Railway crisis

Ah Railways - the chunter of engines, the smooth glide through rolling countryside - *wakes up* - the endless wait on crammed platforms, the travel conditions considered substandard for the movement of cattle. It never seems to get any better, no matter how much fares rise or investment figures are bandied about - despite even the constant upgrading of track and signals - the network seems incapable of speeding up. Part of this is admittedly our legacy of pioneering rail travel - Much of our line network was built in the steam age or the early diesel years - when passenger numbers were low, commuting didn't really exist beyond the inner cities, the ...  Read the complete review

In the late nineteenth century the future of the railways looked assured, with hundreds of new lines added and nearly every UK town and city having rail connections and very many villages. Throughout the twentieth century the railway system started to change as the road network expanded and more and more individuals and families were able to afford cars. By the 1960s it was clear that the railway network was going to have to change if it was to become profitable. Lord Beeching wrote a report which said that to save money it would be advantageous to close down parts of the network and concentrate on the main inter-city lines. The report, which did ...  Read the complete review

British Railways: Now then, where do you begin when you consider the railways. Firstly I would say, that since I started commuting into London this year, I have been surprised at how good the service actually seems to be for me. Having said that, I get on a single train and do not have to use the underground, which makes a difference. So what can be done to improve Britain's railways? Firstly I would say that we should start to consider how we can introduce double level trains like they have on the continent. Now I know we have a slight problem with this as our bridges are in parts to low, however the first stage of planning ...  Read the complete review

the railways are an abomination! one day in Glasgow, i leave my bag at my feet, and dont realise i dont have it until i get back to my stop. Immediately, i alert a SPT worker, who stands for 5 minutes asking "are you sure you dont have it?" dont you think i would know if i have a bag on my shoulder or not?! So then, after five minutes, he strolls up the stairs,meanwhile i am distraught as i have got a phone, keys and purse in this bag.Eventually, 10 minutes wasted, he meanders into the office, carefully picking out a phonebook, and slowly looking for the number for Glasgow Central. By the time he had phoned, 20 ...  Read the complete review

Five and a half years ago, Tony Blair promised us "joined-up" government. He then appointed as his transport supremo a man who can barely do joined-up writing. What chance was there of getting an "integrated" transport system from someone who has difficulty integrating half a dozen words into a coherent sentence? Two Jags' legacy is the current chaos on the railways. Instead of sorting out the shambolic privatisation inherited from the Tories, Two Jags spent his time attacking the poor sods who were trying, with a limited amount of success, to make it work. Egged on by Blair, he was more concerned with political point-scoring than making ...  Read the complete review