Limits to Travel
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Blog - June 2010

Rail travel growth

Since the railway was privatised, passenger travel in Britain has grown by 60%.  Seems like a big success - except that the government is bearing nearly half of the total cost, not what was intended at the time of privatisation. 

Is this bouyancy of demand a reflection of under-pricing, or is it that the costs of running the railway are excessive and could be reduced substantially?  A progress report of a rail value for money study, for the Department for Transport, confirms that UK costs are high compared with European railways and judges that on present trends the cost to the Government going forward is likely to be unsustainable.  The outcome of this study,to be delivered in a climate of financial stringency, will be important for the future of the rail sytem.

Posted on 17 of June 2010

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