How to save the Railways: Proper Management

Britain's Railways are broken, but how do we fix them? In this new series, I'll explore the ideas that I think can turn around our transport and get the British (but specifically English) network to a better position.

Music:

Zula - Mini Vandals

Photography:

Electra Rail

Hitachi

Photo: Sergeant Tom Robinson RLC/MOD, OGL v1.0OGL v1.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Best Impressions

Peter Skuce, User:Spsmiler, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

British Rail Manual

Transport for Greater Manchester

Department for Transport

#transport #railways #uk

[Adam-pkte]

I read Christian Wolmar's book on British Rail (the making breaking of our trains) recently and it basically convinced me we need to go back to British Rail in 1993, although I think basically copying places like Denmark or Germany would work with a level of independence from the Department for Transport (roads). Very good video

[Mgameing]

I agree with your idea. But honestly another thing needed is intergrated ticketing between buses & trains. Like why not make it possible to use a train ticket to get a free bus ride to your destination within the town the station is in. I get it that we have plusbus but it would save people money with an intergrated public transport ticketing system.

[clangerbasher]

I stopped going to London and Manchester when I couldn't just turn up at a station, pay my fare, and wait no more half an hour for a train.

[harrierjames]

I can't wait to see Rutland's local transport authority

[Matthewscrimbly]

Part 2 should be better infrastructure (trains, rails, stations) make railways nicer and more efficient to run

[thetrainspotter]

A fantastic and fascinating video, the UK railways is in desperate need of change

[robtyman]

Make them all 'not for profit' organisations. So that most of the money generated, goes back into improving the system....or in this case, the network. It's time to cut out shareholders altogether. They're not necessary. They just get in the way, and exert too much influence. Many are also Tory voters who donate to the Tory party.

[manomaylr]

Lots of suggestions here!!

I think in terms of the branding I liked the “sectorised” branding BR used to have, ie InterCity, Regional Railways, NSE.

In your new system I’d retain InterCity, and have two liveries.
Mainline trains can use the Swallow livery (the variant planned for the InterCity 250, as this fits multiple units better, with a new more modern font for the word “InterCity”)
High speed services (HS2 only, as HS1 domestic is *regional*, not intercity, high speed) should have their own distinct livery, maybe “InterCity Ultraspeed” and an eagle instead of a swallow?!

To be honest I’m quite invested in InterCity returning to a heyday of some sort so as well as those slick liveries that really bring out speed, I would significantly raise quality of service.
Firstly sort out the ironing board seats once and for all!
Also add MUCH better catering to BOTH classes of travel (ideally with a restaurant car, or at least hot food in both classes!)
I’d bring back Network SouthEast but I’d also have for example “Network NorthEast” around Newcastle, “Network WestMids” around Birmingham, “Network NorthWest” around Manchester, “Network SouthWest” around Bristol / Exeter etc.
All of these will of course be operated by the wider metropolitan area transport authorities you speak of and will have their own unique branding.

There will be some longer distance regional services and if needed we could keep a Regional Railways brand to mop those up, I just don’t think InterCity should deal with stoppers.

[hoof]

The starting point would have to be how the system is re-nationalised. Buying out those current franchises that aren’t already under direct government control would cost us the taxpayers a fortune running into £bns. So re-nationalising would have to allow those franchises to expire and not renew the contracts. So to take back the operations would take years to avoid yet another hit to the treasury (us). The time in between now and that could be used fruitfully in planning structures etc. assuming a conservative government (and they lose power next year) didn’t come into power again and just turn it all upside down again. It’s not so simple when you stop to think about it. And I suspect an incoming government would not have renationalisation high on their agenda certainly until a second or even third term. Well that’s my thinking anyway.

[signalpassedatdanger]

Despite the fact all of this would help and this is slightly petty it would be rather boring and uninteresting if all liverys were the same (and possibly all the trains were the same in their separate bodies); i would much prefer somthing like Br late sectorisation or similar where different route categories (regional, stopping, commuter, ect) use different liverys and the trains could be chosen by that categories operator meaning very likely you would see alot more variety and a mix of old and new. Obviously just a thought but would love to see it!

[goncalobaptista]

Thanks for this video, I’m from Portugal and I had no ideia that your railway was so dysfunctional. One remark tho, you country decided to privatise the railway because they wanted to, almost every country in EU still has its own public rail operator….

[lonun]

Will the operation of railways be much better if the Big Four companies have returned? They would know how to run railways and still have competition amongst themselves.

[DonaldTrumpIsGreat]

The Railway's Need Fixing Big Time 👍

[sandletters]

I wonder where would we start if the railways are brought back into public ownership. Might end up with a programme of rationalisation of the locomotives and rolling stock similar to the 1960s National Traction Plan.

[kenjohnson]

Can't agree, sorry. Before Beeching, nobody had any idea how much the railway cost. We were better off when the railways simply blundered ahead without any of the financial controls and constraints that Beeching and his successors imposed on them. Fares were lower, services were better, there were more stations and there were more trains and more track. So, have enough financial control to ensure that money from the sale of tickets doesn't get embezzled and the staff and suppliers get paid, and forget about targets, budgets, return on capital employed etc. Yer average passenger doesn't even know what they are, let alone give twopence.

Secondly, do not purchase from the existing owners of stock, track, stations, ice cream fridges etc. Requisition from the operators everything they own without compensation. These operators were entrusted with billions of pounds' worth of assets and they have reduced the value of them, in some cases (Teesside Airport station for instance) to zero. They should be requisitioned at the current value of the assets, that is, nothing.

Thirdly, forget what colour it should be. What's wrong with trains being different colours? I, too, like the old British Railways maroon livery and the dignified and distinctive British Railways roundel. Instead, cancel all new highway construction and instead begin a fifty year programme of railway construction, restoring most of the lines that Ernest Marples and Tom Fraser closed in the early 1960s. How we miss them all.

Fourthly, bring back Sleeper trains, Motorail trains and restaurant cars. A Sleeper train that charges more than £200 for a one way trip from London to Scotland is no service at all.

Fifthly, slash fares to about one tenth of their present level.


Ken Johnson (MSc Transport Engineering)

[AdamfromBristol]

I actually think the EU regulations on rail were quite good. I understand with a perfect government and transit agency nationalisation is more efficient, but governments change and a government of austerity can replace a government that cares about funding railways. That is what EU regulations prevented.

[chrismundy]

Didn’t expect to see tisbury in the video 😂

[lardyman]

Privarisation had been a farse, public transit definitionally is for the public good, there can be profitable lines, but, these exist to subsidise the less profitable ones, for this reason, I hope there is always a pathway for private companies to operate trains if they can find a profitable route and wish to compete with GBR Great Britsh Railways.

Also very much agree that there should be TFL equivalents for devolved regions once again taken into public ownership.

Developing our pwn locos again might be very difficult, especially outside of the EU where those people with the skills are.

[laurenceskinnerton]

Personally I think community interest companies would be a way forward similar to the way the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway is run.

[wisehat_yt]

i’ll save the railways single handedly