Re: West Coast Mainline Deal Ditched : Thu Oct 04, 2012 9:39 am  

I was.

Re: West Coast Mainline Deal Ditched : Thu Oct 04, 2012 9:56 am  

jonny the leyther wrote:

I was.

What? You never ran on time?

Re: West Coast Mainline Deal Ditched : Thu Oct 04, 2012 10:10 am  

Always, pity my colleagues didn't have the same attitude.

Re: West Coast Mainline Deal Ditched : Thu Oct 04, 2012 10:35 am  

You never get that sort of thing in the world of private business etc, do you?

Just coke sniffing in the City, say ...

Re: West Coast Mainline Deal Ditched : Thu Oct 04, 2012 11:40 am  

Big Graeme wrote:

Not really, I read it as the same results could have been achieved if BR had been allowed to raise funds in the same way the privatised rail companies did.

You read it exactly right, that is what I meant.
Cheaper results actually, as BR wouldn't have had to pay dividends.

Re: West Coast Mainline Deal Ditched : Thu Oct 04, 2012 12:08 pm  

jonny the leyther wrote:

So what you're saying is, privatisation worked because it induced investment?

Not really an argument against my point that.

Don't know where I said that privatisation "worked".
I said that the same investment could have been got without privatisation.

[Wanderer]

Re: West Coast Mainline Deal Ditched : Thu Oct 04, 2012 7:49 pm  

John_D wrote:

Like Deutche Bahn have been, you mean?

I deal with DB Schenker Rail on a daily basis ... not a clue how they run a railway and nor it would appear have they.

Re: West Coast Mainline Deal Ditched : Thu Oct 04, 2012 7:57 pm  

Wanderer wrote:

I deal with DB Schenker Rail on a daily basis ... not a clue how they run a railway and nor it would appear have they.

Call me old fashioned but it's a shame to see EWS trains rebranded as BD Schenker Rail, it's like something else has died

Re: West Coast Mainline Deal Ditched : Sun Oct 07, 2012 10:45 pm  

Public transport should never have been privatised. It should be run by the state on a not for profit basis in order to provide the infrastucture for business (private and public sector) to operate smoothly for the benefit of the country as a whole. How on earth can you expect the government to provide an integrated green transport and energy policy if the transport system is run to provide dividends for the shares holder rather than to meet the country's needs. As stated previously, how can a company that needs to pay a dividend to shareholders run a comparable service that is cheaper to operate than a business that runs on a not for profit basis where all excess funds are reinvested in the system ?

Re: West Coast Mainline Deal Ditched : Mon Oct 08, 2012 4:14 pm  

dr_feelgood wrote:

As stated previously, how can a company that needs to pay a dividend to shareholders run a comparable service that is cheaper to operate than a business that runs on a not for profit basis where all excess funds are reinvested in the system ?

Because the state has a bloody terrible history of running services, the railways will never make a profit in government hands, all we can expect is a better service without paying more to subsidise it.