Labour's Railway White Paper

[Energy]

National Rail is the best name in my opinion, British Rail would be attached to the pre privitasation era, which for a lot of people wasn't a good thing cough beeching cuts, pacers, etc. cough

 

[8H]

Wales and Scotland are not really devolved for rail, they just like to pretend it is, especially in Scotland.
The GB Rail proposal still doesn't solve how a Welsh DTA can work without taking over some English routes.

You are right that little section is equivocal, I don’t know why “everybody” who goes near this is so sensitive about a train that runs partly through England being timetabled etc by a Welsh based organisation, to me it is simply incomprehensible.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

But this doesn't include NI hence it needs to be GB not UK.

Being pedantic, from a geographical point of view "Great Britain" technically omits Island Line, Sheppey and everything west of the Menai Bridge...

 

[Meole]

You are right that little section is equivocal, I don’t know why “everybody” who goes near this is so sensitive about a train that runs partly through England being timetabled etc by a Welsh based organisation, to me it is simply incomprehensible.

Agree the Marches line should be regarded as the main line for Wales and responsibility duly allocated, it is completely logical.

 

[mikeg]

You are right that little section is equivocal, I don’t know why “everybody” who goes near this is so sensitive about a train that runs partly through England being timetabled etc by a Welsh based organisation, to me it is simply incomprehensible.

Indeed, I have no problem with it, especially since 'English' organisations will no doubt pass throguh Wales. I haven't read the report yet, but I'm guessing the InterCity Great Western services and Euston-Holyhead would for example be primarily English services?
I really should read the report, I usually read stuff from political parties and think tanks on rail, though it can be a tad disheartening how ill-informed they often are. It sounds as this is an 'above-average' report, I shall have a look and see whether this is true.

Edit: Having a skim through it now, seems reasonably well-considered. I have to say it's a shame it's not more comparative (comparing different outcomes on comparable railway systems in Europe and the World would add weight and avoid false universals.)

 

[Energy]

MTR, owned by the Hong Kong Government, will run the Crossrail franchise and
already runs the Essex services that will be part of it, as well as holding a 30% share
of the South Western franchise.

Noticed this at around page 18, I don't think MTR run GA? MTR only operate Crossrail and part of South Western anyway.

 

[Domh245]

Noticed this at around page 18, I don't think MTR run GA? MTR only operate Crossrail and part of South Western anyway.

I take that to mean the "TfL rail" services that are currently running Liverpool St - Shenfield, which is crossrail by any other name apart from the fact it doesn't run into the tunnels!

Have you seen the latest update on the famous “Ford Factor” in Modern Railways where RF now reckons it costs four times more to run a privatised system as it currently is compared to what BR used to get paid to run the show?

Not being familiar with the "Ford Factor", does it account for the fact that the privatised railway is running considerably more than BR did?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Noticed this at around page 18, I don't think MTR run GA? MTR only operate Crossrail and part of South Western anyway.

No, but they do run TfL Rail which includes Liverpool St-Shenfield (to become part of Crossrail).
Shenfield is in Essex, so Essex is on the MTR map.

 

[8H]

I take that to mean the "TfL rail" services that are currently running Liverpool St - Shenfield, which is crossrail by any other name apart from the fact it doesn't run into the tunnels!



Not being familiar with the "Ford Factor", does it account for the fact that the privatised railway is running considerably more than BR did?

well Roger Ford explains it much better than me an update of the “FF” is in the latest issue of Modern Railways, he does account for all the important “then and now” differences and errs on the side of caution too.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Kier Starmer has appointed Jim McMahon as Shadow Transport Secretary.
Andy McDonald moves to a new role as Shadow Secretary for Employment Rights and Protections.
Jim McMahon is MP for Oldham West and Royton - I can't see if he has had any previous history in the transport arena.

Presumably he now owns Labour's rail "white paper".

 

[hwl]

Kier Starmer has appointed Jim McMahon as Shadow Transport Secretary.
Andy McDonald moves to a new role as Shadow Secretary for Employment Rights and Protections.
Jim McMahon is MP for Oldham West and Royton - I can't see if he has had any previous history in the transport arena.

Presumably he now owns Labour's rail "white paper".

The previous Jim McMahon discussion in this thread was moved to a new thread in general discussion...