The Tories on Rail

In the Grauniad, the Tories talk about rail. More specifically, the utter balls-up they made of it when they privatised the industry:

The Conservatives will today admit that the privatisation of the railways under John Major in the 1990s was a mistake that inflicted costs on both passengers and the taxpayer as well as hindering expansion.

Launching a Conservative Rail Review today the shadow transport secretary Chris Grayling will say that privatisation pushed up the cost of running the railway system – and hence fares – and the party will not seek to reprivatise the system if it returns to power.

Well, that pretty much states the obvious. I don’t think anyone seriously expects a prospective Tory government to re-privatise àla Railtrack in much the same way that no one seriously expected the incoming Labour government to re-nationalise àla British Rail. Unless you count Bob Crow, that is. But, then, Bob’s planet orbits a different sun to this one. Oh, no, the situation was too far advanced for wholesale grab-back by the state. The expense needed would have undermined other polices, so until the fiasco of the Railtrack grab-back; oh, sorry, the time Railtrack, through its inability to manage its affairs; due to the government stopping its funding; went into Railway administration, the department of Transport pretty much left the festering mess alone for the first year or so.

A series of incidents; Paddington and Hatfield predominantly; exposed just how the fractured industry failed to operate as a cohesive whole and how failures in competence management picked up by one part of the industry failed to reach those that mattered, leaving the industry and its passengers exposed; tragically as it turned out. Separating the track and signalling infrastructure from the trains running on it was the ultimate piss-poor idea. It was obviously a piss-poor idea when mooted by the Major government. I, as a signaller at the time could see it. Others I spoke to in the industry could see it. This whole plan had catastrophic cock-up writ large in flashing neon letters three miles high all over it, yet Major and his cabinet either did not or would not see it. The logic behind the horizontal split; of removing a state run monopoly and avoiding a series of regional monopolies simply created Railtrack; a monopoly and a series of steadily growing train operating companies that effectively became monopolies by engulfing the smaller players. Sometimes, a monopoly is the nature of the beast.

Chris Grayling continues:

Speaking to a meeting of rail industry figures Mr Grayling will say: “We think, with hindsight, that the complete separation of track and train into separate businesses at the time of privatisation was not right for our railways.”

“We think that the separation has helped push up the cost of running the railways – and hence fares – and is now slowing decisions about capacity improvements.”

“Too many people and organisations are now involved in getting things done – so nothing happens. As a result, the industry lacks clarity about who is in charge and accountable for decisions.”

Thanks for that, Chris. Now tell us something that was not blindingly obvious fifteen years ago.