Train really is taking the strain (From York Press)
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Train really is taking the strain
9:29am Wednesday 17th October 2012 in Letters By Reader's letter
NOW we know – British railways are run by EU diktat. After the failure of two private companies trying to run the East Coast Main Line, we had Virgin Railways doing a good job on the West Coast Main Line.
Following a fiasco of Government and civil servant cock-ups, we have an insane franchise deal and far from clear franchise rules, resulting in a bill of £40 million which the UK taxpayers have to finance.
We are now told that Virgin will be asked to run the line for nine to 13 months after December. Then a new bidding plan comes in for a two-year deal and sometime after the 2015 General Election, yet another round of bidding for a longer franchise agreement. The Dutch tried private company operators and it failed, whereas the French SNCF and the German DB systems are superb networks and are state run.
The Tories told us privatisation of the railways and the utility companies would bring more efficiency, lower prices, more competition and flexibility and less of a drain on taxpayers’ money. The very opposite has happened.
What was once the finest rail system in the world is now a shambles.
David Quarrie, Lynden Way, Holgate, York.
Comments(4)
Malcolm
says...
11:19pm Wed 17 Oct 12
The Great Buda
says...
10:46am Thu 18 Oct 12
Magicman!
says...
4:04am Fri 19 Oct 12
However, the current rail system is a Hybrid system that is full of holes for the money to fall through. Too many middle men and people just self-meriting their own jobs. If the railway was either fully public or fully private it would be a hundred times better than what we have now.... if it was fully private (ie, Virgin west coast had to maintain their own train lines and other infastructure) there would be less people interfering and so less money wasted on pointless studies and reports. Likewise, rolling stock operating companies should be abolished and instead the government provide the financial signature to any deals for new trains instead of the rosco's - you'd easily cut out 20% of costs just by doing that
Zetkin says...
1:45pm Wed 17 Oct 12
EU diktat or not, keeping the railways in private hands is Tory dogma, aimed at ensuring the big companies that have torn the railways to pieces can continue feasting at our expense.