Network Rail will be stripped of its control over Britain’s train tracks

[Class377/5]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...-britains-train-tracks/?WT.mc_id=tmg_share_tw

Network Rail will be stripped of its control over Britain’s train tracks and power handed to operators in the biggest shake up of the railways for decades, the Government is to announce.

In an attempt to end delays and lower fares for consumers, Chris Grayling, the transport secretary, will say he wants the state-owned Network Rail to share responsibility for running the tracks with private train operators.

It means that rail companies such as Virgin or Southern would become responsible for repairs and maintenance for the first time - ending Network Rail's monopoly.

The Government hopes this will incentivise train companies to complete repairs more quickly and possibly herald cheaper fares.

The proposal is due to be set out by Mr Grayling in a speech at a Conservative think tank Policy Exchange on Tuesday.

Mr Grayling is understood to want to challenge Network Rail’s monopoly on repairing and upgrading tracks and signalling. One idea is to introduce “vertical integration” which would see train companies given power over the running of their sections of the rail network when future franchises are awarded.

One insider said the new idea – which would be applied “as new franchises are renewed” - possibly as soon as next year. Mr Grayling and the Department for Transport declined to comment when approached by The Daily Telegraph....

This could be bad

 

[J-2739]

I don't know why, but I was kinda expecting something crazy like this to happen.

 

[rd749249]

I'm new to all this. How will that work when multiple TOCs operate over the same lines?

 

[thenorthern]

I'm new to all this. How will that work when multiple TOCs operate over the same lines?

I would think that there would be "Managed By" similar to stations are now although it will be difficult if CrossCountry came into the equation.

 

[Kevin_Brum12]

Utterly bonkers idea from Grayling, who would make Jim Hacker (the fictional minister in Yes Minister) look inspired and competent. After his failures at MoJ he should have been given the boot.

Suspect that the FOC's will not be happy about this and one will dispose of its UK operations (probably the one owned by a foreign railway). You can guarantee that if infrastrucure is managed by the likes of Virgin, they will get priority, while if it is managed by the likes of London Midland or GTR it will be a shambles.

No Minister.

 

[IKB]

Devil will be in the detail.

Who adjudicates where TOCs share lines or where routes meet? Who decides on paths and viability of freight? Would NR adjudicate on access and regulation and leave just maintenance to TOCs? Etc etc.

On the one hand, TOCs would no longer be at the mercy of (and criticised by passengers for) another body's failure; on the other hand there won't anyone else for TOCs to pass the buck/blame to.

Potentially a massive can of worms.

If I were Graylings advisor I'd advise not to go there with a barge pole.

 

[EM2]

I can't help thinking that this is a very, very bad idea...

 

[wingsoveryorks]

You have to hand it to Grayling. He's going for the most foolish minister of all time title with real gusto.
Here is a man with such limited knowledge of the railways it makes you crease.

 

[Domh245]

This could be bad

I think your phone autocorrected will to could! :P

I'm new to all this. How will that work when multiple TOCs operate over the same lines?

Terribly!

possibly herald cheaper fares.

As if! I wouldn't be surprised if the Government find a way to cut the cost of maintenance by giving each TOC a bit less than Network Rail would get. I also assume that Network Rail would be left in charge of upgrades? Would they also be left to operate ROCs etc?

 

[railfan100]

Government doing what they do best and making decisions they have little understanding of that ultimately in the longer-term will impact an entire population.

 

[kylemore]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...-rail-stripped-control-britains-train-tracks/



I can't help thinking that this is a very, very bad idea...

It appears to imply that responsibility will be shared which would surely be a recipe for disaster?

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Hopefully if I understand correctly, the taxpayer will own the infrastructure but the TOCs will run it. What concerns me is who will fund say electrification etc? I mean even with a 30 year franchise a TOC will not get a return on investment.

 

[The Planner]

So who owns NRs debt?

 

[EM2]

All excellent questions!

 

[ainsworth74]

I'd love to see vertical integration return to the Railway; the total separation of wheel and rail was one of the worst decisions of privatisation. But whilst keeping the level of balkanisation that we currently have in terms of number of TOCs I can only see this ending up costing more money. Plus there is an argument to be made that its only really now, twenty years later, that everything has settled down and we can get on with the running of the railway again. This will simply set us back, again, whilst everyone adapts to the new normal.

 

[Minilad]

Well this is going to be a massive s**t sandwich.

 

[urbophile]

Since the train companies can't run a p****p in a brewery, they are not likely to be any better at repairing the track. Yet more insidious Tory privatisation, profits to the fat cats and misery for the rest of us.

 

[AM9]

And if by some fluke the electorate's travel experience improves, however marginally over the next three years, full vertical privatisation will be all but achieved without so mush as a parlimentary debate.

 

[yorksrob]

I'm not against vertical integration in principle, indeed our railway was built and run in this way for a century and a half. However I think it would be a good idea to trial this on a route first to see how it works out. We need to avoid trying to change the whole thing in one go, otherwise it will most likely be a fiasco.

 

[Fincra5]

How can NR be a monopoly? Its a GOV company... It's privatising once more... didn't exactly go well the first time!

A lot of TOC's struggle to run actual trains! I wouldn't want them touching the rails!

 

[yorksrob]

Plus there is an argument to be made that its only really now, twenty years later, that everything has settled down and we can get on with the running of the railway again. This will simply set us back, again, whilst everyone adapts to the new normal.

I can see that. The last thing the railway needs is another massive upheaval.

 

[falcon]

Creeping nationalisation.

 

[Class377/5]

Government doing what they do best and making decisions they have little understanding of that ultimately in the longer-term will impact an entire population.

Well public seem to be willing to do that themselves!

I think your phone autocorrected will to could!

I do think one or two places it could work if done right others would be a mess

 

[IKB]

What was the level of SWT and NR integration during their closer working relationship? Did it work well?

 

[68000]

There is this accepted belief within the Tories that just because a TOC is operating, maintaining, renewing and enhancing the rail infrastructure, it will do a better job than NR

 

[47271]

The Government hopes this will incentivise train companies to complete repairs more quickly and possibly herald cheaper fares.

Or not bother to do the repairs at all, that's another way of saving money and minimise disruption caused by boring pesky engineering works. Remember what happened the last time somebody tried that?

Why not try it out on Southern, we know that Grayling's got his finger on the pulse there? DfT+GTR+infrastructure, what could possibly go wrong?

 

[Domh245]

I do think one or two places it could work if done right others would be a mess

What places are those? With my optimistic head on, something like C2Cs network or Chiltern's network could work - fairly self contained with minimal scope for grief. But for vast swathes of the rest of the network, it's gonna be an almighty mess.

 

[yorksrob]

The current patchwork of TOC's is more like the patchwork of pre-grouping railway companies which weren't big enough to sustain themselves. Will this new structure need to go through another grouping ?

 

[Bevan Price]

A rubbish idea that was tried under sectorisation. If I recall correctly, a set of points at St. Helens Junction needed replacement. Regional Railways had responsibility for track. Junction was only used by freight. Sectors could not agree on cost - points were replaced by plain track, and freight had to use a longer, less convenient route.

Even if there are any supposed safeguards, I find it hard to believe that the "controlling TOC" will be over-bothered about problems affecting FOCs or other TOCs.

 

[KingDaveRa]

The current patchwork of TOC's is more like the patchwork of pre-grouping railway companies which weren't big enough to sustain themselves. Will this new structure need to go through another grouping ?

It's the only way I can see it work. Look at Japan Rail, the individual JR entities cover quite large areas. They all do their own things, but do (supposedly) rely on eachother for help and advise from time to time.

Inevitably the resultant rail companies would still go out to private contractors, so I suppose the finger pointing would move down the line a bit.