Should We Re-Nationalise British Rail?

[ToraToraTora]

I am delighted that Jezza is on board here....
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-36960899
But he's going off half c0ck3d. Yes I admit that TGL was wrong here, the rail system has been a disaster since privatisation, in fact I'd go as far to say that the vandalism following the Beeching report start the destruction of our rail system. Socialist though I must sound now, we need a proper nationwide rail system, subsidised by the fortune they take from the roads. Your brickbats and nosegays are awaited.......

[dannyk13]

Yes,at the moment rail travel is an utter shambles.

[Old_Geezer]

Should have been nationalised ages ago but is there anything left in the kitty such that one can afford to do so ? We need to have the economy boom for a bit and fill the coffers first.

[whiskeryron]

How can anyone run an efficient rail system when all sections are run by different companies ( track, signalling,moving stock etc.) ? Surely it has got to be more efficient for ALL to be under ONE authority ie. British Rail.

[jambutty]

YES and re-open all the lovely little country stations that were closed under Beeching !!

[whiskeryron]

Absolutely & YES indeed.

[Cloverjo]

Yes. And British Gas and electricity, while we're at it.

[Gromit]

The rail system is already nationalised in all but name.
Railtrack went bust and its apalling safety record became an embarrassment. So the Government set up Network rail, a non profit making organisation financed by the treasury.

The failure on Southern Trains is down to a very poor franchisee. The Department of Transport (or whatever it is called these days) should re-allcate that route.

[jno]

TGL? I thought it was Major's work. British Rail was never that great but it was way better than the current disconnected shambles. Transport For London is creating a coherent system for London, joining up underground, overground, trams and driverless DLR into a single network. The whole country needs similarly joined up thinking (obviously a huge job, I know).

[Jackdaw33]

And bring back steam trains, curled-up sandwiches and Lyon's fruit pies while we're about it.

[jambutty]

Oo yes steam trains, love 'em !

[ToraToraTora]

yep, JD, I loved those fruit pies

[mushroom25]

//curled-up sandwiches //

that was a myth jackdaw - typically BR sandwiches were plastic wrapped so if anything, they were soggy - they could never go curly under those circumstances.

[murraymints]

indeed !

[Jackdaw33]

I'm talking about the old days when sandwiches were on a plate in station buffets, covered by a glass dome.

[Hopkirk]

I used to travel on BR, and my memories are of appalling service. However all my recent journeys have been far better.

Please please let's not go back to the seventies.

Governments can't run industries.

[Cloverjo]

I have an 'actual memory' of curled up sandwiches under a glass dome, but I think it might be fictional.

[Jackdaw33]

No fiction. I've eaten 'em!

[ToraToraTora]

Hoppy, you are correct, I don't want to return to the 70s either but we should be able to run a public service with efficiency in this day and age.

[andy-hughes]

The problem with the rail system is that it fell prey to the Tories' bizarre notion of 'market forces' and their obsession that 'competition' is always a good thing that raises standards.

The breaking up of the rail system into individual companies was a complete disaster - but how could it have ever been anything else?

If you take a public service, and give it to people who need to make money for shareholders because their salaries and bonuses are based on dividends, you have instant problems from Day One.

The notion of providing a service flies out of the window, and the notion of making a profit walks in through the door.

This gives everyone at the top end tunnel vision, and serious concentrated short-term aims - namely maximum profit for minimum outlay.

Cue massive underinvestment and safety shortcuts as everything and anything is sacrificed in the name of profit.

So yes, since it was and still is effectively a utility, it should be in public ownership, which of course will never happen while the Conservatives are in charge - which means probably not in my lifetime.

As for the little country stations shut by Beeching jambutty., I am afraid you are letting sentiment get in the way of business there.

What Beeching did was conduct a simple exercise is passenger numbers - those below a minimum operating level to make them viable were closed - under the 'use it or lose it' system which must operate if a rail system is not to be a massive drain on public resources.

Run properly, the rail network should be perfectly serviceable - as long as they abandon this HS2 nonsense - another vanity project doomed to failure due to lack of proper planning and costing.

[mikey4444]

Ruddy heck...there seems to have been an outbreak of good, old fashioned common sense on here this afternoon !

Yes, re-nationalise the railways, and electricity, gas and water while we are at it.

And cancel the truly daft HS2.