Interesting reading

Dorsetmike

Member
http://www.railway-technical.com/finance.shtml#Railways-Making-A-Profit?

In particular these statements in the last 2 paragraphs




The last 15 years have shown that the privatisation of the railways in the UK has not proved to be the success that politicians hoped it would be. It has proved expensive, increasing real costs by 50% pro rata over those of the nationalised railway.




What is needed is the re-integration of the railway so that the wheel-rail interface is restored. There are signs of this happening in the UK but it's been a long time coming. The nonsense of management by contract, which only increases work for lawyers and regulatory consultants should be stopped.

The track and infrastructure are owned by Network Rail (AKA Notwork Fail) they lease "paths" to train operating companies, who in turn lease their locos and coaches etc from leasing companies. So instead of one national organisation, there are now a number of companies each with the typical present days top heavy highly paid executives.


There is also still a huge backlog of training needed to bring the operational expertise back into the business.

"Operational expertise": for example like putting track maintenance out to contract and thus losing most if not all the expertise built up by BR staff over the years, I've seen it suggested that the Hatfield crash could not have happened under BR - built on over 100 years of pre BR knowledge and experience.
 

Ella Beck

Member
Interesting thread, Mike - I grew up in York, a noted rail centre, and had a lot to do with trains from an early age. My sister married a station master at a village station who then got promoted to help computerise the service. He was devastated when BR was sold off.
 

John Watt

Member
Hey Dorsetmike! You don't have to be always down about how railroads are being displaced or erased.

Here's a video that shows how much fun you can have without them.
Here in the Niagara Peninsula, when Quebec and Americans were dismantling Ontario industry,
municipalities decided to use abandoned rail lines, taking away the tracks and making recreational trails.
That's the best part of my life, pulling an all-nighter and bike-hiking around the peninsula,
an amazing variety of geography, also with abandoned shipping and hydro canals and facilities.

If standing close to a big steam engine, or waiting on the tracks until it gets close enough can scare you,
this video about seniors riding the rails might induce real fear. It did in me, a little, just a little.


 

John Watt

Member
That's right! Dorsetmike and Ella Beck are English in England, not Englishmen in New York.
American news always talks about England having a problem with immigrants,
and not only that, you might be looking at a post ex-Brexit English countryside.
Here's a video just for you. Even I have an invasive stand of bamboo in my apartment.
I can't give it away.


 

Ella Beck

Member
Rail privatisation in the United Kingdom is the thread topic, and whether it's been a good or a bad thing.

Here are some facts about the issue that DorsetMike is discussing - the privatisation of British Rail, our former national rail network, complete by the late 1990s.
There's a Wiki Article on the subject - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privatisation_of_British_Rail

As readers will see if they check the article, this thread topic has nothing whatsoever to do with Brexit or complaints about immigrants.

Unsurprisingly, since privatisation was complete by 1997, over 20 years ago now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another point of information - as citizens of the UK, DorsetMike & I should be referred to as 'British', not 'English'.
I am half Scottish, and married to a Scot, so certainly not 'English', but in any case, 'British' is the correct official term for anybody born in the UK, or naturalised as a British Citizen, whatever their ethnic origins or family history.
 
Last edited:
Top