Another free market fail as Britain nationalises the railways

[Ringel05]

Government suspends rail franchise system after passengers plummet

Rail passenger numbers have collapsed in the wake of coronavirus

www.investorschronicle.co.uk

The UK government has suspended rail franchise agreements for six months and agreed to assume all revenue and cost risk posed to operators, after railways experienced a 70 per cent drop in passenger numbers following the advent of coronavirus.

They called Corbyn a commie for proposing this during the election and now here we are. This is initially for 6 months but they will likely find that corporations will be reluctant to return to this industry when things get back to normal.

The railways are an essential service and the private companies have always been backed by government money. Time to rip up the facade and run the network for the benefit of the country.

Americans, this is why Leftists are all over Twitter today, panicking and hyperventilating about "the virus". It's not about the virus at all. They saw their chance to nationalize everything and, at Trump's signal yesterday, they see their chance melting away.

Don't be fooled. Let the UK go their way; they're sunk and have been for a long time.

We are not them.

THANK GOD

Its about private rail companies collapsing despite huge government subsidies. Why would we subsidise companies when we have to step in and pick up the pieces anyway ?
UK rail service is pretty much the worst in Europe. Hopefully it will improve because of this.

Wrong as usual. This is about a business, subsidized or not being adversely affected but the economic ramifications of a pandemic where more and more people are staying home and not using the business. Doesn't matter where the money is coming from it's still going to suffer from lack of ridership yet in your scenario the burden of bailing out the business falls even heavier on the taxpayer. Kinda like our Amtrak, heavily subsidized but still not making any money, pandemic or not.

Railways in general do not make money and ours tend to make their profits from milking government subsidies. Public ownership of railways is a lot better than our current set up. Compare the networks in Switzerland,Portugal and France which are better run and cheaper to use.
We need public ownership of the network as rail will be an integral part of a green economy.

Here in the US it's the government keeping an outmoded form of transportation alive. Riding the rail here is a luxury not a necessity. As for your "green economy" pipe dream, good luck with that tovaritch.

 

[Biff_Poindexter]

Another free market fail as Britain nationalises the railways…

Not a free market fail.

A British fail.

Absolutely right. When the government doesn't allow the free market to be the free market, don't go blaming failure on the free market.

Free markets don't exist without government....and never has existed without government.....

free markets have been around longer than any government,,,

Please tell me a time where a free market existed without government...


How did this free market enforce contracts? How did this free market establish property rights??

I'll wait

they grew together. When the free market was in a simpler time... government was smaller and less necessary to put controls on a free market. Unless you were talking about abuse of power in a fuedal system or a conquering empire. Farmers and fishermen didnt count on government officials to come down and repair their fishing nets, or sweat in a field then cart vegetables to market. Ancient property rights were determined by the rule of possession. Your father lived here and his father before him, thus the land belongs to you. No one needed a government to tell them that.

and if I decided I wanted to take that land because I have an army to do it -- who is going to stop me?

Again...there is a reason you folks have to use terms like "ancient" and can't find any other examples of this fairy tale economy you fantasize about

Free markets don't exist without government....and never has existed without government.....

your words,.. its just not true. people who work and create goods and services to each other create the free market.

Obviously now because there are more people government is needed. Once kings and tyrants were disposed of, the societies that were left over needed to maintain order, replacing them with some sort of parliament.
Government has its place, to represent people who put them there, but they have no place taking credit for the work of others and taking credit for things they dont know about.

So in other words...when you folks say "free markets" -- you just say it because it feels good to say it? Because I have thoroughly proved my claim that these free markets you dream don't exist and never existed.....if they are so effective and superior -- why are you having such a hard time showing me one??

Native Americans?
The Mayans?
Ancient Kemet?

You want something more current? go no further than the x Soviet Union. Under that socialist communist paradise, there existed a thriving, massive black market (free market system) .. because without that the people only got what the government handed them. They had shit. They had to take things in their own hands and create their own market. Fact.

that isn't a free market either.......but continue failing....

I just told you -- if this free market is so much more superior -- why doesn't it exist??

And why is it when these libertarian billionaires attempted to start their own "free market society" -- they all failed and had to admit it wasn't feasible??

All roads that lead to this libertarian utopia has to go to utter feudalism and anarchy before they reach this utopia..which is why it doesn't exist...

 

[Biff_Poindexter]

You pseudo-libertarians are funny......because there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING stopping you from proving how everyone else is wrong -- and how this barter libertarian economy is more superior.....just go start your own country or maybe just a little island, call it a seastead or whatever....then you can prove all of the rest of the world wrong....oh wait!

"In 2008, Thiel, a billionaire investor and Trump transition team member, launched a mission to develop a floating city, called a seastead, that would operate independently from existing nations. Thiel invested $1.7 million in The Seasteading Institute, but resigned from its board in 2011. He later said in an interview that engineering seasteads is "not quite feasible."

A Silicon Valley billionaire's dream of a floating libertarian utopia may have finally been killed

The Seasteading Institute wants to build a floating libertarian utopia in the middle of the ocean. But a key partner has pulled out of the plans.

www.businessinsider.com

"Not quite feasible" is always something libertarians are forced to concede when their delusions have to face reality....

good lord you get emotional when you lose a discussion

I haven't lost anything...your failure to post a link to this free market economy is your problem.....

you are the one who said money has intrinsic value....it doesn't.....it's value comes from government...

its value comes from the fact I earned it,,,

only useful idiot socialist think the way you do,,,

Why did you accept money for your labor instead of cows or chickens or something else of "value"??

The only reason money has value is because the federal government gave it value.....

 

[progressive hunter]

Another free market fail as Britain nationalises the railways…

Not a free market fail.

A British fail.

Absolutely right. When the government doesn't allow the free market to be the free market, don't go blaming failure on the free market.

Free markets don't exist without government....and never has existed without government.....

free markets have been around longer than any government,,,

Please tell me a time where a free market existed without government...


How did this free market enforce contracts? How did this free market establish property rights??

I'll wait

they grew together. When the free market was in a simpler time... government was smaller and less necessary to put controls on a free market. Unless you were talking about abuse of power in a fuedal system or a conquering empire. Farmers and fishermen didnt count on government officials to come down and repair their fishing nets, or sweat in a field then cart vegetables to market. Ancient property rights were determined by the rule of possession. Your father lived here and his father before him, thus the land belongs to you. No one needed a government to tell them that.

and if I decided I wanted to take that land because I have an army to do it -- who is going to stop me?

Again...there is a reason you folks have to use terms like "ancient" and can't find any other examples of this fairy tale economy you fantasize about

Free markets don't exist without government....and never has existed without government.....

your words,.. its just not true. people who work and create goods and services to each other create the free market.

Obviously now because there are more people government is needed. Once kings and tyrants were disposed of, the societies that were left over needed to maintain order, replacing them with some sort of parliament.
Government has its place, to represent people who put them there, but they have no place taking credit for the work of others and taking credit for things they dont know about.

So in other words...when you folks say "free markets" -- you just say it because it feels good to say it? Because I have thoroughly proved my claim that these free markets you dream don't exist and never existed.....if they are so effective and superior -- why are you having such a hard time showing me one??

Native Americans?
The Mayans?
Ancient Kemet?

You want something more current? go no further than the x Soviet Union. Under that socialist communist paradise, there existed a thriving, massive black market (free market system) .. because without that the people only got what the government handed them. They had shit. They had to take things in their own hands and create their own market. Fact.

that isn't a free market either.......but continue failing....

I just told you -- if this free market is so much more superior -- why doesn't it exist??

And why is it when these libertarian billionaires attempted to start their own "free market society" -- they all failed and had to admit it wasn't feasible??

All roads that lead to this libertarian utopia has to go to utter feudalism and anarchy before they reach this utopia..which is why it doesn't exist...

it does exist but the governments work daily to destroy it and take over peoples private lives,,,

 

[progressive hunter]

You pseudo-libertarians are funny......because there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING stopping you from proving how everyone else is wrong -- and how this barter libertarian economy is more superior.....just go start your own country or maybe just a little island, call it a seastead or whatever....then you can prove all of the rest of the world wrong....oh wait!

"In 2008, Thiel, a billionaire investor and Trump transition team member, launched a mission to develop a floating city, called a seastead, that would operate independently from existing nations. Thiel invested $1.7 million in The Seasteading Institute, but resigned from its board in 2011. He later said in an interview that engineering seasteads is "not quite feasible."

A Silicon Valley billionaire's dream of a floating libertarian utopia may have finally been killed

The Seasteading Institute wants to build a floating libertarian utopia in the middle of the ocean. But a key partner has pulled out of the plans.

www.businessinsider.com

"Not quite feasible" is always something libertarians are forced to concede when their delusions have to face reality....

good lord you get emotional when you lose a discussion

I haven't lost anything...your failure to post a link to this free market economy is your problem.....

you are the one who said money has intrinsic value....it doesn't.....it's value comes from government...

its value comes from the fact I earned it,,,

only useful idiot socialist think the way you do,,,

Why did you accept money for your labor instead of cows or chickens or something else of "value"??

The only reason money has value is because the federal government gave it value.....

because its an easier method in this time of large populations

 

[progressive hunter]

You pseudo-libertarians are funny......because there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING stopping you from proving how everyone else is wrong -- and how this barter libertarian economy is more superior.....just go start your own country or maybe just a little island, call it a seastead or whatever....then you can prove all of the rest of the world wrong....oh wait!

"In 2008, Thiel, a billionaire investor and Trump transition team member, launched a mission to develop a floating city, called a seastead, that would operate independently from existing nations. Thiel invested $1.7 million in The Seasteading Institute, but resigned from its board in 2011. He later said in an interview that engineering seasteads is "not quite feasible."

A Silicon Valley billionaire's dream of a floating libertarian utopia may have finally been killed

The Seasteading Institute wants to build a floating libertarian utopia in the middle of the ocean. But a key partner has pulled out of the plans.

www.businessinsider.com

"Not quite feasible" is always something libertarians are forced to concede when their delusions have to face reality....

good lord you get emotional when you lose a discussion

I haven't lost anything...your failure to post a link to this free market economy is your problem.....

you are the one who said money has intrinsic value....it doesn't.....it's value comes from government...

its value comes from the fact I earned it,,,

only useful idiot socialist think the way you do,,,

Why did you accept money for your labor instead of cows or chickens or something else of "value"??

The only reason money has value is because the federal government gave it value.....

in fact your comment proves free markets existed before governments,,,

because the population got so big it was to complicated to do real barter so governments were created to oversee it and provide a currency to better allow th trade of labor for goods and services

 

[Tommy Tainant]

Government suspends rail franchise system after passengers plummet

Rail passenger numbers have collapsed in the wake of coronavirus

www.investorschronicle.co.uk

The UK government has suspended rail franchise agreements for six months and agreed to assume all revenue and cost risk posed to operators, after railways experienced a 70 per cent drop in passenger numbers following the advent of coronavirus.

They called Corbyn a commie for proposing this during the election and now here we are. This is initially for 6 months but they will likely find that corporations will be reluctant to return to this industry when things get back to normal.

The railways are an essential service and the private companies have always been backed by government money. Time to rip up the facade and run the network for the benefit of the country.

Americans, this is why Leftists are all over Twitter today, panicking and hyperventilating about "the virus". It's not about the virus at all. They saw their chance to nationalize everything and, at Trump's signal yesterday, they see their chance melting away.

Don't be fooled. Let the UK go their way; they're sunk and have been for a long time.

We are not them.

THANK GOD

Its about private rail companies collapsing despite huge government subsidies. Why would we subsidise companies when we have to step in and pick up the pieces anyway ?
UK rail service is pretty much the worst in Europe. Hopefully it will improve because of this.

I actually agree with you Tommy, Amtrak is the government supported train service in the United States and it has been running since the 70's and has failed to make a profit. Time to let them die on their own as they are not cost effective forms of transportation, here and in the UK.

It does sound very similar. The lines into the big cities are profitable but the rural routes not so much. The current franchise system is a Hodge podge of jumbled up thinking. Our trains are old because the franchises are loath to invest in rolling stock. Our fares are the highest in Europe because the franchises are guaranteed an inflation linked rise every year. It is not linked to performance.
This is what that looks like.

Where it differs from the US is that we need a rail option because our road network is inadequate. You cannot drive into our choked cities and get to work on time. If you do then you need to be minted to afford the parking costs.

 

[Biff_Poindexter]

You pseudo-libertarians are funny......because there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING stopping you from proving how everyone else is wrong -- and how this barter libertarian economy is more superior.....just go start your own country or maybe just a little island, call it a seastead or whatever....then you can prove all of the rest of the world wrong....oh wait!

"In 2008, Thiel, a billionaire investor and Trump transition team member, launched a mission to develop a floating city, called a seastead, that would operate independently from existing nations. Thiel invested $1.7 million in The Seasteading Institute, but resigned from its board in 2011. He later said in an interview that engineering seasteads is "not quite feasible."

A Silicon Valley billionaire's dream of a floating libertarian utopia may have finally been killed

The Seasteading Institute wants to build a floating libertarian utopia in the middle of the ocean. But a key partner has pulled out of the plans.

www.businessinsider.com

"Not quite feasible" is always something libertarians are forced to concede when their delusions have to face reality....

good lord you get emotional when you lose a discussion

I haven't lost anything...your failure to post a link to this free market economy is your problem.....

you are the one who said money has intrinsic value....it doesn't.....it's value comes from government...

its value comes from the fact I earned it,,,

only useful idiot socialist think the way you do,,,

Why did you accept money for your labor instead of cows or chickens or something else of "value"??

The only reason money has value is because the federal government gave it value.....

in fact your comment proves free markets existed before governments,,,

because the population got so big it was to complicated to do real barter so governments were created to oversee it and provide a currency to better allow th trade of labor for goods and services

The Roman Empire didn't have a barter system.....and nothing after it did....still waiting for you to tell me about where these barter economies were -- that you free marketers dream of having again....

 

[progressive hunter]

You pseudo-libertarians are funny......because there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING stopping you from proving how everyone else is wrong -- and how this barter libertarian economy is more superior.....just go start your own country or maybe just a little island, call it a seastead or whatever....then you can prove all of the rest of the world wrong....oh wait!

"In 2008, Thiel, a billionaire investor and Trump transition team member, launched a mission to develop a floating city, called a seastead, that would operate independently from existing nations. Thiel invested $1.7 million in The Seasteading Institute, but resigned from its board in 2011. He later said in an interview that engineering seasteads is "not quite feasible."

A Silicon Valley billionaire's dream of a floating libertarian utopia may have finally been killed

The Seasteading Institute wants to build a floating libertarian utopia in the middle of the ocean. But a key partner has pulled out of the plans.

www.businessinsider.com

"Not quite feasible" is always something libertarians are forced to concede when their delusions have to face reality....

good lord you get emotional when you lose a discussion

I haven't lost anything...your failure to post a link to this free market economy is your problem.....

you are the one who said money has intrinsic value....it doesn't.....it's value comes from government...

its value comes from the fact I earned it,,,

only useful idiot socialist think the way you do,,,

Why did you accept money for your labor instead of cows or chickens or something else of "value"??

The only reason money has value is because the federal government gave it value.....

in fact your comment proves free markets existed before governments,,,

because the population got so big it was to complicated to do real barter so governments were created to oversee it and provide a currency to better allow th trade of labor for goods and services

The Roman Empire didn't have a barter system.....and nothing after it did....still waiting for you to tell me about where these barter economies were -- that you free marketers dream of having again....

of course they did,,,

now youre just getting desperate,,,

 

[Biff_Poindexter]

You pseudo-libertarians are funny......because there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING stopping you from proving how everyone else is wrong -- and how this barter libertarian economy is more superior.....just go start your own country or maybe just a little island, call it a seastead or whatever....then you can prove all of the rest of the world wrong....oh wait!

"In 2008, Thiel, a billionaire investor and Trump transition team member, launched a mission to develop a floating city, called a seastead, that would operate independently from existing nations. Thiel invested $1.7 million in The Seasteading Institute, but resigned from its board in 2011. He later said in an interview that engineering seasteads is "not quite feasible."

A Silicon Valley billionaire's dream of a floating libertarian utopia may have finally been killed

The Seasteading Institute wants to build a floating libertarian utopia in the middle of the ocean. But a key partner has pulled out of the plans.

www.businessinsider.com

"Not quite feasible" is always something libertarians are forced to concede when their delusions have to face reality....

good lord you get emotional when you lose a discussion

I haven't lost anything...your failure to post a link to this free market economy is your problem.....

you are the one who said money has intrinsic value....it doesn't.....it's value comes from government...

its value comes from the fact I earned it,,,

only useful idiot socialist think the way you do,,,

Why did you accept money for your labor instead of cows or chickens or something else of "value"??

The only reason money has value is because the federal government gave it value.....

because its an easier method in this time of large populations

it is because the government has the monopolization of force....and because of that, they can give that currency value...because that is the government accepts as payment for taxes....try to pay your taxes by bartering your cows and chickens if you like.......

 

[progressive hunter]

You pseudo-libertarians are funny......because there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING stopping you from proving how everyone else is wrong -- and how this barter libertarian economy is more superior.....just go start your own country or maybe just a little island, call it a seastead or whatever....then you can prove all of the rest of the world wrong....oh wait!

"In 2008, Thiel, a billionaire investor and Trump transition team member, launched a mission to develop a floating city, called a seastead, that would operate independently from existing nations. Thiel invested $1.7 million in The Seasteading Institute, but resigned from its board in 2011. He later said in an interview that engineering seasteads is "not quite feasible."

A Silicon Valley billionaire's dream of a floating libertarian utopia may have finally been killed

The Seasteading Institute wants to build a floating libertarian utopia in the middle of the ocean. But a key partner has pulled out of the plans.

www.businessinsider.com

"Not quite feasible" is always something libertarians are forced to concede when their delusions have to face reality....

good lord you get emotional when you lose a discussion

I haven't lost anything...your failure to post a link to this free market economy is your problem.....

you are the one who said money has intrinsic value....it doesn't.....it's value comes from government...

its value comes from the fact I earned it,,,

only useful idiot socialist think the way you do,,,

Why did you accept money for your labor instead of cows or chickens or something else of "value"??

The only reason money has value is because the federal government gave it value.....

because its an easier method in this time of large populations

it is because the government has the monopolization of force....and because of that, they can give that currency value...because that is the government accepts as payment for taxes....try to pay your taxes by bartering your cows and chickens if you like.......

you stink of desperation,,,

 

[Biff_Poindexter]

You pseudo-libertarians are funny......because there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING stopping you from proving how everyone else is wrong -- and how this barter libertarian economy is more superior.....just go start your own country or maybe just a little island, call it a seastead or whatever....then you can prove all of the rest of the world wrong....oh wait!

"In 2008, Thiel, a billionaire investor and Trump transition team member, launched a mission to develop a floating city, called a seastead, that would operate independently from existing nations. Thiel invested $1.7 million in The Seasteading Institute, but resigned from its board in 2011. He later said in an interview that engineering seasteads is "not quite feasible."

A Silicon Valley billionaire's dream of a floating libertarian utopia may have finally been killed

The Seasteading Institute wants to build a floating libertarian utopia in the middle of the ocean. But a key partner has pulled out of the plans.

www.businessinsider.com

"Not quite feasible" is always something libertarians are forced to concede when their delusions have to face reality....

good lord you get emotional when you lose a discussion

I haven't lost anything...your failure to post a link to this free market economy is your problem.....

you are the one who said money has intrinsic value....it doesn't.....it's value comes from government...

its value comes from the fact I earned it,,,

only useful idiot socialist think the way you do,,,

Why did you accept money for your labor instead of cows or chickens or something else of "value"??

The only reason money has value is because the federal government gave it value.....

in fact your comment proves free markets existed before governments,,,

because the population got so big it was to complicated to do real barter so governments were created to oversee it and provide a currency to better allow th trade of labor for goods and services

The Roman Empire didn't have a barter system.....and nothing after it did....still waiting for you to tell me about where these barter economies were -- that you free marketers dream of having again....

of course they did,,,

now youre just getting desperate,,,

You do understand that the Romans had a tax system right??

 

[Biff_Poindexter]

You pseudo-libertarians are funny......because there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING stopping you from proving how everyone else is wrong -- and how this barter libertarian economy is more superior.....just go start your own country or maybe just a little island, call it a seastead or whatever....then you can prove all of the rest of the world wrong....oh wait!

"In 2008, Thiel, a billionaire investor and Trump transition team member, launched a mission to develop a floating city, called a seastead, that would operate independently from existing nations. Thiel invested $1.7 million in The Seasteading Institute, but resigned from its board in 2011. He later said in an interview that engineering seasteads is "not quite feasible."

A Silicon Valley billionaire's dream of a floating libertarian utopia may have finally been killed

The Seasteading Institute wants to build a floating libertarian utopia in the middle of the ocean. But a key partner has pulled out of the plans.

www.businessinsider.com

"Not quite feasible" is always something libertarians are forced to concede when their delusions have to face reality....

good lord you get emotional when you lose a discussion

I haven't lost anything...your failure to post a link to this free market economy is your problem.....

you are the one who said money has intrinsic value....it doesn't.....it's value comes from government...

its value comes from the fact I earned it,,,

only useful idiot socialist think the way you do,,,

Why did you accept money for your labor instead of cows or chickens or something else of "value"??

The only reason money has value is because the federal government gave it value.....

because its an easier method in this time of large populations

it is because the government has the monopolization of force....and because of that, they can give that currency value...because that is the government accepts as payment for taxes....try to pay your taxes by bartering your cows and chickens if you like.......

you stink of desperation,,,

Its ok to admit you have no idea how fiat currency works...most of you Trumpers don't.....

 

[progressive hunter]

You pseudo-libertarians are funny......because there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING stopping you from proving how everyone else is wrong -- and how this barter libertarian economy is more superior.....just go start your own country or maybe just a little island, call it a seastead or whatever....then you can prove all of the rest of the world wrong....oh wait!

"In 2008, Thiel, a billionaire investor and Trump transition team member, launched a mission to develop a floating city, called a seastead, that would operate independently from existing nations. Thiel invested $1.7 million in The Seasteading Institute, but resigned from its board in 2011. He later said in an interview that engineering seasteads is "not quite feasible."

A Silicon Valley billionaire's dream of a floating libertarian utopia may have finally been killed

The Seasteading Institute wants to build a floating libertarian utopia in the middle of the ocean. But a key partner has pulled out of the plans.

www.businessinsider.com

"Not quite feasible" is always something libertarians are forced to concede when their delusions have to face reality....

good lord you get emotional when you lose a discussion

I haven't lost anything...your failure to post a link to this free market economy is your problem.....

you are the one who said money has intrinsic value....it doesn't.....it's value comes from government...

its value comes from the fact I earned it,,,

only useful idiot socialist think the way you do,,,

Why did you accept money for your labor instead of cows or chickens or something else of "value"??

The only reason money has value is because the federal government gave it value.....

because its an easier method in this time of large populations

it is because the government has the monopolization of force....and because of that, they can give that currency value...because that is the government accepts as payment for taxes....try to pay your taxes by bartering your cows and chickens if you like.......

you stink of desperation,,,

Its ok to admit you have no idea how fiat currency works...most of you Trumpers don't.....

AHHH so your TDS rears its ugly head,,,sorry I'm not a trump supporter,,

and money has value because someone earned it through their labor

 

[Papageorgio]

Government suspends rail franchise system after passengers plummet

Rail passenger numbers have collapsed in the wake of coronavirus

www.investorschronicle.co.uk

The UK government has suspended rail franchise agreements for six months and agreed to assume all revenue and cost risk posed to operators, after railways experienced a 70 per cent drop in passenger numbers following the advent of coronavirus.

They called Corbyn a commie for proposing this during the election and now here we are. This is initially for 6 months but they will likely find that corporations will be reluctant to return to this industry when things get back to normal.

The railways are an essential service and the private companies have always been backed by government money. Time to rip up the facade and run the network for the benefit of the country.

the free market didnt fail,,, your socialist leaders took advantage of the situation and took over a private company

The socialists are cheering this. The people who re-nationalised the failing railways are the same people who nationalised the network in a misguided move. Your ignorance should mean that you should keep quite on issues of which you are. ignorant.

no ignorance on my part,,,you OP clearly shows they took advantage of the current situation ,,,,

The franchises could not maintain a service so were in breach of their franchise agreement. The last thing the government wants to do is run a railway. Believe me I have studied this for 20 years whilst riding on shitty privatised trains.

so you admit they took advantage of the situation,,,

Im not sure how you come to that conclusion. The rail companies effectively handed back the keys because they wanted to avoid bankruptcy. The government had no choice. If they had they would have taken any other option. There have been several failed free market franchises over the years and in every instance the tories have given them back to the rail company vultures. And this despite those franchises being profitable and successful under government control.
It could be a win win situation for everybody if the tory bastards drop their free market dogma and do what is best for the country.

It seems the rail is not supported by the public, if every year it is going to lose money, the rail should be taken out behind the barn and taken out of it's misery.

 

[Tommy Tainant]

Government suspends rail franchise system after passengers plummet

Rail passenger numbers have collapsed in the wake of coronavirus

www.investorschronicle.co.uk

The UK government has suspended rail franchise agreements for six months and agreed to assume all revenue and cost risk posed to operators, after railways experienced a 70 per cent drop in passenger numbers following the advent of coronavirus.

They called Corbyn a commie for proposing this during the election and now here we are. This is initially for 6 months but they will likely find that corporations will be reluctant to return to this industry when things get back to normal.

The railways are an essential service and the private companies have always been backed by government money. Time to rip up the facade and run the network for the benefit of the country.

the free market didnt fail,,, your socialist leaders took advantage of the situation and took over a private company

The socialists are cheering this. The people who re-nationalised the failing railways are the same people who nationalised the network in a misguided move. Your ignorance should mean that you should keep quite on issues of which you are. ignorant.

no ignorance on my part,,,you OP clearly shows they took advantage of the current situation ,,,,

The franchises could not maintain a service so were in breach of their franchise agreement. The last thing the government wants to do is run a railway. Believe me I have studied this for 20 years whilst riding on shitty privatised trains.

so you admit they took advantage of the situation,,,

Im not sure how you come to that conclusion. The rail companies effectively handed back the keys because they wanted to avoid bankruptcy. The government had no choice. If they had they would have taken any other option. There have been several failed free market franchises over the years and in every instance the tories have given them back to the rail company vultures. And this despite those franchises being profitable and successful under government control.
It could be a win win situation for everybody if the tory bastards drop their free market dogma and do what is best for the country.

It seems the rail is not supported by the public, if every year it is going to lose money, the rail should be taken out behind the barn and taken out of it's misery.

Not everything that loses money needs to be put down. Rail travel has a big part to play in our future.

 

[Papageorgio]

Government suspends rail franchise system after passengers plummet

Rail passenger numbers have collapsed in the wake of coronavirus

www.investorschronicle.co.uk

The UK government has suspended rail franchise agreements for six months and agreed to assume all revenue and cost risk posed to operators, after railways experienced a 70 per cent drop in passenger numbers following the advent of coronavirus.

They called Corbyn a commie for proposing this during the election and now here we are. This is initially for 6 months but they will likely find that corporations will be reluctant to return to this industry when things get back to normal.

The railways are an essential service and the private companies have always been backed by government money. Time to rip up the facade and run the network for the benefit of the country.

Americans, this is why Leftists are all over Twitter today, panicking and hyperventilating about "the virus". It's not about the virus at all. They saw their chance to nationalize everything and, at Trump's signal yesterday, they see their chance melting away.

Don't be fooled. Let the UK go their way; they're sunk and have been for a long time.

We are not them.

THANK GOD

Its about private rail companies collapsing despite huge government subsidies. Why would we subsidise companies when we have to step in and pick up the pieces anyway ?
UK rail service is pretty much the worst in Europe. Hopefully it will improve because of this.

I actually agree with you Tommy, Amtrak is the government supported train service in the United States and it has been running since the 70's and has failed to make a profit. Time to let them die on their own as they are not cost effective forms of transportation, here and in the UK.

It does sound very similar. The lines into the big cities are profitable but the rural routes not so much. The current franchise system is a Hodge podge of jumbled up thinking. Our trains are old because the franchises are loath to invest in rolling stock. Our fares are the highest in Europe because the franchises are guaranteed an inflation linked rise every year. It is not linked to performance.
This is what that looks like.

View attachment 314695

Where it differs from the US is that we need a rail option because our road network is inadequate. You cannot drive into our choked cities and get to work on time. If you do then you need to be minted to afford the parking costs.

My son rode transit buses to work and back when he worked in London. To me if a business fails, it fails and isn't needed. Sounds like the rails were not charging enough.

 

[Olde Europe]

Not everything that loses money needs to be put down. Rail travel has a big part to play in our future.

Hey, let's put down the military - they're losing gobs of money all the time. And the police forces, too, while we're at it.

 

[Dragonlady]

Government suspends rail franchise system after passengers plummet

Rail passenger numbers have collapsed in the wake of coronavirus

www.investorschronicle.co.uk

The UK government has suspended rail franchise agreements for six months and agreed to assume all revenue and cost risk posed to operators, after railways experienced a 70 per cent drop in passenger numbers following the advent of coronavirus.

They called Corbyn a commie for proposing this during the election and now here we are. This is initially for 6 months but they will likely find that corporations will be reluctant to return to this industry when things get back to normal.

The railways are an essential service and the private companies have always been backed by government money. Time to rip up the facade and run the network for the benefit of the country.

Americans, this is why Leftists are all over Twitter today, panicking and hyperventilating about "the virus". It's not about the virus at all. They saw their chance to nationalize everything and, at Trump's signal yesterday, they see their chance melting away.

Don't be fooled. Let the UK go their way; they're sunk and have been for a long time.

We are not them.

THANK GOD

Its about private rail companies collapsing despite huge government subsidies. Why would we subsidise companies when we have to step in and pick up the pieces anyway ?
UK rail service is pretty much the worst in Europe. Hopefully it will improve because of this.

We have two national railroads Canadian National (government owned), and Canadian Pacific (private), CP only does freight. CN has a passenger subsidiary VIA Rail. During the recent rail disruptions in native disputes, this didn't cause an economic catastrophe because of public ownership.

 

[JoeMoma]

Well damn! Seems like there are some people that don't know what a Free Market is.

Here is a definition I found from the net:

An economic system in which prices are determined by unrestricted competition between privately owned businesses.

This thread is a fail since the British railways was a poor example of the free market to begin with?