Renationalising The Trains

[pipster]

Re: Renationalising The Trains

Well surely if 'working from home has beaten them' we have nothing to worry about?

I am not sure the country should be making decisions based on what worked or didn't work 50+ years ago, we don't want to be stuck in the past.

I agree though that competition on lines would like make for a better service, but the current system doesn't really have that.

The only good thing about the current service is that bad suppliers can be got rid of and not have their contract renewed. Complacency and militant unionism is what bought this country to it's knees back in the 70's. British Rail new they had a monopoly - hence didnt give a stuff about anything. The Govt cant / couldn't sack British Rail - as they owned them.
I'd me very careful in thinking that Nationalisation is the panacea of all things good - as it isn't.

[Eric Cartman]

Re: Renationalising The Trains

The only good thing about the current service is that bad suppliers can be got rid of and not have their contract renewed. Complacency and militant unionism is what bought this country to it's knees back in the 70's. British Rail new they had a monopoly - hence didnt give a stuff about anything. The Govt cant / couldn't sack British Rail - as they owned them.
I'd me very careful in thinking that Nationalisation is the panacea of all things good - as it isn't.

Well thankfully as you should be able to tell from my posts within this thread, I don't think in those terms. I want our elected officials to actually be in control of things and therefore accountable. My view is simple, if a private company can run a decent service then so can a nationalised entity, if you disagree, it's actually you that is the ideologue not me.

[pipster]

Re: Renationalising The Trains

"My view is simple, if a private company can run a decent service then so can a nationalised entity"
You are right - that is a simple view.

[goats]

Re: Renationalising The Trains

Labour are suggesting they might do it?

If its cost effective let's have it !

And make energy , broadband , phones all in one

I can barely remember the last time I caught a train, prob going to Bristol for a night with the family, reasonable price for that but going to London or Manchester etc seemed way overpriced. Trains should be cheap, it would then take loads of heat off the roads which are a nightmare these days but folk can’t afford the trains…..if you can run an amazing train service in a country the size of India, which relies on it heavily, why the f can’t we here? It’s just rip off Britain as ever. Think I paid about a tenner to go from Delhi to Mumbai, 2 days on a sleeper with a meal thrown in…..

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Re: Renationalising The Trains

I can barely remember the last time I caught a train, prob going to Bristol for a night with the family, reasonable price for that but going to London or Manchester etc seemed way overpriced. Trains should be cheap, it would then take loads of heat off the roads which are a nightmare these days but folk can’t afford the trains…..if you can run an amazing train service in a country the size of India, which relies on it heavily, why the f can’t we here? It’s just rip off Britain as ever. Think I paid about a tenner to go from Delhi to Mumbai, 2 days on a sleeper with a meal thrown in…..

Chicken Tikka Masala ?

[Eric Cartman]

Re: Renationalising The Trains

"My view is simple, if a private company can run a decent service then so can a nationalised entity"
You are right - that is a simple view.

At least we've defined our roles now. I'm the person who is open to ideas and looking for the best way forward and you are the old codger saying 'in the 70..'

[pipster]

Re: Renationalising The Trains

At least we've defined our roles now. I'm the person who is open to ideas and looking for the best way forward and you are the old codger saying 'in the 70..'

It doesnt matter what bloody decade it was in. A bad business model is a bad business model - yet people still want to try it.
For any sector to work - it needs competition, innovation, ability to pivot ie the ability to de couple the various components of the model. Putting them into effectively one big single point of failure - is wrong - plain and simple.

[Eric Cartman]

Re: Renationalising The Trains

It doesnt matter what bloody decade it was in. A bad business model is a bad business model - yet people still want to try it.
For any sector to work - it needs competition, innovation, ability to pivot ie the ability to de couple the various components of the model. Putting them into effectively one big single point of failure - is wrong - plain and simple.

Do we need a private police force or armed forces to ensure efficiency?

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Re: Renationalising The Trains

Do we need a private police force or armed forces to ensure efficiency?

No but the Tories will try it one day

[life on mars]

Re: Renationalising The Trains

Nationalisation was and is a unworkable mechism in theses times, unless you can except a raid on you pensions, tax, cost of living will rise... No way on earth could the UK nationalise the rolling stock, the rail companies are easy pickings to fund.

Don't be fooled by Labours nationalisation blabbering, they would bring back flares if it gave them power..


In reality the current government has taken back into government ownership anyway.

In 2014, Network Rail was classified as a "government body" and the company's debt of £34 billion was added was to the national debt...

In 2016–17 , Network Rail's net debt rose from £41.6 billion to £46.3 billion....


Yey all good.. Sly Sir Kier knows this..

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Re: Renationalising The Trains

Nationalisation was and is a unworkable mechism in theses times, unless you can except a raid on you pensions, tax, cost of living will rise... No way on earth could the UK nationalise the rolling stock, the rail companies are easy pickings to fund.

Don't be fooled by Labours nationalisation blabbering, they would bring back flares if it gave them power..


In reality the current government has taken back into government ownership anyway.

In 2014, Network Rail was classified as a "government body" and the company's debt of £34 billion was added was to the national debt...

In 2016–17 , Network Rail's net debt rose from £41.6 billion to £46.3 billion....


Yey all good.. Sly Sir Kier knows this..

You are a right daft twat

[Eric Cartman]

Re: Renationalising The Trains

No but the Tories will try it one day

Well I don't think they will but people who automatically think things like trains naturally can't be an efficient publicly run service need to explain why all these other things are fundamentally different and can be.

[Eric Cartman]

Re: Renationalising The Trains

Nationalisation was and is a unworkable mechism in theses times, unless you can except a raid on you pensions, tax, cost of living will rise... No way on earth could the UK nationalise the rolling stock, the rail companies are easy pickings to fund.

Don't be fooled by Labours nationalisation blabbering, they would bring back flares if it gave them power..


In reality the current government has taken back into government ownership anyway.

In 2014, Network Rail was classified as a "government body" and the company's debt of £34 billion was added was to the national debt...

In 2016–17 , Network Rail's net debt rose from £41.6 billion to £46.3 billion....


Yey all good.. Sly Sir Kier knows this..

I remember a clip of Owen Jones and Peter Hitchins and they both unequivocally agreed that nationalisation of natural monopoly's like rail and water was correct. I tend to think if two people who you would expect to have polar opposite opinions agree then it's probably the right thing to do.

[PontBlue]

Re: Renationalising The Trains

Renationalising the trains in Wales seem to finally be paying off after years of underinvestment by Arriva

https://news.tfw.wales/news/june-2024-timetable-change

[Gofer Blue]

Re: Renationalising The Trains

Whilst I agree the present rail system is almost farcical, nationalisation sounds a great idea in principle but I well remember the 70's when ASLEF held the entire country to ransom, not just isolated sections of the rail network as today. I can offer no easy solution.