Travelling by train

siremoon

Stuckfast said:

I've spent six hours on trains so far today. Mostly OK but why Cross Country don't put longer trains on the Stansted-Birmingham route baffles me. They are ALWAYS packed.

It's very simple really.  BR had autonomy to run the trains how it saw fit within the constraints of the revenue and subsidy it received from Government.  The privatised Train Operating Companies have to run a service level defined by the DfT using rolling stock types and numbers specified by the DfT and no changes are permitted to anything without DfT approval.  Cross Country have no spare trains to strengthen services and cannot get any without DfT approval which isn't forthcoming. 

Just to top it off serviceable trains are being scrapped weekly (4 this week) and others are laid up in sidings with little hope they will be used again.  Cross Country capacity could be doubled quite easily in the next 2 years with the trains becoming available but the DfT are not prepared to fund it. 

The railway of today has the most micro management by government than at any time in its 200 year history.  The Government is even specifying new trains (and making a right mess of it too).  Those wanting nationalisation don't realise it is already nationalised in all but name.

jonnyburgo

I have a train track at the bottom of my garden. Buxton-Manchester line. 2 overstuffed carriages at peak time and 3 empty carriages off peak. I despair.