matt_world2004
Established Member
- Joined
- 5 Nov 2014
- Messages
- 4,504
Most of the money poured into the privatised railway actually goes to (nationalised) Network Rail.
The passenger operation is pretty much breaking even taken overall, but there's still some weak areas, mostly rural (Conwy Valley line, what's the point?).
Red Star might have been a good concept, but sectorisation killed it because the passenger sectors didn't want to be messing about with parcels, and Red Star itself (Res) couldn't meet its costs as a free-standing service.
Neither could Motorail. Sleepers nearly died a death before the Cornish/Scottish subsidisers popped up, and mail did die but came back in minimal form.
I don't doubt people tried hard, and the business was improving, but obsolescence was overtaking it faster than the small amounts of modernisation going on.
Things like couplers are a symptom of the UK failing to keep up with international practice.
When the world uses Dellners you have to follow suit, or it's yet another bespoke national element which adds cost to the system.
Arent the subsidies to network rail because the track access charges are kept artificially cheap and do not reflect the cost of maintaining the track let alone renewals and enhancements. For running London Paddington Network Rail recieve the equivilant of 9p per passenger that in most cases not even cover the staffing costs of the passengers interactions with NR staff at a station.
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