Archive - Monday, 8 February 2010


Find by date

Other ways to search

Also look for

Never miss anything again. Sign up for our RSS news feeds and Newsletters.

Enough is enough – return our train rails to public ownership

I agree with the article by Adam Trimingham that suggests rail services need to get back on track (The Argus, February 3) and that Lord Adonis should strip First Capital Connect of its franchise. But I don’t think they should be given any more chances – as I’m sure many commuters will agree, enough is enough!

The desperately poor service and the bone-rattling carriages make for an unreliable and uncomfortable journey. Many commuters who might use this service have given up, opting instead to travel on Southern trains and then take the Tube across London.

One woman told me that FCC’s inefficiency has added an hour a day to her journey, giving her problems with childcare, whilst others tell me they have all but given up on enjoying evening leisure time.

The best solution for Britain’s railways is a return to public ownership and a reintegration of track and train. While Mr Trimingham claims British Rail was “almost universally reviled”, we should remember it survived on a shoestring budget compared with the Government subsidy paid to today’s franchises. If the railway is to realise its full potential in delivering a greener and more sustainable future, we must have a more reliable, affordable service.

Nancy Platts
Labour parliamentary candidate for Brighton Pavilion


Comments (3)

08/02/10

NotGreen says...

But Nancy where would the accountability be if the railways were renationalised?

Could you have imagined BR offering refunds for poor service?

Plus after 12 miserable years of Labour rule, why are the railways no better?

Your dying party has had its chance and failed with transport rather miserably.

09/02/10

clearbluesky says...

I agree totally about renationalisation of the railways. The railway network is an artery of the economy and the often ridiculous prices and total inefficiency of many operators have a broadly negative economic impact, not to mention the personal misery that they cause.

And renationalisation needn't be a return to the homogenous style of British Rail. Through an open market operation the government could acquire all of the train operators which would run as independent companies under government ownership. "Profits" could then be reinvested in trains or lower fares, the managers of successful operators could be moved to the under performing operators and best practice could be shared around the network.

09/02/10

greghewitt says...

I agree with Nancy Platts. We appear to have forgotten what the railways were, a public service that should serve the public. Just imagine if the millions of pounds spent in subsidies to private train operating companies who's only interest is to the share holders could be spent on reinvestment in the infrastructure. We could have a world class service that would be the envy of the world. Unfortunately at the moment there is no political will. Yet the general public agree in survey after survey that the railways should be publicly run and publicly owned.