quantinghome
Established Member
- Joined
- 1 Jun 2013
- Messages
- 2,265
There's a paradox in the way the railways are structured at present. There is simultaneously too much and too little government control.
We have a situation where the DfT, removed from the sharp end of the industry, (in)effectively micro-manages the rail network. It shouldn't be doing that; it should be setting the high-level strategy and then getting out of the way.
Meanwhile, responsibility for running the railway falls to a myriad different organisations. The railway needs to be an integrated entity, with funding and investment decisions devolved. As the government (national or regional) will always have to fund the railway, it ultimately carries the risk and the ownership should reflect that. The actual services could be contracted out much like TfL rail or London buses, but there needs to be a single guiding entity that is responsible and accountable.
We have a situation where the DfT, removed from the sharp end of the industry, (in)effectively micro-manages the rail network. It shouldn't be doing that; it should be setting the high-level strategy and then getting out of the way.
Meanwhile, responsibility for running the railway falls to a myriad different organisations. The railway needs to be an integrated entity, with funding and investment decisions devolved. As the government (national or regional) will always have to fund the railway, it ultimately carries the risk and the ownership should reflect that. The actual services could be contracted out much like TfL rail or London buses, but there needs to be a single guiding entity that is responsible and accountable.