At last we are finally going to start ‘taking back control’ Rail privatisation has been a bloody joke. Highest fares in Europe and we still have to subsidise the guaranteed ‘profits’ of the cartel of operators. Not only that the Public Sector has repeatedly picked up the pieces when privateers can’t cope!!
'Unions' and the 'public' are the same people! Not two different sets of people that can be set against each other! Stop putting people in convenient boxes.
"Grubby Days of British Rail" "Dirty Trains" First of all British Rail practically invented tilting train technology and secondly British Rail had a shoestring budget in comparison to European Railways.
It was deliberately de-subsidised in order to run it down prior to privatisation. Then hugely subsidised since which has been wasted on shareholders profits. The rolling stock is a separate issue whereby taxpayers have paid for new trains. As long as the subsidies continue at the same rate nationalisation will be better.
Doubt it, have worked in nationalised industries many years ago and the efficiency was terrible. They were also used by successive governments to 'mop up' excessive unemployment figures making them even less efficient. Just look at the snivel service, what you want is the 'lean, mean government machine, and what you actually get is bloatware.
According to a quick Google Search £26.8bn has been spent by Government in the last year (23/24), presumably large chunks of that being paid to the shareholders of these private companies that should be providing the service. A lot of these private companies are subsidiaries of the foreign Governments so in effect the British Passenger & Taxpayer (where Government is paying) is forking out to keep rail fares in other countries low. How can this be best for the British Public?
As for taking back control, the EU has nothing to do with our capacity to privatise the railways. We got control of nothing other than a burgeoning national debt and a paucity of skilled labour from our near neighbours as a result of Brexit.
It doesn’t really matter who owns the railway companies if it’s almost impossible to build new lines, or new stations, or new depots, because every planning application takes multiple years and costs millions of pounds. State ownership does not guarantee good service or amicable industrial relations.
When the Unions realise that they are being run by an 'oranisation' which is a bottomless pit of money, then it won't be long before they claim that £60,000 is insufficient for pressing a few buttons and driving a train - no reversing in confined places, no other traffic conflicts etc. I wonder how this compares with HGV drivers' income. Better brace for strikes.
None that experienced the old publicly owned British Rail will be cheering, it was awful. A huge backward step and an expense the tax payer can't afford. Who do you think will be paying for future investment ?
Well, when they were all under state ownership, they were better run. So not a labour supporter but i agree all our services being taken out of private racketeers, paying themselves extortionate salaries and bonuses.
This is only partial. The companies that have been bleeding the railways dry with the contract for the lines still have that. Hopefully they won't be renewed.
I am a conservative (small c) I voted Reform UK. I believe that all essential services should be nationalised, with the workers having the same ban on striking as the military and the police.
So you vote for the least likely party to socialize those industries. I would say that's confusing but thankfully you brought it back round by adding the authoritarian measures against striking.
Why do you think renationalization of the railways is a bad thing. Unfortunately my experience of Privatization was toilets on the train being actually swimming in urine and running at least two hours late. Sorry that was my experience of Virgin Rail.
Fares need to be fair and self-sustainable. If government is subsidising the tickets, then that will come from tax increases or from other public services. Workers try to work close to home, therefore people walking/cycling/home-working/trades should not be required to fund services that they don't use.
Private business makes profit, and overcharges. The railways, the water, the NHS, the bus Networks, the gas and electricity supply - all are cheaper elsewhere, all make profits that we are forced to hand over. Businesses is not some god to be worshipped. They keep profits anyway, for maybe a zero-hour contract.
Welcome to the 1970's nationalised railway - collective bargaining ensuring national strikes, and a massive shortage of cash to pay for any new trains and new infrastructure. It was crap, some of us remember that well.
you then remember that the government underfunded the Railways to create the myth that Privatisation was the Golden Solution. That’s been proved to by a Disaster. The Solution is Government Owned who put Professional Management in charge. All cash surplus’s to be Reinvested back to improve the service.
remember this is a Murdoch channel. he loves the working class watching his TV propaganda Channel and buying his biased Newspapers but hides the fact he despises them
When the government has been in charge of the railway we had the beechin cuts nearly all the the locomotive works and wagon works closed the government is in charge of the Infrastructure now and look at the state of the bridges and viaducts with trees and bushes growing out of the stone work
When the operator franchises expire they won't be renewed so there is no cost associated in bringing them back into public ownership. The cost is incurred going forward, but where that money will come from is unclear.
its about time that the railways are back under the countrys ownership and that the profits from the train services stay in ths country to be reinvested into the rail infurstrctour in this country
The total collapse of the Great British Railways due to Unions and their strikes for ever more money and the rail infrastructure gradually deteriorating gave rise to privatisation by chopping it up into sections and offering them to interested parties for quite short periods which had to be lengthened due to lack of investment and then some taken back by Government due to bad management leading to insufficient usage. We are now back to where we were when they were privatised originally after the War for roughly the same reasons and Government will control the purse strings of empty purses and a shambolic railway system of ever late trains and cancellations that ensue. Good luck with Starmer.
The problem with the rail industry is not about who runs them, but the layers of regulation that determines how they are run. The current administrative system puts a new coat of regulatory paint on top of what has been accumulating since 1830 every few years, without every once stripping it back to what is necessary. The result is that it takes the rail industry eighteen months to accomplish what other transport industries achieve in three months.
When did Talk TV become SO right wing!!! Its been on Starmer and Biden nonstop recently and frankly is getting difficult, concerning and irritating to watch (is this the one Murdoch owns?). Think am going to have to have a break from it. Shame, but it's got a lot darker of late.
The plan is to do so when the franchises expire. What this means is from now on these franchisees won't be investing any further money and will just run it down prior to it returning to public ownership.
@@jjefferyworboys8138 problem with water / electric is they where sold not franchised ? so a different kettle of fish but non the less sold never have been sold
Sadly I was brought up travelling by nationalised rail and it wasn't in the least bit good. Often dirty, rarely on time and subject to frequent strikes and delays
I don’t care whether private or public, but when I have to pay £30-50 to get return tickets to London terminals from the east coast - that is what I object to. It is why cars despite the running costs largely owing to artificial taxes and growing parking restrictions, remain king. With a car I can go wherever. Whenever. With whoever and carry far more shopping or luggage than I could via train. I don’t have to sit with undesirable or the obnoxious. I can choose to listen to music or not. I can regulate the temperature to my needs and I can adjust the seat for my comfort. I can stop and take a break. And I am not stuck on a cold and or rainy lonely platform for an age waiting for my next connection only to find they have cancelled it and to wait even longer. Apart from the rarity of very extreme road rage, I am not in danger of being attacked, robbed, or potential to be blown up or spontaneously catch fire, unless I had an electric car perhaps. 😂 and my ICE car is no less green than diesel or indeed electric trains which lets be honest, draw their electric through fossil fuel powered power stations. Now sell me overpriced trains please.
I 100% disagree with unelected Starmer and his unelected government too. Starmer is not for our uk nation for what he plans to do our uk nation opposes it. We left EU in 2020 thi was done through our uk nation vote to leave now Starmer just brings it back not in agreement with our uk nation. 80% didn't vote for Labour and Labour will be forced out of power soon. This is all crap sick of it Starmer is a disgrace
Why do you have to be so negative .The Kings Speech aims to start correcting the mess the Tories have made over the last fourteen years .The country is in a mess and the railways are a prime example .The Tory government have had to step in and take over failed franchises , it's nothing new .Try and be a little more objective with your criticism.
I accept it wasn't great - but come on, privatisation of rail has failed utterly. It's just lined shareholders and executives pockets - and hasn't resulted in a better surface. We are still handing out subsidy(much more so than when rail was nationally owned - that shouldn't happen under privatisation.
