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Re-nationalisation
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Neone know about the re-nationalisation, erm um Public/Private partnership plan for the rail system?
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/business/newsid_1583000/1583675.stm
If at first you don't succeed, hit it with a bigger hammer.
well, Nu-Track, but Nutrack is funnier. =P
or at least that's according to have i got news for you. =P
About re-nationalisation, here's my personal opinion. Its not the fact that the railways were privatised that was the problem. It was the WAY they were privatised - designed to get the maximum amount of cash for the treasury. A little background: At that time of privatisation the railway network was in a state of decline and it was assumed that road transport would become the norm in the future. Trouble was, the government didn't reckon with profit-hungry train operators trying to get the maximum amount of traffic back on the rails. Combine this with the New Labour administration's obsession with getting people to use pulic transport for environmental reasons and it wasn't long before the system became overcrowded. The weakest link in the chain was Railtrack. A private company with a monopoly over a railway collapsing under the strain of increased traffic. It simply couldn't cope.
What I think should have happened is that the train operators should have been privatised (to provide much-needed investment in rolling stock) but the infrastructure should have remained in government hands. Think of the roads, Private companies and even individuals can take their vehicles onto the roads with minimal fuss. It is open access. The roads are owned by the state and maintained by the highways agency and local goverment. Its simple and it works.
If at first you don't succeed, hit it with a bigger hammer.
[This message has been edited by Captain Slog (edited 27-11-2001).]
When I was in Germany, I travelled on the commuter trains and underground around Munich, and the trains were just as old as ours. They were clean (unlike ours) but the rolling stock was no worse than the British stuff.
When will people realise that public transport is not the answer? Not everyone wants to go to the same place at the same time, and most drivers love driving - not just for the freedom to go where you want when you want, but also because driving itself is fun.
What we need is investment in alternative fuels so that we can continue to drive when the oil runs out without polluting our environment.
All evil needs to thrive is for good men to sit back and do nothing
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concentirc_circles
Sex is the only liquid center at the great Newberry Fruit of friendship. - Jilly Cooper 1937 -
Do you drive?
Cars are SO much more convenient than public transport. They aren't even comparable. Trains are OK for longish journeys but ideally you'd have a car at each end because, let's face it, we don't all live within walking distance from the station. People who live out in the country have no choice and have to drive, or be driven.
If at first you don't succeed, hit it with a bigger hammer.
It costs £60 for a return ticket to York for me. I can drive there on just over a tank of petrol which is around £25.
Yes i do, the point i'm trying to make is that we're running out of road! Do you get wound up in traffic? well it's only gonna get worse, that is why i'm an advocate of a fully integrated transport system, that way at least people have an option and hopefully some people will get out of their cars and leave the road for me!!!
All evil needs to thrive is for good men to sit back and do nothing
If those people would stop driving their kids to school every morning and made them get the bus it wouldnt be so bad, when school is out the roads are soooo clear here.
I say get cars off the road and make more room for buses.
If at first you don't succeed, hit it with a bigger hammer.
Everyone thinks that and that's why no-one actually uses public transport - they just wish everyone else would!
Agreed. But try getting three boisterous kids onto a bus at 8 in the morning...