UK Rail network to be nationalised

[The Future’s Blue!]

I tend to agree, but there will probably be some useful changes, such as the introduction of carnet tickets.

Going off the "Return to the Office" thread, a number of employers will be moving towards requiring the staff to be in the office 2-3 days per week, so a carnet style book of tickets will suit those people much better than the current rail seasoncard system

They won’t want to be losing money, mate, they’ll just reframe it. The private train company’s will still run them and the only reason I see the government coming is because the company’s aren’t making as much as they want so we‘ll sub it until the profits are back up. In the meantime they’ll try and strip away the rail workers rights, transfer them to lower paid/more hours contracts and probably get rid of most of the benefits they earn.

Not that I’m a cynic, of course.

 

[mat]

It's been a 10 year plan to take on the railway unions.



Tories broke the miners now they are going after the ones that beat Thatcher on a regular basis.

They will use a different tactic. I witnessed it at the high court a couple of years ago where the TOC argued successfully our contractual dispute regarding an agreed small rostering clause contradicted consumer law and the union was ordered to pay £450,000.

 

[paulchapo]

It's been a 10 year plan to take on the railway unions.



Tories broke the miners now they are going after the ones that beat Thatcher on a regular basis.

They will use a different tactic. I witnessed it at the high court a couple of years ago where the TOC argued successfully our contractual dispute regarding an agreed small rostering clause contradicted consumer law and the union was ordered to pay £450,000.

Spot on. They'll dress it up under the smokescreen of jolly old Boris making Britain great again by sorting out those big bad private rail companies and giving us British rail back. As you say the reality will be to water down the rights and wages of the rail workers.

I was on strike in the NUS seaman's strike in Dover in 1988. First it was the miners, then the print workers, then us. They used all the new legislation drawn up after those strikes against us. Ironically Sir Jeffrey Sterling was the chairman of P&O and he helped draw up that very same legislation you couldn't make it up.

Branson taking over the West coast line improved it but at a huge cost for commuters. If you wanted to travel to London from Manchester return at peak times it was an eye watering £300+.

 

[Ifwecouldjust.......]

I am old enough to have spent many years using BR for commuting and regular long distance travel.
The trains were old and dirty and broke down regularly. The service was intermittent and unreliable.
Fares may have been cheaper in real terms, not sure.
Mainline stations were dirty and dangerous, in desperate need of refurbishment.
The treasury, faced with a choice between spending on the railways or some other vote winning measure, always neglected the railways.
How many times have plans for the network around M/cr been promised, cancelled, then promised and cancelled again?
It is 30 years since we were promised major improvements to the trans pennine route, still nothing.
TOCs are not exactly great at running the railways but I fear civil servants and politicians would be worse.
Tbf, Network Rail have done a reasonable job on the stations.
Overall BR was very poor.
Careful what you wish for from this money saving power grab.

Deliberately underfunded by the Tories so they had an excuse to sell it off mate.

 

[KS55]

Deliberately underfunded by the Tories so they had an excuse to sell it off mate.

Maybe, but it was underfunded ab initio. 1948 Labour

 

[remember arthur mann]

Branson taking over the West coast line improved it but at a huge cost for commuters. If you wanted to travel to London from Manchester return at peak times it was an eye watering £300+.

Using trains is certainly a rich man's game.

 

[paulchapo]

Using trains is certainly a rich man's game.

I used to commute on them regularly, I grew to hate them. I used to always sit in the quiet zone and had lots of arguments with selfish arseholes totally ignoring it, almost coming to blows a few times.

 

[Vic]

The last dictator to promise to make the trains run on time ended up hanging upside down.

 

[bluethrunthru]

Deliberately underfunded by the Tories so they had an excuse to sell it off mate.

what also has to be remembered is cars of the early/mid 90's were generally a lot less reliable than they are now - roads weren't as good, eg there was nothing like say the M42 to take you into West London and the A1/M1 link didn't exist so it was off the A1 and around the North of Leeds or stick with it and get on the M62 where it crossed the A1 miles to the East of Leeds........... people are brainwashed about the railways because they bought into the story the Tories told.

Its like how its "remembered" the 70's were terrible.....except when the Tories were in power because Heaths was a model govt - lol ! There has been a 50 year propaganda war waged by the Tories and their press baron mates that hs got us to where we are now - destroying whole sectors of the economy because folk believe another fake Tory narrative.

 

[remember arthur mann]

The last dictator to promise to make the trains run on time ended up hanging upside down.

That's what should happen to these government scrotes.