In advance of today’s Kings Speech, which includes new Bills relating to both buses and railways, it is perhaps time to reflect on the period since privatisation.
In his truly excellent history of British Rail (https://lnkd.in/deB69hqb) Christian Wolmar explains that the fully nationalised British Rail was in enviably good shape at the moment it was privatised by the Major Government (a process that had started under the Thatcher administration). In reality, privatisation at that time was almost certainly more about ideology than necessity.
And prior to British Rail, although the privatised “Big Four” railways companies were innovating on the competing routes from London to Scotland, for example, their was little commitment to public service elsewhere. Many branch lines and suburban monopoly services were poorly run, with no real competition to drive change or improvement.
Thinking through the last few decades of railway history then - what have the years since privatisation taught us?
Probably that some things might very well be better run and managed by the public sector - by all means contracting out services and supply, but with a guiding hand that has public service in mind. Industries like the water sector and other utilities spring to mind, as does the NHS. But railways should definitely be one of them.
From a user perspective, just think how Great British Railways could streamline ticketing, with a simple fare structure, through-ticketing with a single click purchase. And I’m praying it will end the ridiculous situation that, when I travel to London from Haywards Heath I can’t use a digital Travelcard. Nope - I have to collect a paper card from the station - which invariably fails to work in the barriers at the London terminus.
I have high hopes for the rail aspects of the Transport Bill (and the bus measures too, which will allow municipally run services again!)
I can’t remember where I heard a similar phrase, but I think it could be time to “Make Britain’s Railway Great Again”!!
