Railways are so bad because there is no competition between providers
SIR – Britain’s beleaguered railway network is once again in an ideological tug-of-war between nationalisers and privatisers.
The real problem is the deadly legacy of fragmentation inherited from the deeply flawed break-up of British Rail under John Major’s administration in the Nineties. Twenty years on, in many areas, there is the same old infrastructure, with trains built by British Rail Engineering Limited under many layers of paint and logos of various shades.
The original plan was to create a publicly owned “Rail Authority” overseeing genuinely competing rail providers. In reality, Major’s government created the disastrous Railtrack which, once sold off, was little more than a property company. Meanwhile, competition between train services never happened in any meaningful sense.
That government originally toyed with the idea of reviving the Big Four, a plan that deserves reconsideration today. Reuniting trains and the permanent way on which they run is the only solution to the current dysfunctional system. Pulling together all local and Intercity services under four unitary franchises could go a long way to cure the railway’s ills.
Anthony Rodriguez
Staines-upon-Thames, Middlesex SIR – Jeremy Corbyn’s desire to return to the glory days of rail has skipped a few decades. It was not under British Rail that everyone was proud of the railway, but in the days when they worked for or travelled on the LMS, LNER, GWR or SR.
These were the railways the rest of the world set out to emulate. No country ever wanted to emulate British Rail, any more than they wanted to copy British Leyland, British Gas and our state-run telephone service.
Brian Christley
Abergele, Conwy SIR – It is becoming apparent that HS2 is destined to become the most expensive white elephant to enthral seemingly sensible politicians.
The alleged benefits are grossly overstated. Identifying its London terminus is mired in confusion and it will be years before it is operational.
The money would be better spent improving the existing infrastructure, especially the west-to-east corridor from Liverpool through to Hull.
While the Government has procrastinated on HS2, the French have extended their TGV high-speed network, connecting Lyon to Bordeaux. Perhaps the Government should ask them how they did it.
Don Bailey
Frodsham, Wirral SIR – If there is a case for selling off Network Rail there must be a much stronger case for selling off the BBC.
It is a public corporation that wants to act like a commercial company. Capitalism is the fastest way of providing people with what they want.
Paul Brazier
Kingswood, Gloucestershire