Wednesday 1 July 2009

Rail Franchises

Is it just me or does anyone else think that this whole sale by Government of rail operators franchises for a premium is just another way of taxing passengers?
Ignoring for the moment the appalling level of subsidy enjoyed by Network Rail it seems to me that this franchise fee stripped out of the operating profits of the traincos is just another tax levied on the poor bloody travelling public. How much better if Network Rail simply charged for the service of providing functional and reliable permanent way. Or better yet privatise the railway properly.

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