Radical rail idea

The announcement of a 9 per cent increase in rail fares is more bad news for the public. It’s unavoidable due to rising costs, says a spokesman for Strategic Rail Authority.

Since privatisation by the Tories in 1993 our railways have been a debacle. Anyone who believes that more than 100 private companies scrambling for a piece of the action were all focused and dedicated to bringing greater efficiency and better service to the public, at an affordable cost, lives in cloud cuckoo land.

Look at Europe – Dutch rail, owned by government; German rail, owned by government; French rail, owned by Government; Italian rail, owned by government, and all reliable, fast and efficient services, with good safety records, and all cost regulated.

They all seem to understand that it’s a public service.

What if the UK government cemented all the fractions, fragments and pieces of the UK rail network, and placed everything under the responsibility of a Minister for Transport and named it British Rail? Radical, I know, but it just might work.

Derek Marks

Brook Street

Broughty Ferry, Dundee