The LNER Encyclopedia

It would be interesting to see what enthusiasts of a private railway company think about how the railways have been privatised. I'm not asking wether you think the railways should be privatised, I'm just asking if you think privatisation has helped the railways. Personally, I think it has made our railways worse, however I do think they should be privatised.

Totally agree with you on privatisation being a bad thing. Mind you I liked class 47s on cross country traffic and 87 and 90s on passenger work on shap. The other downside is some liveries make you want to throw up (One for example). I would have prefered it that 1996 did not happern and Branson could keep his nose out of at least one transport area. The problem with privatisation is the differences in quality are easier to see. For example with the WCML up dation plan Cross Country Bered the brunt and the voyager by the time it gets to around the evening rush hour have the sess pits backing up in 1st class in some cases and the standard class floors are deep in rubish. Of course it would be better if the set up a group for Enthuseast and Steam fans to run trains on one part of the network (Settle Carlisle for one). The good thing about privatisation is that the lesser lines are getting more Jacobite style runs the owner thinking its a good way of making extra money. This is the only good thing I can see. Sorry about picking on Branson but the 125mph tilt has cost the North West a few key railtours (Leander on shap being the main one)

I agree on Branson and Virgin Trains. Everything about them is bad.

Some train companies have bettered BR (GNER, Chiltern, WAGN) etc, on the whole I don't think it has improved the railways. I don't think they are much worse though (backtracking on my previuos post).

I'm not sure. I never knew the pre-nationalisation railways, but I do recall that during the BR days their was signifcant neglect of stock and properties. The photographs I have seen of neglected loco's, roofless sheds, and the run down stations and buildings that I remember in the 1970's makes me wonder if maybe privatisation might not be such a bad thing.

Whichever way t works out it is fair to say that in North America we pay only lip service to mass transit in this land where the car is King and the power of the almighty dollar determines far too much of public policy.

John

It could be that when talking of privatisation most people only consider the effect on passenger services. What appears to have improved is the amount of freight that is moved by rail. The private freight companies seem, to my eyes at least, to get off their backsides and go and look for new flows, were under the nationalised system the picture always gave the impression of contraction and loss of traffic. One example was the flow of molases from Wolverhampton to Menstrie, the customer wanted to continue to use rail, but the line needed quite a bit of track renewal so BR included that cost in full against the contract. Surely it would have been better to seek additional traffic on the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine line and spread the cost? Now some 15 years later the line is being completely renewed from its 'mothballed' condition to help remove coal trains from crossing the Forth Bridge and release more paths for badly needed additional passenger trains over the Firth of Forth.

Peter K.

I work in today's privatised railway industry, and I worked for British Rail for several years pre-privatisation.

Today's railways are busier than they have been at any time since WW2 (and on a substantially smaller network), and they are safer than they have ever been. Although I am instinctively inclined towards vertical integration of infrastructure and train/station operation, and would not have voted for privatisation, I have to say that by most sensible measures (not "the toilets on the Pendolino fleet smell"), privatisation has been good for Britain's railways.

Like Peter K. I have noticed a significant increase in the quantity of rail bourne freight. I am a member of a model engineering society that has premises next to the ECML and we meet for running days on Sundays. There is always a regular prcession of freight and passenger trains. Much more than in BR days. Maybe the new train companies are prepared to work on Sundays, or the new companies have sorted out working practices (continental shifts) etc with the workforce.

Andy