On the National Express, there’s a jolly hostess, selling crisps and tea. She’ll provide you with drinks and theatrical winks for a sky-high fee. We’re going where the air is free. Tomorrow belongs to me. Lyrics from ‘National Express,’ by The Divine Comedy. Surely some mistake? Privatised train operators are supposed to make a profit [...]
Category Archives: rail
Is Sir Jams Crosby is about to leap aboard another gravy train?
February 23, 2009 – 7:28 pm
Just when you thought it was safe to get back on the buses, one of the undead emerges to cause a train wreck. File this one under ‘you couldn’t make it up’ . . . . . By John J Kelly As we know from our unhealthy obsession with The Godfather, when Roman generals failed their [...]
British Rail Fares 50% higher than Europe – why oh why etc.
February 19, 2009 – 7:04 pm
There should be a sign upon disembarking at London St Pancras International train terminal: “Welcome to Britain, where everything’s a lot dearer and a little bit rubbish.” By John J Kelly A report by Passenger Focus has told us something we already know: British rail passengers, especially commuters, pay 50% more for our generally uncomfortable [...]
The Great Train Robbers
November 24, 2008 – 11:18 am
The iniquity of the UK train operators’ stranglehold on a captive traveller since the botched 1993 privatisation, when a patchwork of mini-monopolies replaced the monolithic British Rail is well-documented. The network itself – tracks, stations, signals, overhead electric cables and all the costly stuff needed to run a railway – collapsed accordingly and was taken [...]