Next stop, socialism

People travelling through the capital were advised for part of this week to avoid Victoria station due to a signalling fault. This was no small ask. Victoria is on the main route to Gatwick, is the second busiest station in Britain and is used by about 210,000 passengers daily. How ridiculous that such a vital transport link was out of action at one of the busiest times of the year – and what a verdict on Britain’s creaking infrastructure.

Sometimes when the press complains about trains, non-londoners point out that much of the country relies more heavily on cars and buses, which is doubtless why Jeremy Corbyn raised the latter at Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions. Bus services can also be unreliable and in need of improvement. The fact that so many travel to work by car, meanwhile, is a strong argument against a rise in fuel duty.

But those who think the odd delay in London transport is over-hyped should bear in mind that the city is an engine of the economy. When there are no trains to Gatwick, travellers miss flights, discouraging tourism and hitting the already fragile high street. The chaos after the introduction of a new timetable has been wearisome: thousands of services delayed or cancelled.

If the Government and the companies don’t get their act together, Labour will court votes with a promise of nationalisation. It tends to be forgotten that the track and signals, which fail often, are already in public hands, and public ownership will be of no benefit to the rest of the system. However, when poor planning and inefficiency damage the reputation of essential services, socialism follows – and the entire country will have to pick up the tab when socialism, inevitably, goes bust.