Re: West Coast Mainline Deal Ditched : Thu Oct 11, 2012 2:47 pm  

Richie wrote:

A rail route is not a market. It's a route.
People that need to travel between locations A and B are a market.

People that are looking to travel between locations A and B via rail, is a market. They've already made their choice.

If I wanted to buy some cereal for breakfast, but there was only one place in the town that sold cereal, but for £10 a box - that would be a monopoly on cereal in that town, however, I would still have the alternative of having something else for breakfast.

Re: West Coast Mainline Deal Ditched : Thu Oct 11, 2012 2:47 pm  

I always find travelling by yacht or hang glider to be the most efficient method of travel.

Trains? Going directly from one place to another? Get stuffed.

Re: West Coast Mainline Deal Ditched : Thu Oct 11, 2012 2:49 pm  

Sandra The Terrorist wrote:

I always find travelling by yacht or hang glider to be the most efficient method of travel.

Trains? Going directly from one place to another? Get stuffed.

They are absolutely fantastic if you live in one train station and work in another train station. As long as both stations are on the same line.

[DaveO]

Re: West Coast Mainline Deal Ditched : Thu Oct 11, 2012 2:49 pm  

Barnabus wrote:

A monoploy isn't based upon whether there is an alternative, e.g. train or bus, it's based upon whether one organisation has complete control of a particular market, this market being a rail route between A and B.

Can other rail companies enter this market? No. It's a monopoly.

Exactly. Suggesting it isn't because you could walk it is one of the dumbest things I have seen posted in the sin bin.

Re: West Coast Mainline Deal Ditched : Thu Oct 11, 2012 2:53 pm  

Chris28 wrote:

We are going round in circles. I've already mentioned that it is the quickest way to get there. That's why I want to use it. If I want to go to London by another method I will. My company pays for my travel too and the most cost effective way for them is for me to travel by train. So let's talk about trains in the train thread eh?

Now, which other train companies can I use on my train journey to get the train direct from Sheffield train station to a train station in central London?

We are not going around in circles. You have said why you prefer the train (it's quick and you think cost effective) but of course it's not the only method of travel, and therefore not a monopoly.

Now of course, if you insist there is only one possible way for you to travel, then of course we are going to get stuck on the point that there is only one possible way for you to travel.

Re: West Coast Mainline Deal Ditched : Thu Oct 11, 2012 2:55 pm  

Barnabus wrote:

People that are looking to travel between locations A and B via rail, is a market. They've already made their choice.

What choice have they made? That they're looking to travel between A and B? Or that they are looking to travel to A and B via rail?

Barnabus wrote:

If I wanted to buy some cereal for breakfast, but there was only one place in the town that sold cereal, but for £10 a box - that would be a monopoly on cereal in that town, however, I would still have the alternative of having something else for breakfast.

It would. It would not be a monopoly on your provision of cereal (you could, and just examples order via the internet and get it delivered, you could travel, you could ask someone to collect it for you) so it's quite a worthless analogy.

Re: West Coast Mainline Deal Ditched : Thu Oct 11, 2012 2:58 pm  

Richie wrote:

Now of course, if you insist there is only one possible way for you to travel, then of course we are going to get stuck on the point that there is only one possible way for you to travel.

In the circumstances, there is.

I give up.

Re: West Coast Mainline Deal Ditched : Thu Oct 11, 2012 3:00 pm  

Chris28 wrote:

In the circumstances, there is.

Seriously? So if you were banned from the train, it would be absolutely impossible for you to travel to London?

Re: West Coast Mainline Deal Ditched : Thu Oct 11, 2012 3:07 pm  

Richie wrote:

Seriously? So if you were banned from the train, it would be absolutely impossible for you to travel to London?

Like I said, I give up.

Re: West Coast Mainline Deal Ditched : Thu Oct 11, 2012 3:07 pm  

Richie wrote:

What choice have they made? That they're looking to travel between A and B? Or that they are looking to travel to A and B via rail?

It would. It would not be a monopoly on your provision of cereal (you could, and just examples order via the internet and get it delivered, you could travel, you could ask someone to collect it for you) so it's quite a worthless analogy.

Fair enough - This shop is the only place I can get cereal from, no other companies offer it online, no shops elsewhere. It's expensive and they're the only place I can get it from. That's a monopoly. I do have the alternative not to eat cereal or to do what my mate does and eat a mars bar for breakfast.

The market is what the person choses it to be. If that choice is to travel by rail from A to B (irrespective of the reasons why) then that is the market. They aren't looking to travel by bus or by car, they've already made their minds up.

Unfortunately for them, there's only one company within this particular market, they have no competition and no competitor is bale to enter this market (a monopoly). An alternative, would be a bus or a car journey, but these are just alternatives, as is the alternative not to travel atall, they're not directly in competition.