Monday 5 January 2015

Wot a way to ruin a railway!


Why is Labour being so timorous about renationalising the railways? The public want them renationalised. It's easy to do by taking the contracts back as they fall in. The nationalisation of East Coast, after National Express chucked it in, shows that it can be done and can make a profit. Most of them have already been renationalised, but by the nationialised railways of other countries. The German, French, Dutch and Hong Kong state railways are all running two thirds of our system and charging higher fares than they do at home.

Result? Dog's breakfast railways with ever-escalating fares in which the profitable lines, instead of producing a surplus to subsidise the unprofitable, pay out their profits in dividends leaving the government to subsidise the rest. Over £200 million a year is paid out in dividends while the state has had to nationalise Network Rail and subsidise it to keep the trains running.

To complete the nightmare it's proposed to cut right across it by creating HS2 the British White elephant train which will reach the North in 2034 and round it off with a hypothetical HS3 across the Penine's. Labour supports both without understanding either. Time to buy a bike.

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