Bring back British Rail?

To The Times

If rail renationalisation is to be a vote winner for Labour, they will be relying on a mix of ignorance from those who have never experienced it, and amnesia from those who have. As a commuter for more than 40 years, I recall the sad realities of British Rail. Passengers were never seen as customers and so there was no concept of “customer service”. Rude staff and long queues at ticket offices were commonplace. Management was generally weak, with the trade unions regularly flexing their muscles. As a result of infamous wildcat strikes, many were left stranded in their workplaces without warning. One such strike affecting buses as well as trains left me with no option but to hitchhike down the Old Kent Road to get home, 22 miles away. Michael Lambourne, Worth, Kent

To The Times

I write in response to Michael Lambourne’s letter and his comparison of today’s railway travel with 40 years ago. My experience of privatised rail has not been a great deal different from that experienced by “customers” of British Rail. I have often been left stranded and delayed for hours by the UK’S largest rail franchise, Govia Thameslink Railway, with strikes affecting services for more than a year. My fares have increased well above the rate of inflation annually, and profits have been returned to shareholders and fat cats, rather than the Treasury.

Such is the efficiency and profit-making ability of stateowned railways in Europe that they are now purchasing franchises in the UK. For example, Germany’s Deutsche Bahn (DB) runs seven UK rail franchises, while Keolis, 70% of which is owned by France’s SNCF, is the joint operator of five franchises, making the German and French governments vast sums at the expense of UK “customers”. A recent example of rail nationalisation in the UK was the East Coast Main Line, which resulted in an all-time record passenger satisfaction level and returned more than £1bn to the Treasury. Daniel Lambourne (Michael Lambourne’s son), Brighton, East Sussex