this informative read. In May 2018 a railway timetable change resulted in chaos across the network. Some time later, a Commons select committee sat to determine what went wrong. By chance I was watching the BBC Parliament channel (often surprisingly interesting) and saw a room full of railway executives. For those of us old enough to remember, to my cynical eyes it resembled a Lew Grade cast-of-thousands Biblical epic, no doubt representing a hefty salary bill. No-one in the room admitted to any knowledge or responsibility for what had happened. Apparently the buck stopped somewhere over there in the distance, a symptom that perhaps all was not well.
Not that I recall.
Look at the Timeline as to how slowly matters are progressing. 116 weeks since last general election - perilously close to half way point and despite all the announcements we haven't seen the 30 year railway strategy and wont see it till late in 2027. I always thought designing a detailed strategy came first when looking at large scale organisational restructure - I was mistaken!
Next Steps in the LTRS Timeline
1. Autumn 2026 – Late 2026: Further stakeholder roundtables with freight operators, Metro Mayors, and supply chain representatives based on the framework paper.
2. Spring 2027: GBR publishes its initial Access and Use Policy and Charging Framework, implementing the principles outlined in this discussion document.
3. Autumn 2027: The Transport Secretary will formally publish the full, binding 30-Year Long-Term Rail Strategy (LTRS) following GBR's statutory launch.
The financial position is critical - yet no Govt has successful delivered on productivity improvements. There's not any indication yet that the railways are adjusting to more leisure weekend travel as business commuter numbers are down (Covid - work from home etc). Again a simple, but maybe painful process of scheduling staff to work on weekends. Railways still have Sunday as a "rest day" in other words its overtime payment and a voluntary basis. How many other organisations still run on this model?
Interesting times. And no evidence so far that renationalisation is the answer.
Great piece, well informed and well argued. More like this please.
Len you’re absolutely correct. Our train system has never really earned a profit overall. Not with full investments. Some lines may. But not all together.
So my view is it’s time to scrap the railways altogether. They are either antiquated or over complicated.
My view is concrete over all those lines. We have direct routes into all town and city centres. So let’s use them.
And I suggest replacing them with hydrogen powered busses and coaches.
It may be prudent to put on those new road links lorry’s and trucks. Leaving roads free for cars and vans.
It’s about time we stopped trying to make this industry viable. And start thinking into the future. It will be less of a drain on power and more usable to more than trains.
And let’s start having it clean by using already available hydrogen powered busses and coaches.
I’m sure this would be a better use of our connections. After all we are just a small island. We don’t need super fast trains to give us an extra 29 mins.
That’s a vision.
Nationalise the Railways………ah the good old days, one train operator, daily strikes, daily Go Slow’s (difficult but they managed), strikes timed to cause maximum disruption especially at Christmas. The unions are desperate for a return to nationwide strikes, they are drug addicts who are desperate for the hit the power to make people’s lives miserable give them.
I predict that within 72hrs of taking Avanti into taxpayer funded control, the unions will call a strike that will spread to all the different rail operators………..and as ever, this LIEbour Government will agree to whatever is asked of it.
Shining a torch in a few eyes could have been revealing.