renationalising railways

Germanshepherdsmum

I have heard no mention of the phenomenal cost of renationalisation. And yet I watched Emily Thornberry being interviewed yesterday, saying that there would be no uncosted policies.

If Labour wait for the operating contracts to fall in there won't be significant costs. But I wish Labour would focus also on the water monopolies which should never have been created.

Katie59

We only use the train to get to city centres because parking in any city centre is so difficult, other destinations it’s just so much quicker by car, cross country by train is difficult

If I'm travelling alone, I travel quite often by train (with my Senior Railcard), but only if I can get a decent price. I'm not ready to give up on my little car yet.

The "lottery" involved in buying tickets is frustrating. I'd also like to see better co-ordination between local bus services and train arrivals.

I'm lucky because the station in my town is on the Stansted Airport line, so trains are quite frequent - although (as I discovered recently) trains don't run early enough if you have an early morning flight.

Just to point out it's not just about passengers. Getting freight back on the roads as part of a positive plan going forward climate and other wise

We only use the train to get to city centres because parking in any city centre is so difficult, other destinations it’s just so much quicker by car, cross country by train is difficult

I think that our railways seem to be still dwelling in the 18th century in as much as they are a domain unto themselves ie transport police, and all these complicated fares and rules about tickets and a lack of connection between what the travelling, paying, public expect with regard to decent conditions and what they actually get.
I feel the same about the good old Post Office now.

The trains and fares in Europe are better I think. We are going from Brive to Marseille in May by train. I booked the seats about 6 weeks ago. The cost for 2 of us travelling 1st class was a little over 100 euros (for both of us) each way.

In order to get the cheap tickets you usually have to book around 90 days in advance.

Unfortunately, Beeching and Marples did indeed have connections with road construction …

I think that HS2 should be restarted. Capacity on the west coast mainline is just about exhausted and we really should be getting cars and freight lorries off the roads. 😇

Beeching was a disaster really. But didn't the Transport Minister have connections with the road construction industry... Motorways were the future...

Got it in one. The leopards won’t change their spots.

Even higher running costs and even more highly paid train drivers, then more strikes.

You may not have noticed, Spabby, but the majority of water companies also deal with sewage disposal.

yes that's true, water & sewage come first, but maybe they can be done together

Urmstongran

I must admit RENFE in Spain works admirably well. 90% of trains are on time, clean, efficient and the tickets are so cheap. I regularly went from Málaga airport six stops for €1.80 to my holiday apartment. Plus the trains were every 20 minutes! Fantastic if we could be like their system.

I second RENFE I have used that line since I was seventeen (Oh my gosh, 50 years this year 😱)

A big no from me. Why should the majority pay for the relative few who have access to trains

Water and sewage would get a big yes

Renationalising the water companies is not achievable in five years though. That doesn’t mean steps won’t be taken for it to happen, and Thames Water will probably go back into public ownership in that timescale. I’m glad they are keeping their feet on the ground, because it would be foolish to promise what they patently wouldn’t be able to deliver in the timescale of one parliament.

GrannyGravy13

It’s a no from me.

If anything is to be prioritised for nationalisation it should be water & sewage.

This.

GrannyGravy13

It’s a no from me.

If anything is to be prioritised for nationalisation it should be water & sewage.

Yes, water and sewage first!

That is an absolute priority, we all need water to live.

It’s about where the work is - the line is being extended to urban areas in Wales, the metro development is aimed at getting people from Valleys towns to Cardiff, Newport and Swansea, which is where a lot of the work in South Wales now is. It would be adapted for each area of the UK though, so built into the planning of new and extended suburbs of cities. It’s quite possible - it would be interesting to hear what’s happening in Scotland too. I live near a market town, they tend to be more self sufficient, and too far from cities so people don’t need or want to commute daily - it’s all about volume.

It's not exactly nationalisation if you look at it.

Just saying.

Wait for the Tories to start talking about curly sandwiches.
Although from what I have been reading the Labour plan is broadly based on a Conservative idea.

Quote from The Guardian:

"Ownership aside, Labour’s plans for a separate arm’s-length body to run the railway are very much on the track laid out by the Conservatives – underlined by the endorsement of Keith Williams, who drew up essentially the same scheme for Boris Johnson and Grant Shapps."

I must admit RENFE in Spain works admirably well. 90% of trains are on time, clean, efficient and the tickets are so cheap. I regularly went from Málaga airport six stops for €1.80 to my holiday apartment. Plus the trains were every 20 minutes! Fantastic if we could be like their system.

You mentioned the service reach being extended Casdon. I remember how extensive the network was before the axe fell. Many who commute into cities don’t live in suburbia, but in the countryside as I did. One used to be able to get to the nearest market towns quickly and easily on the branch lines - that was what many, especially older people, needed to do. Not everyone wants to live and work in or near cities.

Nobody is suggesting the Beeching cuts are reversed are they Germanshepherdsmum, if they are I haven’t heard?
If you visit modern cities many have rail lines which run alongside major roads, and branch lines from suburbs are created to form metro systems. The idea is to move large numbers of people from suburban areas to where they work en masse.

The effect of Beeching’s axing of branch lines can never be reversed. So many of the old tracks have been sold off, built on and can never be reopened. An absolute disgrace, felt most by rural communities.

I agree TinSoldier, trains are an essential part of a joined up, greener transport system. The aim ultimately should for them to become the default transport into major cities. To achieve that the infrastructure has to be upgraded and the service reach extended. It’s just common sense, and it’s already happening in other countries.