Private sector links remain

MR SHAPPS said during the 2018 timetable fiasco there was no “Fat Controller” in charge of the system, referencing the Thomas the Tank Engine stories.

He told Sky News: “It’s just too complicated. But I don’t want to go back to the days of British Rail either. We had declining passenger numbers and railway stations closed.”

He said the system would still be run with the involvement of the private sector.