Expensive Rip Off

Categories: uncategorized

Date: 10 August 2008 19:54:07

Today has been a quiet and relaxing day. This morning we went to buy our train tickets for next weekend.

Why is it that it costs more to buy your ticket online from the country's main train ticket website? By going to the railway station we saved almost £30 on our total cost for three tickets. This is not the first time that I have heard about this. Private Eye, and the trade magazines, have pointed this out before. It is one of the downsides of the privatisation of our rail industry.

Though I am a conserative I do believe that this was a misconceived policy. Why give out franchises that have a short shelf life, in business terms; do not own their trains, and do not control and maintain their tracks. The railways are sucking up more subsidy than they did under British Railways. The franchise holders are at the mercy of a government that micro manages their business, of which they know nothing. Not even British Rail had to deal with this level of interference.

The present government have taken the weak privatisation and made it worse. They have installed a regulator that is weaker than that in place before; the infrastructure company is still geared to removing money from the company in bonuses and with little oversight; there is no real accountability for anyone; the train leasing companies are overcharging for trains and no new stock is introduced without government's prior instructions; the operating companies have their hands tied on timetabling and are extracting more money for less risk.

History Today:

1675: The foundation stone of the Greenwich Observatory is laid. The Observatory is under the patronage of King Charles II. He wanted to look closer at Nell Gwynne's cleavage - alledgedly.

1911: THe House of Lords loses its power of veto over legislation. This brings an end to a two year constitutional crisis. Does this sound familiar?

1920: The Ottoman Empire is dismembered by the victorious allies, under the Treaty of Sevres.

1962: French and Italian engineers meet under Mont Blanc and decide that the tunnel dug should be opened to traffic.