ProperCharlie

So network rail are taking all maintenance contracts back in house. (guess what our company does ). Is it going to be a return to the madly efficient and cost effective days of BR? I just hope this crowd knows what they are doing....

NACRO

I think even British Rail did a better job of running the railways than the current set up. Any change has to be for the good. At the moment it's a not very funny, dangerous joke.

ProperCharlie

NARCO - I agree that there's a lot wrong with the current set-up. However, I certainly don't agree that any change has to be for the good. If you are going to change something, you need to change it to a better model than the existing one. Interestingly, if you look at the no. of fatalities per passenger mile during the privatised era, and compare it to the BR era, there is not a significant increase.

TopBanana

It'll only work if Network Rail's net inefficiency is less than the profit the private companies were creaming off. Remains to be seen.

NACRO

Have to admit I was under the impression that fatalities had increased, thanks for putting me right on that score. Has punctuality remained the same or improved? Overcrowding? Perhaps I'm guilty of imagining all these have got worse when in reality it's just as cr*p as ever.
I thought privatising our railways was meant to improve them?
When I look at SNCF( state owned and run)and the Dutch railways I can't help thinking what is it that is so wrong in the UK that we can't have a world class railway as well?

Scooby96

"there is not a significant increase"

But there has been an increase yes?

ProperCharlie

TBH I can't remember the exact figures - there might have even been a slight decrease. This was from a Network Rail source. The reason we don't have a world class railway is we don't spend world class money on it. The idea that it should make a profit is wrong - it is part of the national infrastructure. Also, no-one will ever agree to a line being closed to allow engineering to take place. Trying to do maintenance and renewals in 2 or 3 hour shifts at night is what lead to much of the spiralling costs and the shoddy standards.

ProperCharlie

have a look at this

edited to say that the graph shows total railway passenger fatalities per year from 1975 to 2003.

[Edited by ProperCharlie - 10/24/2003 12:11:55 PM]

boomer

Interesting stuff at http://www.hse.gov.uk/railways/howsafe.htm!










...although if you had to draw a trend line through the graphs i would rather be in a car, bus or coach!!!

And as for the quote "Even though major train crashes have occurred approximately every two years, they are very infrequent when the total number of rail journeys is considered. Rail travel remains a much safer means of travelling than the private car (about six times as safe)." - seeing as i haven't set foot on a train in several years, and yet i have driven probably over 100,000 miles in that time, and i am still alive - it does seem a bit biased!!!

mb